Chalkzone 1. Prologue

A row of clear glass bottles sat in a row. All in a line, perfectly straight. They rested on a large wooden platform. Chains held the platform in place. Somewhat rusty chains they were, many areas covered in red rust. The platform itself was pushed up against a solid wall, shades of grey decorating it. It looked like, whoever had set it up this way, had been extra careful not to get any details incorrect. It looked like someone took quite a bit of time getting it to look like this.

Then, without warning, the glass bottles started to vibrate. Slightly at first. But the vibrations grew stronger. The sound of something stomping could be hard, low, then getting louder. Soon the glass bottles were wobbling, getting to the point where they would almost fall over. They clanged against each other, the squeaking of glass rubbing up against each other sounding out.

A mixture of colors came into the glasses. Two shades of green, and a smidgen of red and blue. As the colors drew ever closer, the shaking of the glasses increased. Then the shades of green covered the whole glass, creating a wobbly image of whatever was approaching. The shaking stopped entirely.

A low growl replaced the clanging. A soft yet menacing growl, and then a yell of frustration. An orange-colored hand with three hooked fingers struck down. It sliced through the glasses, shattering them. The force of the blow caused the shattered pieces to fall into the ground. Down they fell, many of them reflecting the color of the 'attacker'. Light green and dark green, and then those colors vanished, replaced by the dull grey of the floor.

Standing by the chained wooden shelf, with his arm still held in the position of having struck something, was Skrawl. His mismatched eyes glared down at the glass pieces with great contempt. His teeth were clenched, and it looked like it was taking all of his strength not to smash the pieces of glass further. Or it could have just been common sense, because it's glass.

Skrawl was not in a very good mood. Any Beanie Boy who saw him like this instantly flew away in a panic. Skrawl is particularly aggressive when he gets like this. Any attempt to reason with him right now would end with failure, and perhaps a claw mark or two. During these times, it was best to keep distance away from the jellybean and let him have his little temper tantrum.

At least, that's how it usually would go. This time, Skrawl wanted to try to keep his temper under control. The last time he had lost his temper, he almost broke something of value in his hideout. It hadn't always been this way. He used to have some better control over his anger, but lately, it was getting worse. And it was all because of that little pest, Rudy Tabootie.

Just thinking about his name made Skrawl fume in hatred and anger. The boy had been a thorn in his side for so long... Okay so it's been a year at best. Still, it felt so much longer to him. Way too long if one were to ask him. He wanted, no, he needed to get Rudy out of the way. But all his brilliant plans...they all always go down the drain. Something goes wrong, no matter how well the plan appears to go. He always, somehow, gets the upperhand.

And it was because he was a creator. That's the only reason Rudy manages to best him. Because he has the magic chalk and he can draw anything to existence. If Rudy were stripped of that, Skrawl would beat him. He grinned at the thought of a helpless Rudy begging for him to let him and his friends go. Chalkless, what else could the boy do?

He scowled as his past failures started to burn into his mind. He had tried before to make Rudy chalkless. It was when he had teamed up with Craniac 4. Oh how big of a mistake that had been... Craniac 4 had no idea what he was doing outside of creating a mold for his robot. Had Skrawl just taken Robot Rudy himself and done away with Craniac 4, he would have had a chance to succeed. It was bad enough that Craniac 4 had the robot waste time on Penny and Snap, but he was certain it was his bickering with the red tinted robot that gave someone the distraction they needed to tell Rudy of his formerly 'brilliant' plan. Must have been Snap...

That little blue pest was just as big of a thorn, as well as that genius girl, Penny. Yet it was Rudy who had most of his attention. It was Rudy who usually wielded the magic chalk. Penny could, but she rarely used it. And as annoying as Snap was, he couldn't do much. He was too small to fight him. Skrawl can easily take care of him. His biggest obstacle he had to face before he could take over ChalkZone...was Master Tabootie.

Oh how he would love to wring that little boy's throat.. How he would love to snap his neck in two... It would be so easy, too. Rudy wasn't that big and he wasn't that strong physically. All his strength came from the magic chalk. Separated from it, he was weak. Whereas he, Skrawl, he remained strong, easily able to lift up the boy with one arm like he was nothing more than a piece of paper. Heck, he was able to juggle him and his friend, Snap, very easily during their first encounter.

Someday, he will find a way to beat that annoying little brat. Someday, one of his plans will work. He will find a way to foil Rudy, and make him beg for mercy. He will find a way to defeat the protector of ChalkZone. No one's luck ever runs that long. Rudy will slip up someday. One of these days, he will do something that will bring forth his downfall.

Not even the Great Creator was truly invincible. Even he had weaknesses. Even he made mistakes. And when he soon makes one, Skrawl will be there to take advantage of it. No one is unbeatable. And eventually, someday, something will give.

Eventually, Master Tabootie will fall.


	2. Discovery

Mint Zandophen was bored. It took him quite a bit of effort not to simply fall asleep in class. Not that he really cared if he did or not. He was used to being sent to the principal's office for doing such a thing. But he couldn't help it. Maybe if the teachers learned how to make class more exciting, he wouldn't be getting so sleepy. His parents think he's not getting enough sleep, but no, that's not it. He just gets bored to death listening to the teacher talk about things that did not interest him.

He was like this with any classroom. Right now, he was in his favorite, art. Despite being his favorite, he was still bored, not because of the subject of art. He loved to draw. No, it was because the teacher was talking about drawing things that, frankly, did not interest him. He wasn't interested in learning how to draw trees, or swords, or boxes, or flowers, or whatever the teacher was talking about. He had tuned him out and his words long left his mind.

He gazed down at the blank piece of paper the teacher had given him. In his hand, he held a 6B pencil and not far was one of those grey, kneadable erasers. He took another look at the teacher. He was still standing in front, having pulled out a chart about color theory or something. A complex theory...he wasn't sure why he was showing it to eleven year olds. Oh well, not his problem.

Rather than let himself get a headache over trying to understand that chart, Mint instead looked back down at the paper. He really wanted to draw something. Anything...to keep his mind from going numb. He didn't want to fall asleep again. He needed someway to keep himself awake. Drawing was the best solution. But he wasn't going to draw what the teacher would have wanted him to. Instead, he would focus on his favorite topic.

Dinosaurs.

Mint loved dinosaurs, as well as other prehistoric animals, such as pterosaurs and pliosaurs. Although just eleven, he had a knack for drawing them quite well, at least for someone his age. Dinosaurs had always fascinated him. While his ability to draw things like chairs and landscapes had left much to be desired, he honed his animal-drawing skills and improved greatly in that area.

His art teacher once said that was proof that, if he put his mind to it, he could improve in his weaker areas. Mint scoffed at the idea. The only reason he drew dinosaurs and other beasts as well as he could was because he was actually interested in them. He had an incentive to draw dinosaurs. He did not have a reason to draw inanimate objects. And it wasn't like he couldn't. He could draw simple, crude things such as a pipe or a simplified pine tree. He just couldn't go into detail like some of the more professional artists.

So that's what he was going to draw. Giving the teacher one final glance to make sure he wasn't looking this way, Mint raised his 6B pencil and began to draw. He began by making simple shapes to create the outline 'skeleton' of what he wanted to draw. Then he added more details, the pencil scraping against the paper as he went along. Dark lines soon covered the paper.

Minutes passed and he was still working on the sketch. At first, when he started, it looked like a jumbled mess. Now it was coming into focus. The already dark lines became darker as Mint started to draw the final outline, giving the drawing shape and structure. In a few areas where he made a mistake, he picked up the kneaded eraser and rubbed it against the lines. When they had vanished as much as possible, he put the eraser down and used his pencil to create new lines, filling in the empty spaces he had created.

Soon Mint was finished. He looked down at his paper, smiling in pride. He had drawn a tyrannosaurus snatching a pterodon from the air. The pose was a little awkward and he felt the feet of the tyrannosaurus could be improved. But all in all, he liked how it turned out. He couldn't wait to get home so he could use his colored pencils to finish this up.

"Mr. Zandophen!"

Mint's body froze in shock when the teacher called out to him. In surprise, he accidentally ripped his drawing in the center. Mint stared at it and let out a soft groan. He glared in the teacher's direction.

The teacher was standing in front of the rows of desks. His eyes were on him. He had a hand on his hip and he was tapping his foot. He returned the child's glare. He briefly glanced at the ripped paper Mint held in his hands, and then turned his eyes to focus back on the child.

"You know the rules. No drawing until I give the say." The teacher said as he made his way down the row towards Mint. The other students watched, some apprehensive, others eager to see how this turned out. The teacher stood by Mint's desk and looked at his drawing. "And you are only allowed to draw what's part of today's assignment. If you want to draw dinosaurs, you may do so after you finished the assignment. Do you understand me?"

Mint snarled softly and looked away from the teacher. He stared down at the paper. He couldn't believe the dumb teacher made him rip his artwork. He had been so happy with it, too. He might still be able to salvage it if he used some tape on the back. But it still wouldn't be the same. And he wasn't about to redraw this.

"Mr. Zandophen! Are you paying attention to what I'm saying?" The teacher asked, slamming his hand against the eleven year old's desk. "For once, can't you just listen and acknowledge when you did something wrong? Don't blame me for what happened to your drawing. If you had been paying attention and followed the rules, then it wouldn't have ripped."

Mint turned his head slightly. He glared at the teacher, his eyes filled with anger. He probably should have held his tongue, but a part of him wouldn't let him. A part of him that wanted to get back at the teacher somehow, even if just verbal.

"Bite me." Mint hissed, gritting his teeth.

The single phrase caused a collection of gasps to spread throughout the room. Even the students that tried not to pay attention couldn't help but react at that word. No one said that to this teacher and got away with it. No one had ever dared to say something like that to him. This teacher was quite strict and didn't exactly show much softness when it came to punishing students.

The words were practically a curse word. In fact, they were. It was just another way of saying...something much worse. Mint knew this. He knew the implications of what he said. He knew what it meant. He knew that, by saying this phrase, he was in big trouble. He could see the anger growing in the shocked teacher's eyes. This hadn't been the first time he talked back to this teacher, but this was the first time that he said something so condenscending to him.

And Mint felt no regrets. It felt kind of...good to finally tell the teacher that. It felt good that he, in a way, got back at him. Sure, he was going to be punished for it, but he wasn't going to feel sorry for it. Why should he? This teacher had it coming. The others might not agree, but who cares what they thought? They were just a bunch of scaredy cats who would rather run with their tails between their legs than to stand up for themselves.

The teacher suddenly seized his drawing. Mint didn't have time to react. He reached out for it, but the teacher swiftly walked away. He went over to his desk and stuffed the piece of paper in one of his drawers and shut it. He turned the key and there was a click.

Mint stared at him in shock. He couldn't believe he actually did that. His eyes slowly narrowed and he pointed a finger at the teacher, not caring if he was being disrespectful or not. "Hey, that's not fair! Give that back!"

The teacher sat down in his desk and interlocked his fingers. He glared back at the child. "You need to learn some manners and respect, young man. If you can't behave like a descent little child, then you will not get the drawing back. If you care about it so much, then redo it after class." Mint snarled at this. "And just for that attitude you gave me, you are going to the principal's office. I'm sure they'd love to see you again."

Mint grumbled at this. But he knew he had no choice. If he didn't go on his own, the teacher would drag him out. He got up from his chair, ignoring the looks he was given from the other students. He exited the room and began to make his way down the halls.

The nerve of that stupid teacher... How dare he ruin one of his drawings... How dare he take it away from him... Mint wished there was a way he could make the teacher regret what he did. Maybe a prank or something. Yeah, that might work nicely. Something classic, like a whoopi cushion or a thumb tack. Mint wasn't interested in badly hurting the teacher; he just wanted to mess with him. He wanted to teach him a lesson.

There wasn't a lot of things that could make Mint angry. But messing with his drawings, taking them or ruining them, that was a surefire why to get on his bad side. Mint was sensitive about his work, perhaps a little too much so. No other subject made him as happy as art did. And it did upset him to no end that the art teacher he ended up with this year was so stuck up. He wished the teacher was more like the one he had last year, who allowed a lot more freedom in the drawings than his current one. That teacher had been fun. Why couldn't he have that teacher instead of this one?

Well there wasn't much he could do about that. As much as he wanted a teacher who would let him draw whatever he wanted to, he knew there was no chance of that happening. At least not this year. He would have to hope for the best next year. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to choose his own classes. Maybe he'll better be able to avoid lame teachers like his current art one. What was his name? Oh well, he didn't care to remember. It was a convuluted name anyway. He just remembered it began with an R.

Mint continued to walk down the hallways. As he passed by the windows, he glanced outside. He groaned. The fifth graders were playing outside. It was recess for them. He wished he could be out there. He wished he could go outside and draw on the school grounds. But he had to wait. It wasn't recess yet for the sixth graders. And sadly, after this year, far as he knew, he wouldn't get any more recess. Stupid school...

He went down the stairs. The principal's office was a level below his art classroom. He descended the stairs, going down slowly. He was in no rush to get to the principal's office. It wasn't like there was going to be 'traffic' here; this lower level had mostly fifth grader classes and they were all outside playing. As he reached the bottom step, he walked forward and made a right, heading in the direction of Principal Stringet's office.

Then, something caught his attention. Movement in the corner of his eye. He just barely caught it. He turned his head and saw someone rushing down the halls. The shadows they left behind were small. Students? Mint cocked an eyebrow in confusion. What would they be doing here? The classes hadn't switched up yet and almost everyone on this level should be outside playing. There was the chance that someone had to stay inside but...with the way those students were moving, it was like they didn't want to be seen.

Frowning, Mint turned around and started to follow them down the hallway. He could hear hushed whispers. A girl and a boy... Something about their voices was familiar. Just vaguely, like he heard them a few times before but never got to know them that well. Mint kept following the shadows, making sure to stay out of sight. He did manage to get close enough and he could see their overall shape. By now, they were looking a little more familiar. Where had he seen them before?

Then the shadows stopped moving, and by now he could hear their voices more clearly. When he reached the corner they turned on, he pressed his back against the wall. He peered over the corner, careful not to be seen.

The two students were Rudy and Penny. A couple of fifth graders like he suspected. He now remembered where he recognized them from. Rudy had that one comic being published. What was it... Madcap Snap..yeah that was it. It wasn't his thing, but he couldn't help but feel impressed that Rudy managed to get a comic published at his age. And Penny...she was that one genius girl who won that fifth grade science fair a month ago.

Mint frowned a little. What were they doing sneaking around? Shouldn't they be outside? And why were they heading back into Mr. Wilter's room? The teachers were all out to lunch. So they couldn't be going in there to ask him a question or to do some work during recess. He had seen Mr. Wilter duing his walk down the halls; he was going to the lunch room. So why were Rudy and Penny here?

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Rudy?" Penny asked in a hushed voice. "What if we get caught?"

Rudy seemed to hesitate. "We snuck in here before and we got away."

"Yeah but just barely! And you almost lost your hand!" Penny replied as Rudy started to turn the door knob.

Mint was horrified by this. Almost lost his hand? Just...just what was Rudy trying to do that almost cost him his hand? Was he playing around with some dangerous tools or something?

"I still think it'll be okay, Penny." Rudy said, trying to sound comforting. "Come on, let's go. We don't have a large frame of time during recess."

"Yeah I know." Penny said, still sounding worried.

Mint leaned a little closer. He could see the two younger students open the door. They had started to walk through it, their bodies covered by the door. Mint took a step forward, only to trip and fall down. The impact was loud enough that Rudy and Penny clearly heard him.

"Someone's coming!" Penny cried. "Let's hurry up!"

"I'm on it, Penny!" Rudy said.

Mint rubbed his head, shaking it. He got up to his feet. He ignored the dull pain in his knee from where he had banged it. He rushed over to the door just as it shut. Rather than open it up right away, Mint decided to peak inside and see what they were doing. He was careful not to let his footsteps be too loud.

As he got to the door, he was careful to keep his body low. He was slightly taller than these two students, so he had to lean a little lower to keep himself from showing through the window. Once he got into position, he raised himself up slowly, trying to be careful not to make any sudden movements. He raised his head enough to peak through the window, hoping that they were not looking in his direction. He did not want his cover to be blown.

His eyes widened at what he was seeing. Rudy was holding something..a piece of chalk. But it was..glowing? How? Was this some special brand? And then he saw him start to draw on the chalkboard. The lines...they glowed. And in seconds, when Rudy finished the circle, the light vanished. But rather than reveal black, the color of the chalkboard, instead he saw something else entirely. Something he could not believe.

It was a portal... He could see remnants of what appeared to be another world. Something flying, the hint of clouds...it was a portal, but to where, he did not know. He watched as the two students crawled through the portal. Mint stood there, frozen.

What...what had he just witnessed?


	3. Mistake

The first one to go through the portal was Penny. She eased her way into the portal, positioning herself so that her legs dangled over the edge. She held on with her hands, looking down to judge the distance of the drop. Then she let go and down she fell. She landed on her feet, her knees bracing herself. She looked up and waved her hand to Rudy.

Just like Penny, Rudy crawled through the portal, making sure his feet were facing towards the chalky ground. Before he let go, he realized that he almost forgot something. Pulling himself back up, he reached for the map hooked up to the chalkboard. He pulled it down, effectively covering the hole. After that, he let go and he dropped down next to Penny. He did feel his knees buckle a little, but he managed to stay on his feet. Jumping down wasn't exactly ideal, but when in a hurry, it wasn't like they could do much else.

Rudy could tell, from the look on his friend's face, that she was still nervous about doing this. He could understand why she was uncomfortable with coming at this time. Mr. Wilter had been spending less and less time in the lunch room lately, returning to his classroom faster. And the last time they had snuck into his classroom, they had heard him down the hallway, and they had just barely gotten out of ChalkZone by then. Rudy had to quickly erase the portal but almost forgot to pull his hand out.

Coming up with an excuse for why they were there was difficult. But they managed to convince Mr. Wilter that Principal Stringet wanted to work on homework during recess. It wasn't the most believable story, but it was good enough for Mr. Wilter. He warned them that if he caught them in his room again, that he would take action.

Because of this, coming into ChalkZone during recess had become more difficult. It was becoming too big of a risk and Penny had suggested they try to limit their visitations of ChalkZone while they were at school, and instead wait until they were home. Rudy still sometimes wanted to take the risk of coming into ChalkZone. He felt the incident with Mr. Wilter was just a fluke; so long as they were mindful of the time, they could get back without anyone realizing they were there. Penny still believed it was best to be cautious regardless.

Today, Rudy wanted to come into ChalkZone because he promised Snap they would be there. Snap had wanted to take them somewhere. He refused to say where, though. He wanted to keep it a surprise, and he said the deal was only good for today. He guessed Snap got them some kind of reservation or something. He would feel bad if he missed out on this chance and Snap got whatever he did for nothing.

And while he could probably have waited until after school to come here, he had already promised Snap he'd be there during recess, and he had forgotten his portable portal at home, so he couldn't change the schedule with Snap. And since he and Penny already went through the trouble of getting here, it just didn't feel right to Rudy for them to come all this way just to tell Snap they can't come. Might as well take this opportunity.

When they realized Snap wasn't there waiting for them, it did surprise them a little. Snap was usually there, waiting to greet them, when they scheduled a trip into ChalkZone like this. But neither of them were panicked; at least not yet. Snap may have just been running a little late. They had just gotten into ChalkZone, so jumping to conclusions right now wasn't a very good idea. They would, instead, just wait and see if Snap would come. For all they knew, he was on his way right now.

They didn't stand there long when they heard someone calling out to them. The two kids nearly jumped, their bodies freezing in surprise. The voice was loud, and absolutely unmistakeable.

"Rudy!"

They looked over and saw Snap rushing towards them. It took them only a second to know that he wasn't coming over to simply greet them. Nothing about his behavior or expression told them he was very happy right now. His eyes were wide. He was waving his arms frantically. He looked like he had been running for a while. From Snap's behavior alone, they were able to conclude that something bad had happened. And it wasn't anywhere near here.

Rudy and Penny ran forward to meet up with their friend. When they got close enough, they stopped. Snap didn't speak right away. Just as they thought, he had been exerting himself. He put his hands on his knees and he bent over. He started panting with his tongue hanging partially out. Realizing that his friend must be thirsty, Rudy quickly drew a glass of water for his friend and handed it to him. Snap graciously drank the water, looking very relieved. His throat must have been very dry for him to be that relieved at having something to drink.

After Snap was done drinking, he threw the glass away, a shattering sound being heard, and he returned to his previously panicked state. With his thirst now satisfied, he began to speak. But his voice was so fast paced, it was a little hard to understand what he was trying to say.

"Rudy...Penny...artifact...desert...power...come...quickly...!" Snap yelled at them frantically. He grabbed their hands and yanked them forward. "Come...now!"

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Rudy said, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He looked at Snap, his eyes widened. "What's going on here? I thought we were..."

Snap managed to calm himself down enough to speak more, like he realized that he wasn't making much sense to his friends. He took in a few slow breaths, and when his breathing returned to normal, somewhat, he said, "It's Skrawl! He's attacking the Mondo Desert City!"

Rudy and Penny's eyes flew open at this. They looked at each other, shocked. Rudy couldn't believe that Skrawl would try something like that after he had already beaten them in the other day. Skrawl usually didn't try new schemes right after the current one failed. And attacking the Mondo Desert City...that wasn't much different than he did before. In fact, it was the same thing. Why would he attempt the same scheme twice?

Just what did that city have that Skrawl desperately wanted? Just how important was this target that Skrawl was willing to target it a second time the next day? Did he really think that he was going to succeed after he was already defeated the first time? Something about this didn't add up. There had to be a reason for this repeated attack.

Snap had said he was going to speak to the people of that city and let them know if he was able to find out anything. He was going to try to see if there was anything spectacular about that particular location that would draw Skrawl in to continue to attack it. Maybe Snap was able to figure out something.

"Do you know why he's attacking?" Rudy asked. "Were the citizens there able to tell you anything?"

"Yeah, a little." Snap said, nodding his head. "They said that they believed Skrawl was after some kind of ancient artifact that's buried somewhere below their city. They said something about how there's a series of these spread throughout ChalkZone and...that's pretty much it. They weren't able to tell me if these things have any special powers or not."

"Artifacts? I wonder why Skrawl would want to get those." Penny wondered out loud.

"Well if Skrawl wants them, then he must plan to use them somehow!" Rudy said, his eyes narrowed in determination. "And we have to stop him!"

Penny nodded in agreement. "I completely agree. If I had to guess, these artifacts must be the key to some kind of power." The others looked at her, eyes wide in shock. She nodded her head solemnly. "I don't know if it's true or not, but it would explain why Skrawl is so determined to get this artifact. He must be planning to harness some kind of power."

"No doubt to take over ChalkZone." Rudy said.

"Oy caloy! We have to stop him!" Snap shouted. Again he grabbed their hands and pulled them forward. "Come on! Let's go!"

Rudy and Penny stared at each other and gave a single nod. They ran along behind Snap. Rudy got out his magic chalk and began to draw them a mode of transportation. The desert was a good distance away. They would never get there and back to the classroom in time on foot. Lines swiftly filled the empty space, taking shape and form, and soon there was a hovercar rushing alongside them.

Rudy jumped into it first. He reached down and grabbed Penny next. Then Snap was pulled in. Penny and Snap took the two backseats, buckling themselves in as a glass shield covered the trio. Rudy took position in the front and grabbed the steering stick. Holding onto it tightly, he lifted the hovercar higher off the ground. He rotated it until they were facing the direction where the Mondo Desert would be. Then, with the press of a button, they were off.

As they traveled along through the air, moving at great speed, Rudy couldn't help but wonder about these artifacts. If they did hold some kind of power..just what could they do? How unstoppable would Skrawl be if he got his hands on them? Would he be able to take even him out in a fight?

The last question filled Rudy with dread. If even he couldn't stop Skrawl in this next grand plan of his, who was going to save ChalkZone from the deranged jellybean? Even before they got there, even though he didn't know the full story, Rudy knew one thing. He had to stop Skrawl from getting that artifact.

But as they continued to head to the Mondo Desert City, there was one thing that Rudy and his friends didn't realize. And if they had known about it sooner, if they had an inkling of what was about to happen, they would have done something to prevent it.

Rudy really should have erased the portal.

sss

Mint was in absolute shock at what he had witnessed. Two ten year old fifth grade students had...they had done something with the chalk and they..crawled through. He saw it as he stared at them through the window. He was careful to duck his head in case one of them looked in his direction. He watched as they went through the portal into this...this other world. Rudy had come back out only to cover up the hole, clearly not wanting anyone to see.

After Mint was certain they were gone, he opened up the door carefully and walked inside. He stared intently at the chalkboard. A part of him wondered if it was safe. Was there something dangerous about this chalk? Why did it glow? Was it radioactive or something? As he started walking towards the portal, he paused for a moment, hesitating. Fear and dread began to well up inside of him. The talk of Rudy nearly losing his hand made him feel on edge. Was this interdimensional gateway even safe? Maybe so if they were willing to crawl through, but not wanting anyone to see...almost losing a hand... Something weird was going on here, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Step by step, Mint inched his way closer to the blackboard. He stopped again, his body shaking. Was he really that cared over a chalk outline? From the way he was shaking, apparently so. He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. It was just a blackboard, nothing more. There was nothing particularly amazing about it. It wasn't going to bite his head off or anything.

He glanced over at the door. He wasn't going to get a lot of time. Mr. Wilter was going to, sooner or later, return to his classroom. While Rudy and Penny might be able to come up with an excuse, he himself could not. His classroom was up the steps, and he was supposed to be going to Principal Stringet's office. If Mr. Wilter caught him down here, there was no doubt he was going to be punished, perhaps get detention again. His parents would so love that...

Knowing he had little time to do this, and his curiosity starting to take over his fear, Mint gulped and he resumed walking over to the chalkboard. As he got closer, his thoughts raced. How long had Rudy and Penny known about this interdimensional gateway? How long had they been going there? Why hadn't they told anyone? Mint knew, if he had found something like this, he would have told people about it. There was no way he would keep something like that a secret.

What would be the motivations of these two students for keeping it a secret? Maybe it was as simple as they didn't think about it. Perhaps they wanted to keep this discovery a secret, all to themselves. Perhaps a nice quiet place for them to go to and relax. He narrowed his eyes a little at this. If that were the case, then the two of them were a couple of fools. They could have made something more out of this, even make some money off of it.

Mint paused his thoughts, backtracking a little. He again wondered if this other world was safe. Logic seemed to dictate both. It seemed to be safe if Rudy and Penny were going in. And if they gone here for a while, well if it was unsafe, why would they keep going? It would seem, at a glance, that they just wanted to keep this place a secret for themselves.

Yet he also had to realize that he didn't know how long they had been going there. This might be one of their first times. They might not know that much about wherever this portal took them. They might know just how safe this place really was. And if they had been trying to keep it a secret, covering up the hole and all, then it could also mean that they did know the place was potentially dangerous and didn't want anyone getting hurt. And if that is what was going on here, Mint didn't know of those two were really brave by venturing in this place, or really stupid for putting their lives on the line.

Mint was in front of the chalkboard now. He stared the map, seeing the faint glow underneath it. In the darkness of the room, the light from the other world was easily noticeable. He took in a deep breath. He wasn't about to chicken out on this now. He grabbed the bottom of the map and hoised it up, and now the portal was competely in view.

Mint stared at it, his previous fear melting away into awe and wonder. The landscape..it was nothing like he had seen before. Everything looked like it was drawn. Even the sky had a chalky kind of look to it. It was almost like a kid's drawing, but it was..almost alive somehow. He stuck his hand through the portal cautiously. The air, it didn't feel any different from where he was standing now. And if those kids went through here without fear, then it must be safe to enter. The air must be breathable.

Mint stuck his head through the portal to get a better look, turning his head from left to right. This world certainly didn't look dangerous. It looked rather...inviting. More so than school that's for certain. He continued to stare at the landscape, in awe and some confusion as to how they looked both like a child's drawing and three dimensional, clearly having shape, shadow, lighting, all that. There was just something so...conflicting and perplexing about this place, and part of his mind couldn't wrap around it.

Then something happened that he did not expect. Something flew in the distance. He thought it was a bird at first, but no...it wasn't. And what it was, Mint could not believe it. It was a pencil. A flying pencil with...with wings.. There was no mistaking it. He saw the eraser tip, the metal thing that held it in place. The body was long and clearly shaped like a pencil, and he could see the granite tip at the end.

Mint couldn't believe it. A literal pencil, no a group of them now... all looking just like any regular pencil, but with wings, flying overhead in a flock. How could such a thing exist? How were they able to see? How could they eat? How were they alive? Mint paused at that. Was this even real? Was this an alternate dimension or...was there a more logical explaination?

There was only one way to find out.

Mint crawled through the portal. He hung over the edge, his arms dangling below him. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself out. He heard the map slapping back against the chalkboard as he fell down. He slammed into the ground onto his shoulder. He hissed in pain and rubbed it, realizing that he should have came through the same way Rudy and Penny had; with his feet, not his hands.

He brushed himself off and looked around. He noticed some other things that he thought was strange. The sun appeared to have a smile on its face... And he caught something else moving around in the distance. It looked like a person but it was...a stick figure...?

Mint rubbed his eyes and stared again, wondering if this world he was seeing was a figment of his imagination. But no..it wasn't. No matter how hard he rubbed his eyes, no matter how much he did a double take, it was still there. Whatever he was standing in, whatever this was, it was real...on some level, it was real. And it was one confusing place. He knew, just from standing here, that this place was nothing like what he was used to. This place it was... it was something else, that's for sure.

After he stood around for a while, just staring, Mint decided to take a walk around. He knew he didn't have much time to go back, but a little walk around wasn't going to hurt. He wanted to do a little exploring before he went back to school. And when he did go back, he had plans on trying to meet up with Rudy and Penny at some point, perhaps catch them before they are picked up from school.

They were going to give him some answers.


	4. Tides

"Hurry up, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl yelled, his hands on his hips. "We don't have long before chalk boy will show up!"

Skrawl stood on the edge of a large hole. The edges of the hole appeared to be burnt and twisted. Steam rose from the edges, and in a few places, there was a hint of a glow. Whatever was used to create the hole, it was very hot, like fire or lava. The shape itself was a perfect triangle. The sides of the hole were striped, the lines about the same distance apart from each other, going all the way down. It was as if the machine was used multiple times to get further and further into the ground.

And that wasn't the only area that the machine was used on. Skrawl had used it on the city itself. Various buildings were toppled, the remains easily noticeable by the grey pillars of smoke rising up from the rubble and debris. Much of the landscape had been dececrated, steaming lines, indented deep into the ground, scarring the land. Some of the buildings still standing still had some damage done to them, either a chunk or so missing or a deep burnt line into its side. The only buildings that were relatively undamaged were the smaller ones, but that was only because it was easier targeting something large.

Most of the citizens of the Mondo Desert City had taken cover in those smaller buildings. As soon as they had seen him come, they ran and hid. That pleased Skrawl. Not only did they acknowledge that he was a threat, but them hiding like that meant that he didn't have much of a chllenge. It meant that he could grab this artifact and get out of here, hopefully before Rudy showed up.

But he still encountered some level of resistance. Not all the citizens had fled. The mayor, his advisor, and a few of their warriors did stand up to them. They had weaponry handy and they were ready to face him and drive him out. The mayor said that he was not going to allow him to do more damage to his beloved city. Skrawl just scoffed at this. The people of the Mondo Desert City were not a particularly violent race and their weaponry was...outdated to say the least. And the citizens themselves were cheetah-like and not very strong. They were fools to try to resist him.

The battle was brief. Skrawl sent forth his Beanie Boys to apprehend the fools who dared to defy him. His Beanie Boys might not have been as large as the mondonians, but they did outnumber them. And, one by one, the mondonians fell, trapped within a coil of tight rope. Skrawl took care of the mayor personally. The two fought one on one. The mayor was fast, but Skrawl used his strength to his advantage, and he was able to knock the mayor out cold. To teach a lesson to the other mondonians, Skrawl broke the mayor's leg and tossed him down a deep hole, the one he dug the other day before he was stopped.

He didn't know if the mayor survived that fall. It was pretty deep, several feet. He guessed not, or he was injured further. Oh well, it didn't matter. Not like he cared if the mayor was dead or not. The only thing he cared about was making sure he got the artifact. And hopefully, this time, he will succeed. He'd hate to have to make another trip out here.

Soon, his Beanie Boys rose out of the ground. He could hear their propellers zipping around, getting louder and louder. And when they came into view, a wicked smile spread across the jellybean's face. Yes, this is exactly what he was hoping to see.

In the Beanie Boys' hands was the artifact. A golden crown studded with five small red jewels along the side.

"Bring it here, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl called out. He reached out his hand. When the Beanie Boys got close enough, he snagged it from them greedily. He gave a maniacal chuckle as he held the crown in his hands, grinning evilly. "Oh yes...this is fantastic!"

He held the crown up and looked at it. He could see his reflection in the golden surface of the crown, a little wobbly. The crown felt warm. Despite being in the dirt for who knows how long, it felt warm to the touch, like it had been left out in the heat. The jewels, in contrast, felt cold. Icy cold, almost as if they were left in a tundra. It strange, unnatural, and that was exactly what Skrawl had hoped for. That meant that this was the right artifact after all. His search for this crown was finally complete.

And yet... and yet it wasn't over. He knew it wasn't over. There was more. A lot more... The crown was just one part of a whole set. There were others. About eleven others. Twelve altogether, and each one was crucial to what he wanted to do. He had heard legends about these artifacts, and rumors of where they were hidden. He was still working on finding the other artifacts, and he did find the location of a couple more. He targeted the crown first because it was required for the other artifacts to work. No crown, the plan was not going to work.

Finding all of them and managing to take them without Master Tabootie showing up and ruining his fun wasn't going to be easy. He knew how much of a pest Rudy was going to be. He was like a cockroach. No matter what, he always seems to come back. And that was going to cause him problems, he just knew it. But at least he was able to get the crown; now all he has to is leave before...

"Hey Skrawl!"

Skrawl's eyes widened at this. He bared his teeth and growled. It was that annoying little chalk boy. Of all the bad timing... And just when he had gotten what he wanted, too. He turned around and saw that Rudy was coming after him, chalk held up in the air. Skrawl could see it sparkling from this distance.

Skrawl was confused at first. Rudy appeared to be coming alone. Where was his comical sidekick and that genius girl? Had he come alone this time? It wasn't often Rudy came alone. With Penny, he could understand if there was no way she could get into ChalkZone. But he hadn't done anything with Snap; shouldn't he be here? Did Rudy leave him behind?

But he quickly realized he was mistaken. Turning his head to the side, he could see that the two have come around a different way. The genius girl had her own piece of magic chalk and she was using it to free the mondonians. She had drawn Snap some rope and a hook, and he was making his way down the hole to get to the mayor. Skrawl snarled at this and took a step towards them. Then he paused and looked behind him. Rudy was upon him now, wearing those rocket shoes of his.

"Well well..if it isn't Rudy Tabootie..." Skrawl snarled, putting on a fake smile. He twirled the crown in his hand. "What brings you out on such a...fine day?"

"Cut the formalities, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted. His green eyes were narrowed and he pointed a finger at the jellybean. "Hand over the crown and leave this place in peace!"

Skrawl was amused that the chalk boy thought he could order him around just like that. Rudy thought that, just because he tells Skrawl what to do, that he would just do it on a whim. Oh no...it doesn't work that way. Rudy needed a lesson. He needed a lesson in just who was really in charge here. He would see to it that Rudy remembered what happens when he tries to give Skrawl orders.

He glanced over at his Beanie Boys. Then he looked over at Penny and Snap. They were with the other mondonians. Snap was starting to emerge from the hole with the mayor. And Penny was close to untying the other mondonians. Skrawl narrowed his eyes. He knew just how he was going to teach Rudy Tabootie a lesson he would never forget.

Skrawl turned back around. He was just in time as Rudy had swooped down and tried to grab his crown from him. Skrawl yanked it back, letting Rudy fly by. The boy stopped and turned around, clenching his fists tightly. Skrawl chuckled, wondering if the boy really thought it was going to be that easy.

"Leave this place in peace, you say?" Skrawl said in a humored tone. "Oh I'll do that all right.. I'll do even better!" A twisted smile spread across his face. "I'll leave this place in pieces!" With that, he started rushing towards his machine. "And I think I know where to start..."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror when he saw Skrawl turn the machine around, the end of it facing towards his friends. He was frozen in fear for a second, and then he started flying towards Skrawl. He readied his magic chalk. Skrawl watched as he flew towards him. He stared at his Beanie Boys and waved a dismissing hand.

"Leave my friends alone, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted, getting his magic chalk ready.

He was about to draw something, but the Beanie Boys pushed him back. A group of five surrounded him. They grabbed onto him and held him tightly. They dragged him towards the ground. Rudy struggled to get out of their grasp, but the Beanie Boys were strong. And soon, they had the boy pressed against the ground on his stomach. They used their weight to hold him down. Rudy tried to crawl out from underneath them. He looked over at Skrawl, his eyes widened.

Skrawl sneered evilly at him before shifting his focus on Penny and Snap. Penny had noticed him and she got her magic chalk ready. Skrawl wasn't worried, though. Penny was not as experienced at using the magic chalk as Rudy, and she was not an artist. He knew she could still pose a threat, though, but he felt more confident going up against her than Rudy. And Snap...well he was a weakling. A pathetic excuse for a piece of chalk. He was hardly worth his attention half the time.

Turning his gaze to Snap, though, he realized that the blue boy wasn't looking in his direction. He was too busy trying to get the injured mayor out of the hole. His back was turned to him. Skrawl smiled darkly at this. He was the perfect target...

Skrawl turned his tank-like machine towards Snap. The long barrel that was used to create the square holes now faced directly towards the annoying blue runt. Skrawl pressed a button, and the machine roared to life. The end of it began to glow, pulsating with pure white energy.

Seeing what was going on, Rudy's eyes flew open. He reached out with his hand and shouted, "Snap! Look out!"

"Huh?" Snap heard Rudy and he and the mayor turned their heads. They quickly saw the white energy growing behind them. Their eyes widened in horror. "Oy caloy...hurry!" Snap shouted at the mayor as he quickened his pace to get out of the hole.

Skrawl watched as Snap managed to get the mayor out of the hole. "You won't be getting away that easily..." Skrawl said, a twisted smile still plastered on his green body.

As he said that, the weapon was fired. A pulsating white energy shot forth at lightning speed. It slammed against the rock face just above Snap. The blue zoner screamed in surprise as the rock he was clinging on was destroyed and gave way. He fell down a little, managing to grab onto the rope before he got down too far. Unfortunately, he was still in the line of fire, and the rock that was struck was burning hot. He couldn't grab onto it, and while it wouldn't take long for the rock to cool down, by the time it did, it would be too late.

Skrawl laughed as he lowered the operational end of the weapon downwards. There was no way Snap was going to be able to lower himself in time before this next one hits him. He grinned as he pushed the button again, letting the machine charge up for the whole few seconds that it would. Although Snap was not his main target, even though he would rather have aimed this at Rudy, getting rid of Snap was still going to be a joyous affair. The blue runt was still a thorn in his side. A thorn he was intent on removing.

The machine fired. The white beam headed straight for Snap. The blue zoner widened his eyes and then looked away, waiting for the impact. Rudy let out a scream and he managed to squirm free of the Beanie Boys, rushing towards his friend.

"Snap! No!" Rudy cried.

The beam made impact. It hit against something solid. There was a loud crack as something broke, something shattered. A dull cry intergrated with it. Dust was kicked up. Bits of rock fell from the sky. A brilliant flash of light filled the area, forcing everyone to look away. And soon, slowly, the light started to die down.

Skrawl loved the look on Rudy's face. His eyes were wide, his face pale. He was looking in the direction the machine had shot. His eyes were locked on the debris. His body was shaking. He was shaking his head in denial. He could see the hint of tears on his face. Yes, that's the look he wanted to see. That was the look Skrawl loved to see on the boy. The look of helplessness, and of failure. He had failed to save his friend in time. And for a few moments, that's all Rudy did. Just hovered and stared at the scene in absolute horror.

"That's what happens when you keep crossing me, Master Tabootie." Skrawl sneered. "Perhaps if you haven't kept crossing me, your friend would have made it."

Rudy stared at Skrawl, a few tears slowly moving down his face. This just made Skrawl's smile widen. Rudy's body continued to tremble, and he watched as the boy raised his magic chalk towards him. In response, Skrawl began to turn the machine in the boy's direction. But he realized, too late, that he should have thought this through more. Rudy moved faster than he had anticipated, and already he was out of line of fire, all the way behind him now.

The Beanie Boys tried to keep up with him. But Rudy had managed to keep out of their grasp. The flames from his shoes accidentally hit a few of the Beanie Boys, and they recoiled in pain. They still kept going after him, though. They only stopped when Rudy managed to trap them in a large vase. Then he turned his attention back to Skrawl.

Skrawl watched as Rudy, his eyes narrowed in anger, began to swiftly draw something in the air. Skrawl growled and tried to aim the weapon up at him again. He moved it at fast as he could, pressing the button as soon as Rudy was in the line of fire. Rudy did not hold still and kept on moving. It was a struggle for Skrawl to keep moving the weapon. His hands and arms were getting tired. Yet despite his efforts, he was not able to keep aim on the boy for long.

Then he felt something hitting against the weapon's opening. Skrawl saw the warning on his machine, talking about an obstruction. His eyes widened in horror, realizing that Rudy must have clogged the opening. And he had already pressed the button to fire...and there was no way to stop it... Without hesitating, Skrawl jumped out of the machine.

He had just barely made it, for in that moment, the machine had fired. But because of the obstruction, which Skrawl could see now as a large cork, the energy couldn't be fired anywhere. With nowhere to go, the energy backed up and the machine itself began to break apart. The white energy caused severe internal damage, causing pieces of the machine to break off. In seconds, the machine was reduced to rubble. The force of it knocked Skrawl back a couple of feet.

The crown was knocked from his hand. Skrawl shouted in frustration and tried to grab it. The crown rolled away from him and before he could get it, Rudy had grabbed it from the ground. Skrawl froze where he stood, staring at the boy wide-eyed. Skrawl knew there was nothing he could do. His Beanie Boys were trapped and his machine was capoot. He was, at the moment, defenseless against the angry child. Even if he could use his physical strength against him, there was no way he could reach the boy while he was up in the air like that.

Yet, he refused to show fear to the boy. He narrowed his eyes and he bared his crooked teeth. A three fingered fist tightened, he took a step towards Rudy. "Give that back to me!"

Rudy responded by moving the crown further away, holding it out to his side. He growled, "After what you did to this place?! After what you did to my best friend?! If you really think that I'm just going to hand this over to you after what you did...!" Rudy pointed the magic chalk in Skrawl's direction. "You've got another think coming!"

Skrawl instinctively took a few steps back. He should have thought this through more. What he did was on an impulse. He had forgotten to take into consideration the negative consequences that would have arisen from it. He should have planned it out better. And now he was defenseless against this boy. And Rudy was very angry... Just what was he going to do to him?

Rudy raised his magic chalk. Skrawl took another step back. He readied himself, his three clawed hands flexing. Even though he didn't stand much of a chance against the chalk boy on his own, he was not going down without a fight. Rudy narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched, and he moved to draw with the magic chalk.

"Hey, Rudy!"

At this, Rudy and Skrawl froze. Skrawl's eyes widened, his mouth opened a little in shock. No, it could not be. There was no way that this was possible... It had to be a mistake of come kind. He looked in the boy's eyes. There was...relief in them. Skrawl gritted his teeth. No..impossible... He turned his head and his eyes widened in shock.

There stood Snap. He was...alive. Somehow..he was alive. Skrawl couldn't believe it. How was this possible? The machine made a direct hit... Then, when he looked around, he could see just what had happened. There was something in front of the hole that he did not notice before. Something clear...glass perhaps? Thick at that. Shattered pieces were all over the ground, a melted mark from where the beam had struck it. The glass itself looked shattered, but there was no complete hole. Just a shattered portion in the center, which looked like it was about to break.

Then he saw Penny. The genius girl had a hold of Snap's arm. She was guiding him around the shattered pieces, heading in Rudy's direction. And that was when it clicked in Skrawl's mind what happened. Penny must have drawn a shield up just before the blast had struck. She looked a little rough around the edges; it was clear she did not get out of the way in time. Snap, however, had been spared the blast, though he understandably looked shaken up from nearly being killed.

Skrawl couldn't believe Penny managed to stop his machine that fast. Maybe she was more experienced with the magic chalk than he thought. This caused anger to rise up inside of him. If only she hadn't betrayed him... Those abilities of hers would have worked well against Master Tabootie...

Knowing there was nothing more he could do, knowing that he lost again, Skrawl had no choice but to take his Beanie Boys and flee. But before he left, he cast a glance towards the infuriating trio. He bared his teeth and growled. He would get them for this. They would pay. Oh how they will pay.

sss

Rudy couldn't believe it. He had his arms wrapped around Snap, his friend whom he thought he had lost. He held onto him tightly, afraid to let go. Tears of relief moved down his face.

"Snap! You're okay!" Rudy cried, a smile on his face. "I can't believe it...you're okay! But how...? I saw the..."

"Penny managed to draw me cover before the blast hit." Snap said, hugging Rudy back. He then parted with Rudy and smiled in Penny's direction. "That took guts, you know that?"

Penny nodded her head. "I knew it was a risk, but it was either that, or watch you..." She bit her lip, clearly not wanting to say the next word. She cleared her throat and said, "There was no way I was going to sit around and do nothing."

Rudy smiled at Penny, grateful for what she did to save Snap. He admired that she took such a huge risk. She could have gotten really hurt. And she did get herself injured from that. At first, he thought she was fine. But when she got close, he could see the damage she had suffered. Her clothes had a few small tears and a few burns. Her arms had several scrapes, some of them bleeding. Her glasses had a small crack in them, and her hair had a few charred ends.

But it could have been a lot worse. She could have been caught in the beam's path and suffered, at best, severe third degree burns. And at worst, she could have been killed... Rudy shuddered to think that he could have lost both his friends today. And he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that they were both okay.

He walked over to Penny and gave her a hug, just like he had with Snap. As Penny returned the hug, Rudy said to her, "Thank you.. And I'm so glad you're okay, too."

After a few seconds of hugging, they parted. Then, suddenly, a worried expression came over Penny's face. Rudy looked at her, confused. What was wrong? Was Skrawl coming back? Rudy looked around, trying to find any sign of that notorious jellybean. But he was nowhere in sight.

Penny looked at Rudy worriedly and said, "Rudy, we should be heading back. Mr. Wilter might be back any second!"

Rudy's eyes widened at this. He had almost forgotten about that. Mr. Wilter was coming back earlier lately, and they had spent a bit of time here already. They needed to head back now if they want any chance of getting back without being caught.

Holding the crown in his hand, Rudy made his way over to the mayor's advisor. He was a tall black cheetah-like zoner with tawny markings. He held up the crown towards the zoner. The advisor, carefully, took it from the boy's hand. He clutched the crown against his side with one hand. He then gave a bow of respect to Rudy.

"Thank you, Great Creator. Our people will be forever grateful for what you did for us." The advisor said, his voice very deep but gentle and calm. "Now this crown will be placed back where it rightfully belongs."

Rudy grinned at the advisor. "You're welcome. I'm always glad to help!" He flinched as he said that, momentarily reminded of the incident with Robot Rudy. He pushed that thought out of his mind and said, "Well we'll have to get going now. Bye!"

Rudy and his friends started to make their way towards the hovercar they came in on. He wanted to ask more about the crown and the artifacts, but he didn't have time for that right now. He'll have to come back another time. And hopefully, when he came back, Skrawl wasn't going to be desperate again and trying something else almost right away.

The advisor and other mondonians waved goodbye to them as the trio got in the hovercar and took off. As they flew, Rudy had to wonder why Skrawl really wanted that crown so badly. The only thing special about it was that it always felt warm, and the jewels cold. But it wasn't like it was that special. A beloved, sacred relic of the past that the mondonians cared so much about, sure, but it didn't seem like the crown held anything spectacular about it that would have attracted Skrawl.

He thought about to what Penny said. The crown might be a link to some kind of power. But how? It felt...powerless when he held it. He didn't feel like he suddenly gained some new ability. There must be something more going on here. He just hoped that, by the time they found out, there would still be time to stop it.

sss

Skrawl leaned back against his chair as the Beanie Boys began to carry him back to his hideout. His eyes were narrowed into slits. His body shook in anger. He clenched his teeth so tightly, he thought they would shatter in his mouth.

He had lost again. One of his briliant plans, down the drain just like all the others. He had planned this out better, he thought. He thought that if he had upgraded his machine and brought more Beanie Boys and if he had worked faster, he could have succeeded. In hindsight, it wasn't much of an upgraded plan. And perhaps he should have waited and tried to come up with a new one before going after that crown. Now, he had lost the crown and it had been given back to the mondonians. No doubt they'll hide it again, and this time, he might not be able to find it.

His thoughts went back to Penny. He thought about what was on his mind before. He recalled how he had kidnapped her and tried to make her his 'queen', in the loosest sense of the word. He had wanted a creator by his side, someone who could create anything for him. He would have been unstoppable. Penny seemed like the best choice. She knew Rudy well and knew how to counter him. And when she went up against the chalk boy, Skrawl recalled the feelings of happiness welling up inside of him. It was nice to see Rudy being backed into a corner.

But then, Penny had betrayed him... She had played him for a fool and then he had two creators to worry about. One was difficult enough to handle. But two? He knew he couldn't compete with that. He still fought against them, but a part of him was infuriated with himself that he thought Penny could be trustworthy. This one, he couldn't blame anyone but himself. He really should have thought that plan through more definitely, and realized that Penny would never betray her friends. Now he had her to worry about.

That plan, though a failure, did make him realize something. A realization hit his mind like a train, a truth he could not deny. And in the midst of that, anger also welled up as his mind was also clouded with thoughts of his previous failure. The fact that another plan was ruined made his blood boil.

"I am sick of watching my plans fall apart!" Skrawl hissed lowly to himself. "I'm sick of that wretched Master Tabootie always foiling my plans!" Soon, the realization from before hit his mind, and, slowly, his anger started to melt away, giving into the thought that crossed his head. Something that, he realized, could change everything. "But if there is one thing I learned from a past failure, it's that to beat Rudy, I need to fight fire with fire..."

As the Beanie Boys continued to carry him through the air, something below caught his eye. A movement. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down. He could see something..no...someone moving through the foliage below. From the shape and size, it looked like it was Rudy or Penny. But that was impossible. It couldn't have been them. Skrawl was going to dismiss it at a humanoid zoner, but as they flew further over the trees, he caught a glimpse, and he could not believe it.

Skrawl had never really believed much in luck. But today, it was a very lucky day indeed. It was almost as if his prayers had been answered. It was like that, because of his complaining, fate had handed him the solution to all of his problems.

There, walking through the forest, was a human. A small child that looked just a tad older than Rudy. And he was all alone...

A twisted smile spread across Skrawl's face. The human was practically gift wrapped for him. No one was around to warn him. No one was around to protect him. And if he played his cards right, he could get this kid on his side. And if he had no connections with Rudy or Penny, that was even better. Less of a chance of the brat turning on him or playing him for a fool.

Skrawl motioned for his Beanie Boys to head down into the forest. Skrawl took out his large bag. The Beanie Boys were quiet as they moved along behind the kid. When they got close enough, Skrawl swung the bag over the kid, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. The kid tried to call out for help, but his voices were muffled underneath the thick bag. Skrawl tied up the end and held onto it, securing the bagged boy to his body.

Yes, this boy was the key to his victory. He was going to help him take over ChalkZone. He was going to give Master Tabootie a run for his money. He was going to ensure his victory. Oh yes, this boy was going to turn the tides in his favor...


	5. Alliance

Mint struggled in the bag. His heart raced against his chest. Adrenaline rushed through his body. He clawed again and again at the bag, hoping to tear it open. But the bag was too thick for him. He attempted to pound at the bag. He called out repeatedly for his captor to let him go. But he did not recieve any responses. He felt himself being carried somewhere, and he had no idea where he was being taken. Fear and dread filled his heart, his mind swirling with different thoughts.

How could he have been so stupid? He should have realized there was a reason why Rudy and Penny had tried to keep this place a secret. He should have known that it was dangerous. He should have listened to his better judgment and not enter this wretched place. He should've gone back as soon as he could. He should have just went do the damn principal's office.

But instead, he decided to go exploring. He decided to check this place out, to see just how bad it was. And now he learned just how much it was when he felt someone put a bag over him. He was hoisted in the air like he was just some dirty landry and he felt himself begin to move in a different direction. Unable to see where he was going, he was unable to stop himself form panicking, his heart pounding against his rapidly inflating and deflating chest. He wondered what his captor wanted with him, and just how grabbed him.

Was it another human? Maybe Rudy and Penny did not keep it as good of a secret as he thought and maybe at least a handful of adults knew about this place. Maybe they weren't happy that he trespassed and were taking him into custody. Or was it one of these...creatures? Were they friendly? Were they hostile? Were they going to stick him in a pot of boiling water and kill him and eat him? Were they going to worship him like he was some kind of god?

Mint didn't want to stick around and find out. He kept struggling to get out of the bag. He tried again to claw and rip at the bag, hoping to make some kind of opening. It was useless and he growled in a mixture of frustration and fear. He realized that he had no choice but to wait until his captors open the bag for him. He was helpless to stop them from taking him wherever they wanted.

His heart beat a little faster as he thought of what they might do to him. He hoped that they weren't going to throw him in a lake or river. He hoped that this wasn't an attempt to murder him. He did not hear any of his captors mention anything about killing him, but that didn't mean that wasn't what they were going to attempt. He pressed his face against the bag, desperate to see where he was. But all he could see was hints of shadow and light, no clear indication of landscape. It was impossible for him to tell if he was flying over land or over water.

He relaxed a little when he saw a hint of green, realizing that they must be over land at the moment. But that relief was short lived. They could still drop him from a great height. And whose to say that the water here reflected blue? It could reflect green, yellow, purple, anything, for all he knew. He knew so little about this place. He...he really should have thought things through more before he came into this place. And now it looked like he was going to pay the price for it.

Suddenly he stopped moving. The sudden force of the stop caused him to be tossed forward a little in the bag. He froze and looked around, trying to see something through the bag to hint where he was. Then he was moving again, this time much slower, as if his captor had gotten out of the vehicle he used to carry him. He could hear low humming, and he was certain his kidnapper was the one making that noise.

The sound made Mint nervous. Just what did he plan on doing to him? His kidnapper sounded almost proud and happy of what he did, like he had accomplished something major. What kind of sick person takes pride in kidnapping an eleven year old? That thought filled him with dread. If this person had no qualms about kidnapping an eleven year old...just what kind of person were they like? How dangerous were they?

Soon he came to a halt again. He felt the bag being shifted and he flinched when he found himself upside down. The bottom of the bag had been pulled open. Out he fell, crashing into the ground against his shoulder. He grunted from the impact of the fall, and he lifted his hand up to rub his head. He barely had time to do that, let alone have a look at his surroundings, when something grabbed his wrist and hoisted him off the ground. He let out another grunt, shutting his eyes from the pain of the squeeze.

"At last..."

He froze at that voice. It sounded so cold...so sinister. Mint was afraid to open his eyes. He turned his head away, and opened up one eye. He could see some details of where he was. Some kind of building. Perhaps a prison. There was a cage in the corner, the bars so thick and broad. He wondered, with a fright, if it was meant to hold large, powerful creatures.

The voice spoke again. "I have found my ticket to success."

Mint shuddered at how sinister the voice sounded. He refused to look at his captor, afraid that if he did so, he would be attacked. As he kept his gaze away, he saw shadows moving along the ground. Something was flying in that spot. He turned his eyes up just barely and he couldn't stifle the gasp when he saw what look like a couple of fat boys floating there, no wings whatsoever. All of them had stupid smiles on their faces, looking at them gleefully.

He felt something press against his chin. A light pressure at first, but then the grip tightened. He winced as he felt something sharp against his skin. His head was twisted back and upwards. The movement was so fast and forceful he could not close his eyes in time, and now he found himself staring face to face with his captor. His eyes widened in horror, mouth dropping open in shock.

His captor...he wasn't human... He couldn't tell what he was. He didn't look like anything he knew. Large crooked teeth jetted out of his mouth. His eyes were odd colored, one red and one blue. He had what looked like a patch of spikey purple hair, antennas growing out of his head. His body was a sickly green color. If he could describe him as anything, it would be a hideous growling jellybean. And with his face so close to his... Mint couldn't stop his shaky breathing.

The jellybean continued to holding Mint in the air, wearing the most disturbing smile he had ever seen. Mint was frozen in fear, not sure what to make of the situation. He looked all around, taking in more of his surroundings. A prison... Was this creature going to trap him here? Was he going to hold him prisoner?

Wanting a chance to escape, Mint let out a scream. The sudden loud sound caused the jellybean to flinch and release him, covering his ears..or did he have ears. This distraction didn't last long as the jellybean tried to grab him. Mint rolled out of the way and got up from the ground. He began to run, not caring which way he went so long as it was away from here. He saw the large open door and headed that way. He looked behind him and his eyes widened when the jellybean and those...fat flying boys...were coming in his direction.

Mint reached the door in a matter of seconds. He thought he was free at first when another group of these flying boys came at him. They made short work of him, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Mint let out another scream of fear and struggled against their grasp. The fat boys used their weight to hold him down, and they were plenty strong too, able to hold his arms in place. Mint's screams soon died down and he began to whimper a little in fear. He watched the jellybean approach him, his body shaking. The jellybean creature did not look pleased, and those fingers...they looked so sharp...

Soon the jellybean was upon him. He stood in front of Mint. He looked pretty angry, those mismatched eyes narrowed into slits. Mint, expecting the worst, shut his eyes and turned his head. He waited for the creature to attack him. He waited for those sharp claws to tear into his skin. He waited for these strange creatures to do whatever it is they're going to do...like sacrifice him to some god or something.

But as he sat there with his eyes closed and head turned away, he realized something. Although he could hear the low growling of the jellybean, he did not feel any time of attack being done against him. The claws did not rip him up. He did not feel any blows. Even the boys holding him down weren't doing anything to hurt him. His body slowly stopped shaking and he opened his eyes. He looked up at the jellybean in confusion as curiosity started to slowly replace his fear. Why wasn't the jellybean hurting him?

The jellybean glared down at him. Then Mint noticed that the frown was changing. After a few seconds, the jellybean was smiling at him. An almost sweet smile that made Mint feel confused and at unease. He couldn't tell if it was a genuine smile or a fake one.

The creature lowered himself and he reached out with his hand. Mint let out a small cry and turned away. He looked back when he felt the creature's hand against his shoulder. He looked back at him again, the smile still being there. Mint's heart was still racing. He didn't know what to make of this. Then the creature opened his mouth to speak and Mint realized he was going to speak again.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot." The jellybean said. His voice sounded friendlier from before. Yet there was still the hint of...something in that voice. Something about it that made Mint feel at unease. "My sincerest apologies. Allow me to introduce myself." With another of his three limbs, he placed a hand against his chest. "My name is Skrawl." He used that same hand to gesture towards Mint. "And what is your name, human?"

Mint hesitated, biting his lip. He was reluctant to give his name to..whatever this thing was. Yet something about those eyes... He couldn't help it. He found himself answering without thinking. "M-Mint Zandophen..."

"Ah..." Skrawl said, straightening himself up a little. "Mint Zandophen... Well..I bid you welcome to my humble home. I hope you have no hard feelings about the whole 'stuffing you in a bag' thing. I just didn't want to miss my...chance..." Skrawl walked around the boy, the pleasant smile still on his face. He circled Mint, eyeing him up and down. "Yes...You will do nicely."

Mint's body shook when he said that. He didn't like he way the jellybean said those words. There was intent behind it. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what he had in mind for him. Mint began to struggle against the fat boys, hoping he could free himself.

"Give it up, kid. You won't be able to break free from my Beanie Boys." Skrawl said as he took position behind the boy. He lowered himself again and reached down with a three fingered limb. He ran his fingers gently along his shoulder and arm. "And besides, we aren't going to hurt you. Calm down, relax. We just wish to talk to you."

Mint wasn't sure if he believed him. He turned his head as far as it could go, giving the large creature a wary-filled look. He had no reason to believe that this thing wasn't going to hurt him. And for a moment, the creature's smile faltered, as if he realized that he wasn't gaining his trust. Then the smile returned and the jellybean moved away from him. Walking out in front of him, Skrawl looked down at the boy. He stood on one limb while the rest were pressed against his sides.

At this point, Mint thought anything could have happened. Skrawl could show his true colors and attack him. He could rip his head off easily; his mouth was large enough. He seemed like he was unusually strong too, with the way he was able to hold him up just with one hand. Skrawl could easily order his Beanie Boys to rip him apart; he wouldn't doubt they were strong enough to do that. And Mint could do nothing to free himself. Trembling, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Now now...no need to be afraid." Skrawl said in a reassuring voice. "I told you, we aren't going to hurt you." Skrawl then snapped his fingers. The Beanie Boys released Mint. They still surrounded him, making sure he didn't try to make a run for it. Mint looked at them nervously, then turned his head to face Skrawl. "There, that's better now, isn't it?" He took a step forward. "It's the least I could do for my potential ally..."

Mint instinctively took a step back. "Potential ally...?" He said, his voice small. "What are you talking about? Wh-What is this place? Where am I?"

Skrawl blinked his eyes a few times. "You mean you don't know?" It was hard to tell if Skrawl really was surprised, or if he was just faking it. His eyes widened slightly and then a smirk came on his face. "Why, you're in ChalkZone. Everyone and everything you see here is made of chalk, including myself."

Mint's eyes widened at this. He looked all around. Now that he had been told that, and he got a better look, he noticed that, indeed, everything here had a different sort of look and feel.. a different 'texture' than what he'd expect in on earth. That would explain why everything here felt a little different. It would explain why everything here looked like it was both dream on paper and real at the same time. But if they were chalk...just how were they alive...?

Or were they even alive? Just because they were moving around, talking, that may not mean they were alive. What if they're nothing more than machines or something programmed to do stuff? What if he was just in some large machine, communicating with what are probably just a bunch of programs? If that were the case, he shuddered to think of what the true inhabitants of this place are like. Maybe they're large giants that want to chew his bones and spit them out.

And why was this jellybean, this Skrawl, looking to him for assistance? Why was he attempting to recruit him in...whatever kind of mission he was involving himself with? What did he have that this...this thing wanted?

"Why..why do you want my help?" Mint asked nervously, eyeing the jellybean warily.

"Because, boy, I am interested in your...talents." Skrawl said, smiling down at him.

"What kind of talents? I can't do much besides..." Mint started to say.

"Can you draw?" Skrawl cut him off. Mint looked at hi, confused and surprised. He nodded his head, prompting a smile from the green jellybean. "That's perfect! That's the kind of talent I need around here. I need someone of your skill to help me."

Mint didn't know why him being an artist was so important to this jellybean. What could he accomplish? Did Skrawl just want him to decorate his halls with dinosaurs or something? Did he want him to draw get well cards for his friends, or propaganda to entice people to join his cause?

There wasn't really a lot he could do with his drawings. He couldn't fight with them. He couldn't materialize anything he drew. There was really almost nothing he could do with them. He couldn't understand how Skrawl felt his ability to draw was a useful skill. It was more of a hobby really, and yeah, it was true he could use it to design weapons and such. But if Skrawl wanted someone like that, he could have gotten a professional.

There must be something more going on around here. There must be something about this world that he didn't know about. Perhaps he should stick around. Maybe he didn't have to find Rudy or Penny. Maybe he could get answers from this jellybean. And who better to get information from than a citizen of this strange, backwards world?

"How would me drawing help you with anything?" Mint asked, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. "That doesn't sound like it's going to be very useful."

"Oh trust me, it will be useful to me." Skrawl said. He walked a little bit away from Mint and stopped, folding his hands behind his back. He let out a soft chuckle. "You see, so long as you are here...you are a creator."

"Creator...?" Mint breathed, unable to resist the feeling of awe when Skrawl said that. "What...what do you mean?"

Skrawl tilted his head to the side, giving Mint a sideways glance, staring at him with his red-colored eye. "Exactly what I said. As long as you are in this world..." Skrawl began to walk back towards him. "You are able to bring your creations to life. Tell me, human artist... do you have some kind of creation that you...played with in your head? Something that you would like to see moving around?"

There was something. Mint thought about a character he created for a dinosaur story he never wrote. He wasn't much of a writer. The dinosaur was an orange utahraptor named Ripclaw. She was to be the main protagonist of the story, but he never thought of a suitable plot. He had her personality worked out though. Tough, resourceful, loyal.

Was Skrawl really hinting that he could...bring her to life? Was he saying that, in this place, she could become real, not just a figment of his imagination? The thought was both tempting and terrifying. What should he make of this? Should he go along with what he's saying...or should he be exercising caution?

Slowly, Mint nodded his head. "Y-Yes..."

Skrawl's smile broadened. He moved towards Mint. It was then he noticed he was holding something in his hand. He couldn't see what it was at first. Then, when Skrawl was a foot in front of him, he held it out to him, up near his face. Mint's eyes crossed a little as he focused on the object. It appeared to be some kind of white stick. He realized it was chalk.

"You can accomplish that with this." Skrawl said. He waved the chalk in front of his face, almost taunting the boy with it. "With this, you can create, breathe life..."

Mint looked at the chalk, confused. "But it's just a piece of chalk."

"But it's no ordinary piece of chalk, human. It's magic chalk." Skrawl said, his eyes brightening. "Something that only someone like yourself can wield. I can't use it..but you can..."

Mint stared at the chalk. He soon noticed that it was sparkling. Golden, colorful light sparked at the end. It was entrancing, tempting.. It drew him in. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it. As Skrawl moved the chalk back and forth, he moved his head along with it, not wanting to let the magic chalk get out of his sight. An odd feeling was welling up inside of him the more he looked at it.

"Take it..." Skrawl said in a low hiss. "Draw..."

The jellybean dropped the magic chalk into the boy's hand. Mint stared at it. It felt like any regular chalk at first. Then he felt something...weird about it. A good weird, like a warm feeling spreading through his hand. It was subtle, slight, something that he bet most people wouldn't notice at first. But it was there, and it felt good.

He stared at Skrawl for a moment, and then he looked around. Just where did he expect to draw? He saw no papers..maybe on the walls?

"Draw right there..." Skrawl said, pointing at the empty space in front of Mint. Catching the boy's confused look, Skrawl added, "It will work. Trust me. Just raise that chalk and draw like you're in front of a chalkboard."

Mint was confused by this. But what did he have to lose? He turned his head, facing the empty space Skrawl gestured to. He raised the magic chalk and, as a test, made a motion downward. Much to his shock, it felt like he was drawing against a chalkboard. He could even feel the texture of the board as he moved the chalk downwards. And there, in the middle of the air, was a line. He moved back, gasping in shock. The line fell to the ground and he heard it clang. It was then that he realized that it had become real, just like Skrawl had said.

Mint stood there, frozen for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. His thoughts racing and confusing, he began to draw in the air once more. This time, he knew exactly what he was going to draw. Swiftly, he moved the magic chalk across the air, lines coming into focus, shapes taking form. He found it hard to stop. It was almost like he was in a trance. And as he drew, he could hear Skrawl chuckling eagerly behind him.

Before he knew it, the drawing was completed. Mint couldn't believe what he was seeing. He took a step back. He rubbed his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was reality. And when he knew it was real, a wave of realization struck through his body. He...he had created something, something that moved, something that stood right in front of him, staring at him with intense yellow eyes.

There stood Ripclaw. A utahraptor that towered over him easily. Her orange body, covered in downy feathers, was solid, despite just being a bunch of lines earlier. Her tail, mostly stiff, jetted out from behind her. Her fingers flexed a little, her sickle claws tapping the ground eagerly. Her long mouth had teeth peaking out from the top jaw. Her pupils, small and round, looked down at him, her eyes almost glowing yellow.

Then she took a step forward. Mint took a step back, unsure of what to think. A low growl escaped her throat. She moved her head towards him. He looked away, expecting her to bite him. But then he remembered one trait he had given her, that loyalty. And he felt her push her nose against his shoulder, and he could hear what sounded like a low purr. He gently put his hands on her, feeling her feathers and warmth. It was an incredible feeling to see Ripclaw like this... It was exactly how he imagined she'd be like.

He wondered how this was possible. He looked at the magic chalk again. There had to be something special about this device. There had to be a logical explanation for why he was able to create Ripclaw. And as he stared at her, standing before him, and as he looked around the place, something came into his mind. Something he had not considered before.

There was an explanation for this place. There was a rational, logical reason for how it could exist. There was something he thought of that would explain why Rudy and Penny wanted to keep it a secret. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. If he had realized this sooner, he wouldn't have been so freaked out about entering it. In fact, if anything, it would have made him more excited to come here.

This...this had to be a video game of some kind. An advanced game, a simulator, that Rudy and Penny were allowed to participate in. And now he got a chance to enjoy the experience. This must be some kind of beta game that was currently in the words. It would explain everythig.

He looked over at Skrawl. "Is this some kind of...game?"

Skrawl blinked at him. He looked almost surprised. But then the smile came back. He nodded his head affirmatively. "Why..yes it is. And I am your guide. The game randomnly chooses sides, and it has assigned you to be on my side." Skrawl said. He continued to smile down at the boy. "And beccause it chose you to be on my team, the goal here, the way you win the game, is to help me collect some artifacts, and you must fight off the opposite team, ensuring I am able to collect these items."

"Opposite team?" Mint asked. "You mean...Rudy and Penny?"

Skrawl nodded his head. "Yes..." His voice was slightly growly as he said that. "Them... They are your enemies here. They may try to decieve you, but do not believe a word they say. All they're going to do is try to distract you so they can stop me. You must not allow that to happen."

Mint took every word the jellybean said into consideration. The idea of trying out a beta game sounded exciting. He liked playing video games from time to time. And knowing he was playing something so few knew about...it made him feel happy and accomplished.

"So..will you help me?" Skrawl asked, gesturing towards the boy. "I promise you, it will be worth your while. This game is...really advanced. You've seen the results of this powerful technology yourself. With me..." Skrawl gestured to himself. Then he motioned towards Riplaw. "And with your creation."

Skrawl did have a point there. Mint couldn't pass this up. No..there was no way he was going to pass it up. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. He was going to experience a game that was so lifelife, it was incredible. An advanced AI making conversation with him..whoever programmed this guy was brilliant. And this world..it was just so incredible.

He stared at the piece of magic chalk in his hand. The realization that he could create more things...that he could create dinosaurs and bring them to life, in the loosest sense of the world, in this virtual reality world... it was an amazing feeling. He couldn't stop the sense of wonder filling up in his mind. He looked over at Skrawl, holding the magic chalk tightly in his hands.

"And I can create anything I want to?" Mint asked in a soft voice. "Anything I chose? I don't have to obey some strict rule?"

Skrawl shook his head. "Nope! You can draw what you want..as long as you help me defeat Rudy and Penny and win this game. If you do anything to break the rules...Well..." Skrawl shrugged dismissively. "The game ends, and your time playing this will be over."

Mint looked at Skrawl for a few seconds. Then he looked at the piece of magic chalk in his hands. With this, he could create anything. With this, in this world, he could bring to 'life' what he wanted. Here, he didn't have some strict teacher breathing down his neck. Here, he didn't have to worry about his drawings being ripped up. Instead, his drawings could fight back. They could move, they could act, they could attack. And they, judging from Ripclaw's reaction to him, would be obedient to him.

That same feeling from before welled up inside of them. The strange feeling that, at first, felt weird, but the more he felt it, the more he realized how good it felt. His body shook slightly from the energy and the adrenaline. Slowly, a smile came on his face. A small one at first, but it grew bigger until it became an almost demented grin. His eyes glinted, almost twinkling. And soon, he came to realize what that wonderful feeling was.

Power...

His smile broadened even more, and he let out a chuckle. Power...he wielded power here... He looked over at Skrawl. His almost terrifying smile spread further as he stared at the jellybean. And again he started to laugh.

"Okay..I will help you..." Mint said, his pupils shrinking slightly as he continued to give what could best be described as an evil smile.

Skrawl returned his creepy smile. He took a step towards Mint. He spoke in a low voice. "Perfect..."


	6. Disbelief

The Golden Plains was a wide, flat field located near Chalk Earth's equator. It had some hills, some larger than others. But most of it was flat, and covered in short, dry grass. The grass itself was yellow, which was what gave its name in the first place. There were a few trees here. They weren't very big and had pretty thin bark. They kinda looked like trees on an African savannah, except the leaves were yellow instead of green, and the bark itself was a little reddish.

The most common native fauna in these parts, to keep with the African-like theme, were animals that looked like gazelle, except they had longer tails, clawed feet, and two horns jetting out the top of their heads instead of behind their heads. The zoners who lived not too far from the Golden Plains referred to these beasts as mguus. The word 'mguu', from what they said, was an african word that meant leg, a likely reference to how these beasts run a lot across the fields of yellow grass.

The Golden Plains were usually pretty peaceful. The mguus would be chewing on the grass, their tails swishing from side to side. Once in a while, they would go to the small river to take a drink. Sometimes, birds would fly overhead, squawking loudly and catching the mguus' attention briefly before they would lower their heads. Unlike on a real savannah, the mguus didn't have any natural predators to worry about. The Golden Plains was a relatively nonviolent place to be.

Then, as the mguus were eating, they felt a vibration in the ground. They feel the ground with their feet and they lift up their heads, ears perking straight forward. Their black eyes widen as they looked around for the source of the vibration. They knew it could only mean one thing. As a thumping noise could be hard, and the sound of rocks rolling became noticeable by the small group, the mguus started to get antsy. They flung their head from side to side, letting out what could best be described as loud squeaks.

Soon, the mguus were introduced to the source of the sound. Coming out of the foliage, bursting through in a second, were three more mguus, these slightly larger than the rest. And on their backs were Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Ropes were tied around their heads, forming reigns for the trio to use to steer the beasts.

The wild mguus let out loud bleats before they took off running in all directions. The trio rushed through, heading straight. Laughter erupted from the three friends as they ran along the Golden Plains, holding onto their reigns to keep themselves from falling down. Intermixed with their laughing was the sound of the beasts' feet pounding heavily against the ground. This stopped only momentarily as the tamed mguus had to jump across the river, landing on the other side easily. Then they continued on running.

"See? Didn't I tell you this would be a riot?" Snap called out to his friends, a big grin on his face. "It was a good thing that the owners of that place let me change the reservation to today, don't you think?"

"Yeah! This is lots of fun!" Rudy shouted at his friend. He turned to Penny. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Penny looked a little less happy than the others. She held onto her reigns a bit tighter. "Yes, but I'm not sure if we should have gone out this far..."

"Oh puh shaw! Don't worry about it, Penny. These babies know their way back like the back of their...um..." Snap paused for a moment, thinking of what word to use. "Their feet...hooves... well whatever! You know what I mean!"

"Yes, I suppose, but I think we should be heading back." Penny said. She glanced behind her nervously, as if she thought that the owner thought they were stealing them or something.

"Oh calm down!" Rudy said with a smile. "We'll find our way back!"

It had been about twenty-four hours since the scuffle with Skrawl. Rudy and Penny managed to make it back through the portal before anyone noticed them. However, Penny's appearance needed some explaining. There was no way that Mr. Wilter wasn't going to notice her burns, scrapes, and tattered clothing. So they had to come up with an explaination and fast, especially since recess had ended mere minutes after they returned, and it would only be a minute or so before someone saw her like that.

When Mr. Wilter saw and asked about what happened, Rudy was at a loss for words. The scrapes, he could have explained as just her falling down. But the ripped clothing? Yeah the tears weren't that big, but unless she went out in the woods and fell down, there was no way that anyone would by her getting like that falling around here. At least, he didn't think they would, and he didn't want to take the chance just in case it wouldn't work. Rudy was frustrated when he couldn't come up with an explaination this time. He was usually pretty good at this.

However, luckily for him, so was Penny. She was able to think on her toes and come up with a swift story that satisfied Mr. Wilter. She said she was working on a science experiment and it blew up on her face. This had the teacher worried and he wanted her to go the nurse. But Penny insisted that she was alright and that she was just a little battered was all. Mr. Wilter did believe her story and didn't press further, although it was clear he wanted her to get examined further. Rudy was happy that she was able to come up with a cover up story, and also happy that she was okay. Her injuries weren't severe and would heal up in a few days.

They came back into ChalkZone today at around the same time they did yesterday. They met up with Snap. They were half expecting him to say that Skrawl was attacking again. They were relieve when he mentioned nothing about Skrawl, and instead wanted to take them where he wanted to before Skrawl had interrupted. Rudy was glad that Snap was finally able to take them to wherever he was so excited about. Snap didn't go into detail until they got there.

Rudy and Penny had only recently heard about Golden Plains. It was, compared to some areas of ChalkZone they were familiar with, relatively new. Recently erased. Snap guesses it was erased no more than a month ago. He told them how a zoner by the name of Jager had managed to tame some of the mguus and had opened up a business for people to ride them once they were 'civilized' enough, or whatever the right term was. Penny didn't seem very happy about the idea of taking the wild beasts from their habitat to tame them, but she was happy the mguus were at least well fed and taken care of. Jager was a pretty nice guy too. The jaguar-like zoner allowed them to borrow three of his mguus for one hour and told them to stay within a certain distance.

It was a little hard getting used to riding the mguus at first. It wasn't like riding a horse. Their behavior was a little different. It was hard to describe. Some of the behavior was definitely equine in origin, but them some behaviors seemed to be plucked from gazelles themselves, and a bit of rabbit too. They did manage to get the hang of it, though, and now they had been riding around the plains for about ten minutes, enjoying the beautiful scenery and saying hello to some familiar zoners who were taking a walk through here.

Rudy thought it was nice to finally have some more fun with his friends. The past couple days of going up against Skrawl were tiring. The jellybean usually did not strike twice back to back, especially going after the same place again. That did tell him one thing, though. Whatever Skrawl wanted, he must never let him have it. If that crown possessed some kind of power, then it had to be quite something for Skrawl to believe it was worth it to try to attack the same place the very next day. Rudy had thought about him and his friends going on a trip to some historical libraries in ChalkZone to find out more. This was certainly something they had to research as soon as possible. Who knew when Skrawl would strike again?

But for now, he just wanted to relax and have fun. There had been no reported attacks today so far, and he was having a great time with Penny and Snap. He hoped that nothing would happen to ruin this. He hoped that Skrawl had taken the hint that he was not going to be able to steal that crown. He hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with him again for a while.

But if there was one thing Rudy learned, it's that things often don't go the way as planned. Fate had a way of being cruel, twisted, pushing him onto a path he would rather not be on. Often, the thing he wants to happen will not, and what he doesn't want to happen will. And as much as he hoped that it wasn't going to turn out this way, that's just how life can be.

For in that moment, just as he was relaxing and enjoying time with his friends, he could see something flying towards them. It looked familiar, and it was calling out his name. At this, the three friends halted their mguus, looking at the object in curiosity.

"What is that thing?" Snap asked, pointing his hand in the objects direction. "It's a little too far to tell."

Penny adjusted her glasses and leaned forward a little. "I'm not sure, I..." She paused, her eyes widening in recognition. "Homing beacon..." Penny looked over at Rudy. "It looks like your homing beacon, Rudy!"

The object was much closer by now. And Rudy could tell Penny was right. It did look like the homing beacon that he drew to fetch Biclops when Snap wasn't paying attention to the notes about releasing Reggie's leg. Just like the one he drew, this one looked like a piece of bacon with a metallic box in the center with a flashing red light. This one was a little larger than the one he drew and the bacon looked more mechanical in appearance, and looked more durable.

"Yeah, you're right Penny!" Rudy said.

"I wonder what it wants." Snap noted.

It didn't take them long to find out what it was. The homing beacon stopped right in front of Rudy. It flapped there for a few seconds. It was close enough that Rudy could hear the squeaking of metal colliding with metal each time it flapped its 'wings'.

Then its red light stopped flashing, and instead glowed brightly. A constant, continuous glow. It shot out a beam of light, hitting Rudy in the face. His friends were shocked by this and Rudy was taken aback, shielding his face in case it was a weapon. But it was just regular light for the most part. The homing beacon shifted the light through Rudy a few times. Then the light vanished.

"Identity confirmed. Rudy Tabootie." The homing beacon said in a mechanical, clearly robotic voice. "Emergency! Emergency!"

At this, the three friends looked at each other worriedly. Rudy couldn't believe it. It couldn't be. Skrawl wouldn't be dumb enough to try a third time, would he? A cold chill ran up his spine. If he tried a third time..then that meant that artifact must be of more value than he realized.

He had to wonder. Just what was Skrawl's big plan, if he was indeed doing after this artifact a third time? How did he think he was going to get it? This theory, however, was a little altered when he heard what the homing beacon said next.

The homing beacon said, "Attack on Rainbow Mountain Range! Hostile confirmed as Skrawl! Please hurry, Great Creator!"

"Rainbow Mountain Range?" Penny asked quizzically. The name clearly didn't ring a bell with her. "Is that some new place?"

"No, it's been around for a long time." Snap explained, holding the reigns a little tighter. "Pretty old actually. But why would Skrawl attack that place? There's nothing there except for a bunch of rainbows and some overly friendly folks. They have no weaponry."

No weapons.. Of course Skrawl would not only attack a third time, but he would let out his frustrations against people who couldn't really fight back that well. The mondonians were peaceful too, but they still had some form of weaponry. The people of Rainbow Mountain Range, however, did not. It was disgusting that Skrawl would attack such a place. Yet...it also was not very surprising. This was Skrawl he was talking about.

It was such a shame that the fun he and his friends were having was cut short. It was disappointing that what he hoped wouldn't happen, did happen. It was frustrating that, lately, Skrawl has been keeping him and his friends on their toes. But there was nothing they could do about it. Well, nothing except go and stop him. Maybe after he stops him this time, he'll quit and move onto something else.

If Penny's theory was right, then Skrawl was after a different artifact this time. And he guessed that, like Penny thought, this second artifact was linked, somehow, to the first one. So it seemed Skrawl did give up...well kind of. He gave up on the crown, and now he was going for a somewhat easier target. The people of the Rainbow Mountain Range were so nice and nonviolent that Skrawl didn't have to do much to force them to hand over their artifact or tell him where it was.

He looked at his friends. He made a motioning gesture with his hand. "Let's go! We have to get there before it's too late!"

"Yeah!" Snap said with a grin. "Skrawl's got chalk for brains if he thinks that this plan is going to work!"

The trio started to run off, following the homing beacon. It flew at a considerable pace. Really fast, actually. But it would stop often to make sure that it was still in their line of sight. Then, once they got close enough, it would resume its rapid zipping and zagging.

Penny called out, "But what about Jager? Rainbow Mountain Range is out of the jurisdiction! And our time is almost up!"

"Don't worry about it, Penny! I'll explain the situation to the guy when we get back!" Snap said, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'm sure he'll understand!"

"Yeah!" Rudy agreed. "Besides, if we don't stop Skrawl, something terrible will happen!"

He didn't know what this terrible thing was. He had no idea what these artifacts could do. He didn't know of their powers, if they were the key to something big, or what. He just knew that Skrawl was desperate to get them. And if he wanted them so badly, it must mean that they were dangerous. Or at least, could be used in harmful ways. He could not allow that monsterous jellybean to get even just one artifact. He couldn't afford to.

At least this wouldn't take very long. He would just have his short scuffle with Skrawl, he would beat him and send him packing, he'd return the artifact, and they could go back. Not long at all. And everything would return to the way it was before. He and his friends could go back to having fun. They could rest under the assurance that ChalkZone was safe.

That was how it should have been. But, life has a way of making unexpected turns. And as Rudy and his friends were going to find out soon, that was what was going to happen this time. And it was going to change everything.

sss

The Rainbow Mountain Range was a twin set of mountains all lined up in a row. Tall and spikey, looking almost like jagged teeth. The mountains themselves were an eerie purple, and there was a constant low fog in the area. The place, at a distance, looked uninhabitable and appeared to be a place to be avoided. Anyone who didn't know this place well enough would think that it was the perfect hideout for villains, with all the pointy rocks and jagged mountains and such.

But upon closer inspection, the place really was a thing of beauty, and not the kind regarding how spooky it was. Within the mountains themselves, underneath all that fog, there were a few rainbows covering the sky, which was where the mountains got their names. The rainbows were beautiful, and certainly not the kind to ram into the ground like the ones the kid who kept drawing storms created. In the middle of the two mountain ranges, there was some areas of lush grass and fresh water, and some zoners had made this place their home.

Snap himself had been here once before with Rapsheeba. He had wanted to take her on a trip somewhere, and he thought this place was perfect. It was pretty old, older than him at least, and he had always wanted to come here himself. With its scary outward appearance, it was no wonder not many zoners liked to venture here, and why so little was known about it, at least in comparison to other places. He wasn't surprised that Penny had never heard of this place and thought it was newly erased.

Looking around, Snap could recall the fond memories he had here with Rapsheeba. They had played some of the local games here. And after that, they visited one of the very few restaurants they had available here. Due to the limitation of customers, the restaurants were quite small and the food pretty limiting. He and Rapsheeba didn't complain, though, and the food was pretty good.

But coming here now, Snap could tell just how different things were. No longer did it seem very peaceful. No longer was it quiet and calm. Replacing all that was chaos. The zoners that made their home here were in obvious panic. Some were running around. Others were hiding. Still others were screaming. Snap felt bad for them. It was clear these zoners were not used to combat, and were ill prepared for when Skrawl had attacked.

Just like with the Mondo Desert City, Rainbow Mountain Range had clearly suffered damage. Large burn marks decorated the place, a clear sign that Skrawl was able to get a new weapon so fast. That scared Snap. And he knew it worried his friends, too. How did Skrawl manage to get another laser-based weapon so fast? The thought of Skrawl possessing another of those things caused him to have flashbacks of yesterday, when Skrawl nearly killed him. The thought made him shudder. He had never looked at death like that before. If Penny hadn't intervened, he would have practically shaken hands with his own death as it came to 'greet' him.

Pieces of the purple mountains had broken off. Large boulders had come crashing down. Some of the few buildings that were here were demolished, crushed under the weight of the rocks. The land looked horrifically scarred, and some of the rainbows had been shattered as well. Multicolored pieces lay strewn on the ground, jagged and broken. Snap was shocked at just how much destruction had occurred before he and his friends got here.

The only good news he could find as they rode into the mountains was that no one seemed injured. Any zoner they saw running past them didn't look like they had been hurt. No marks, scrapes, bruising, nothing. None of them ran like they were hurt. They must have fled before Skrawl decided to attack. And luckily, they had managed to get away from him before he could nab them and hurt them. That did provide a sense of relief for the trio. At least no one got hurt this time.

It didn't take them long to find Skrawl. He was standing near a large cave entrance near the end of the Rainbow Mountain Range. Just as he thought, he had another laser machine with him. This one didn't look as nicely drawn as the last one, but it was fully functional. Smoke pillowed out the tip, indicating that it was just recently used.

As they got closer, Snap could see that Skrawl was holding up what looked to be a golden rod. He had it up in the air, gripping it almost triumphantly. He must have just found it. Snap realized they had just gotten here in the nick of time. They were almost upon him now. In a matter of seconds, Rudy could be calling out Skrawl and challenging him to a battle. And it would end with Skrawl losing, like always. Snap smiled as he thought about Skrawl fleeing once again and yelling about how it was impossible for him to lose or that he'd be back. Typical Skrawl.

Then Snap noticed something off this time. Back at the Mondo Desert City, Skrawl had some Beanie Boys with him. But this time..well there was only two, just enough to carry him here on his chair thing. The other Beanie Boys, if they had been here, were nowhere in sight. Where were they?

Snap got a really bad feeling. What if they were hiding? What if they were running straight into an ambush. Snap looked all around cautiously, expecting one of those plump boys to jump on him or his friends at any second. He looked over at his friends. Rudy was busy glaring in Skrawl's direction, but Penny had caught his wary look. She was going to say something, but then Rudy started to talk, interrupting their thoughts.

"Put that rod back, Skrawl!" Rudy said, pointing a finger in the jellybean's direction. "You're not leaving here with that artifact!"

"Why hello, Rudy Tabootie!" Skrawl said to the boy, giving a mock friendly smile. "How nice of you to..drop in..."

By now, the trio were at the bottom of the mountain Skrawl was on. He looked down at them from the higher ledge. An evil smile was spread across his face. He held the rod up for them to see, waving it from side to side tauntingly. Rudy haulted his mguu and jumped off. He held up the magic chalk towards Skrawl, preparing to fight him.

He and Penny stopped behind Rudy. They got off and took places on either side of Rudy. They both took fighting stances, ready for whatever Skrawl has in store for them. But as they did this, Snap realized something else.

Skrawl didn't seem...frustrated with their appearance this time. Not that the jellybean always reacted in rage to them coming. But the two times where he tried to steal the golden crown, he had been visibly furious that they had arrived. Even if he was still smiling, he could tell from the tone of his voice that he was not happy to see them. But this time...this time was different. Skrawl looked...happy that they were there. Like he had wanted them to come. But why...?

Something wasn't right...

"If you want this rod back..." Skrawl held the rod in front, over the edge, gripping the edge with his two fingers. He moved it back and forth, taunting Rudy and his friends below. "...why don't you come and take it from me? I know that's what you want to do, right? Draw something and come after me, then I flee..That's how it always is, isn't it? That's how our little song and dance go."

Rudy narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Skrawl just laughed at this, tossing the rod in the air and caught it before it hit the ground.

"So..what do you say we get this over with, chalk boy?" Skrawl said. He held out another hand and gestured for Rudy to come.

Snap didn't like this.

Rudy drew his rocket shoes and flew up into the air. He took Skrawl's challege and rushed towards him. He held out his magic chalk, preparing to draw. Snap looked around, a sudden chill going up his spine.

Something was definitely wrong...

"What's wrong, Snap?" Penny asked, her head turned towards the blue zoner.

Snap looked at her, concerned. "Something's off, Penny!" He cried in a panic. "This...this might be a trap!"

Penny's eyes widened at this. She turned her head and looked over at Rudy. Then it was clear something else caught her eye, as her gaze shifted a little. When Snap saw her eyes widen in horror, his heart filled with dread.

It all happened so quickly. Rudy was in the middle of drawing something. It was hard to tell what it was supposed to be as he was just half finished. Before he could continue more of it, a bright red glow briefly illuminated him. Rudy turned his head just in time to see a red laser heading towards him. He didn't have time to react as the laser struck against his rocket shoes, destroying them. Rudy screamed as he and unfinished pieces of his creation fell to the ground.

The sudden attack had startled Rudy enough that he dropped his magic chalk. It hit into the somewhat tall grass, becoming covered by the foliage. Snap bit his lip. This was not good. Without his magic chalk, Rudy would have a hard time fighting back against Skrawl. But he didn't have time to worry about that; Rudy was going to get crushed by the falling debris if they didn't do something, and fast.

Snap and Penny rushed to his side. They grabbed an arm and pulled him out of the way as pieces of his creation crashed down all around them. A few of them narrowly missed striking them. After the chunks stopped falling, they helped Rudy up to his feet. Rudy brushed himself off and looked up at Skrawl, clearly shocked by that surprise attack. Then he turned to his friends.

"Where did that come from?!" Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in shock.

Snap looked around, trying to find the source of the laser. He felt Penny's hand on his shoulder. He followed her finger as she pointed to a spot to the left of Skrawl.

"The laser came from there!" Penny cried out.

A cold laughter from Skrawl drew their attention. They looked up at the evil jellybean, glaring hatefully at him. Rudy looked around, clearly trying to find his magic chalk. But it was nowhere in sight. Snap had seen where it fell, but now that he had shifted focus away from it, he no longer could tell where it was. All the grass here looks the same. There was no way he could find it that fast.

Skrawl sneered down at them. The trio glared at him, taking defensive stances. Even chalkless, Snap knew Rudy wasn't going down without a fight. And he and Penny would not either. Whatever this jellybean had in store for them, they were ready.

"I think now is a good time to introduce my new...partner." Skrawl said, smirking down at the trio. He laughed when he saw their confused expressions. "Yeah, that's right. I managed to find someone willing to work with me. He might not seem like much, but trust me, Master Tabootie..." Skrawl's face contorted into a twisted smile. "He is going to give you a run for your money..."

The trio looked at each other worriedly. A new partner? Just how did Skrawl manage to convince to work with him? Not many of the aggressive zoners would work with Skrawl for various reasons. And from his evil smile, this partner is no pushover. Who could it be?

Skrawl turned his head to the side. He put his hand to his mouth. Then he shouted, "Come out here and say hello to our 'friends', Mint Zandophen!"

Up on the ledge, another figure was coming into view. They were blocked out of the light for a few seconds, keeping them in complete shadow. This didn't last long. Light suit illuminated the second individual's body. And when it did, a collective gasp spread through the trio. They took a step back, looking on in absolute horror.

Snap's body trembled. His eyes were wide in fear. His mouth dropped open in shock. He shook his head in denial. No..no it was impossible...it couldn't be... There was no way Skrawl could have... But then..there he was, standing right there. This was real. No, it was worse. It was a nightmare.

Penny put her hands to her mouth in horror. "No...it can't be..." She whispered in a low, disbelieving voice. She took another step back, her body shaking just like Snap's.

Out of the three, Rudy was shivering the hardest, as he had, not so long ago, faced off against someone else like this. They had all thought he never would have to do it again. But they had been oh so very wrong. Rudy stared up at the figure in absolute shock. His eyes were really big and it looked like he was trying to speak, but no words would come out.

They all wished it was just a horrible dream. They wished that it was just a figment of their imaginations. They wished that they could just close their eyes and and the figure would go away. But no matter what they did, the figure didn't disappear. The figure was real, much to their horror and disbelief. And they all realized that their worst nightmare, besides ChalkZone being exposed, had become a reality.

There, standing on the edge next to Skrawl, was a human child... A creator... And in his hands, a piece of magic chalk. He was staring down at them, something of an evil smile on his face. In a holster around his waist, there was a crudely drawn laser pistol. The same one used against Rudy...

The sight of this made Snap remember the Chalk Queen incident. He remembered when Penny pretended to betray him and Rudy to fool Skrawl. He was experiencing deja vu, only this time, round two was going to be a whole lot worse. So much worse...because this time, the creator Skrawl had by his side was not someone he or his friends knew. This time, the confrontation was real. There was not going to be any 'Hey I was doing this to fool him!' or anything.

This time, the Enemy Creator was for real.

"So you are my opponents?" Mint said. He eyed the three one by one, the smile never leaving his face. "Rudy. Penny. Snap. I believe those are your names, right? Well as you know, my name is Mint, and I will be your opponent for this round." He lifted up the magic chalk, watching it glint. He smirked back down at them. "I would normally draw something, but I already created something to keep you three entertained for a little while. This round belongs to me."

With that, Mint raised his hand up and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did that, the sound of pounding feet came towards the trio. A loud snarl ripped through the landscape. The sound startled their mguus and they immediatel took off running. The three turned their heads and, to their horror, a large predatory dinosaur came rushing towards them, mouth agape.

The dinosaur crashed into the trio. Its tail slapped against Snap, knocking him back several feet. Snap crashed into the ground hard. He rubbed his head and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw the dinosaur pin Rudy and Penny down, its snarling mouth close to their faces.

"That's a good girl! Keep them pinned for a little while, Ripclaw." Mint called down. "Remember, Skrawl just needs a little extra time! We have this all wrapped up!"

Snap watched as Rudy and Penny struggled to get free. Ripclaw didn't appear to be hurting them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't. Those teeth looked wickedly sharp. And those claws, especially her sickle claws, looked lethal too. Snap had to do something, and fast.

He took a step forward. He was going to rush over at the dinosaur and use himself as bait. He was going to through himself at her and distract her so Rudy and Penny could get out from underneath the feathered dinosaur. But something stopped him. As soon as he took a few steps towards them, something caught his eye. Something white and sparkly... He looked down and realized it was Rudy's magic chalk. His eyes widened and a small smile spread across his face. This would easily even the odds a bit. He reached down and picked it up.

Snap held up the magic chalk and rushed towards his friends. If he could just give one of them the magic chalk, they would neutralize this new creator and send him back home. It shouldn't be too hard. The beast's attention was currently just on his friends. She would not notice if he got close enough to toss the magic chalk to either Rudy or Penny.

But he never got that chance.

As he ran towards his friends, he did not notice that Mint saw what he did. He didn't notice Mint rushing down the mountain side towards him. He did not notice the kid running in his direction. He wasn't aware of any of that...until it was too late.

Snap almost didn't stop in time when Mint got in his path. The boy glared down at him. He held out his hand expectantly. Snap pulled the magic chalk away, glaring at him.

"Give that to me." Mint demanded, his hand still out.

Snap snarled in response. "Never."

Mint narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Then, so be it..."

Snap's eyes widened and he let out a painful scream. Mint had kicked him in the stomach. Snap's knees buckled and he fell down. The magic chalk dropped from his hands. Snap tried to get back up, but Mint kicked him again, this time on the side. He rolled across the ground, groaning in pain. When Snap reopened his eyes and looked over, he saw that Mint had already grabbed Rudy's magic chalk and stuffed it in his pocket. And now he was walking towards him.

Before Snap could get away, the Enemy Creator gripped him by his throat. Snap gagged as he was lifted up into the air. He struggled to get free. He stared at Mint defiantly, giving him the most determined glare he could muster. This just prompted a chuckle from the kid.

"So you are Rudy's 'greatest creation', are you?" Mint said. He eyed Snap up and down. "Well if you're the best he's got, I guess I shouldn't be too worried..." He put his face close to Snap, his eyes boring into the zoner's. "With something as pathetic as you, there's no way he will beat me..."

Snap continued to glare at Mint. He gripped his hand and tried to free himself. But despite being a kid, his grip was really tight. Snap kicked his legs in the air, struggling to get free. "Put me...down...and I'll show...you..just how great...I am...!" Snap growled at the boy, still gagging a little from Mint's grip.

Mint just sneered at him. "Oh really now...?"

Snap gave a determined smile at the boy. "Yeah! You..don't know...what I'm...made of...!"

Mint chuckled at this. "Well then...perhaps I should find out."

Snap's eyes widened in horror when Mint pulled out his laser pistol. The boy smirked at the object and then looked at him, intent shining clearly in his eyes. He put the end of the pistol against Snap's head. The blue zoner started shivering in fear. Mint put his finger on the trigger and started to apply pressure.

"Stop!"

Mint froze and lowered the laser pistol much to Snap's relief. The two of them looked over and saw Penny, who had managed to get free of Ripclaw's grasp, rushing towards them.

"Let him go!" Penny demanded as she closed the distance as fast as she could.

Mint stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he glanced down at Snap. A twisted smile spread across his face. He gave Penny a sideways glance. He lifted Snap a little higher into the air. The muscles in his arms tensed up. Snap knew what was going to happen next.

"Oh you want this poor excuse for a drawing back...?" Mint said tauntingly. "Well then here! You can have him back!"

Mint threw Snap as hard as he could. The zoner flew through the air, his eyes wide and letting out a scream of surprise. He slammed against Penny before she could get out of the way. The two of them fell into the ground. They groaned for a few seconds before climbing back to their feet. They took a defensive stance, glaring at the boy.

Before anyone could make another move, Skrawl's voice rang out through the mountainous region.

"All right, Mint! That's enough fooling around! Let's get out of here!"

Mint looked over at Skraw. He seemed a little disappointed that he did not get to fight with them more. He looked back at Penny and Snap. A smile came back onto his face. He snapped his finger and in seconds, Ripclaw was by his side once more. As Rudy moved towards his friends, Mint climbed onto Ripclaw's back like she was some predatory horse.

Rudy glared at Mint, teeth gritted. "You hurt Snap..." He said in a dangerous tone.

Mint just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Eh..whatever, Rudy. If it upsets you that bad, you'll have another round against me soon enough. But for now..." Mint's eyes glinted. "I win..."

And with that, Mint disappeared, leaving behind a very confused, angry, and frightened trio.


	7. Pondering

How could this have happened?

Why did this happen?

What did he do wrong?

He had always been so careful... What could have gone wrong?

These questions plagued Rudy's mind as he and his friends sat in Snap's house. He barely remembered how Jager reacted when they told him they lost the mguus, how they had run off. He was probably angry, but right now, Rudy didn't care about that. The problem with the mguus was minor, a mere scrape into the ground, compared to what he and his friends witnessed in the Rainbow Mountain Range. It had shook them all to the core, and it was so hard for them to digest the information. It was hard to accept that it was reality.

Rudy couldn't fathom just what could have happened. He hadn't noticed anyone coming in through the portal. He and Penny did not see anyone enter the classroom. They had made sure to cover up the opening. The map should have blocked the portal from prying eyes. No teacher, not even Mr. Wilter, would think it was strange seeing the map down. No teacher or student would just walk into the room just to pull up the map.

Well there were the janitors who wipe the chalkboard clean. But those people only did so during non-school hours. It was still recess. So that couldn't have been it. And Mint wasn't a janitor. He was a student. Rudy wasn't sure what grade he was, but he guessed he was in a different part of the building. What would he have been doing so far away from his classroom? Why would he have been sneaking around in the hallways like that? Granted, that's what he and Penny were doing, but they had a reason to. Mint had no business being in that part of the school.

Penny suggested earlier that not erasing the portal was the biggest mistake he could have made. And she was right. There was no other explanation they could think of. It would explain the footsteps he and Penny heard. It wasn't a teacher. It had been Mint. He must have been following them. He must have...he must have seen the portal as they had gone through. His eyes widened in horror at that. Despite being so careful, someone had seen them use a portal. Someone had seen the entrance to ChalkZone before he or Penny could cover it up. And that would have prompted Mint to go into the classroom and...

A wave of horror slammed into Rudy. What had he done? What kind of terror had he inadvertantly unleashed onto ChalkZone? He had been trying so hard to be the protector of ChalkZone. But so many times, he does something that makes things worse. One of the worst things he did was unleash the tiny red bat plague onto ChalkZone, nearly killing so many zoners who, unfortunately, ended up being bitten. And that was just one example.

He recalled how he had accidentally allowed another human, Vinnie Raton, into ChalkZone because he forgot to close the portal into the place. Vinnie had been determined to turn ChalkZone into a theme park and give jobs to all the zoners. He had been determined to make a profit on it, and he didn't quit even after he had been thrown out of the place. Rudy was glad that he was able to get Vinnie out of ChalkZone and keep him out, knowing full well how bad things would have turned out if he had failed.

Now he had accidentally let in another human. This one was a kid like him. Another artist, he could tell. But one of a very different personality. He and his friends had barely met the kid, and already they could tell he was dangerous. A bit of a lunatic, too, with the way he was talking. His attitude towards Snap angered him, and reminded him of Reggie Bullnerd. That revelation scared him. That meant that he and his friends could be witness to another 'Reggie the Red' incident, only this time, the new creator was using white chalk, so Rudy's plan of 'making the chalk rebel' that he used on Reggie would not work. And chances are, this kid was not as stupid as Reggie, so he would not be as easily fooled.

Rudy still felt anger when he thought about how Mint had treated Snap. As he was pinned on the ground, he could see Mint kicking his friend. This horrified Rudy and he had tried to get free, but to no avail. Then when he saw Mint pick Snap up and point the laser to his head... Words could not describe how angry and horrified he felt when he saw that. And there was nothing he could have done about it. He was still trapped underneath that dinosaur creation of his.

He was relieved when Penny had managed to get free. She had grabbed a chunk of dirt and rock into her hands and threw it into Ripclaw's face. This caused the dinosaur to screech and shift her body enough that Penny could squeeze out. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to free him. Rudy watched, helplessly pinned down by Ripclaw, as Penny rushed over to stop Mint. He was thankful when Mint changed his mind about shooting Snap. But that thankfulness turned into anger when he saw Mint casually throw Snap into Penny like it was no big deal.

The way Mint acted like it was no big deal he hurt his friend... There was no doubt in Rudy's mind that this kid was insane. He could tell, just from their first encounter, that this kid was much more dangerous than Reggie ever was. He could see the look of intent in that boy's eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that, had Penny not stopped him, Snap would have been killed. That kid...that boy.. He obviously didn't care about taking another life. It was like this was all some kind of game to him. He was about to shoot his friend in cold blood, and for no reason at all other than just because he could.

Rudy knew that this behavior would only continue, and his dangerous tactics would spread throughout ChalkZone. He knew that, if he isn't stopped, Mint would cause destruction throughout ChalkZone. He might attack other zoners. He might try to kill as many as he could, just out of spite. What he almost did to Snap was nothing more than a mere preview of what was about to come. Horrible images of all kinds of damages and zoners groaning in pain, some already dead, filled Rudy's mind, sending shivers up and down his spine. He couldn't allow this to happen. He...he wouldn't allow it to happen.

He glanced over at Snap. The blue zoner was sitting there, with a somewhat blank expression, though he could see a tinge of fear in his eyes. His body was still shaking a little. Snap was shaken up by what had nearly happened to him back in the Rainbow Mountain Range. Rudy understood why he was feeling like this. He had been so close to being killed. Mint had pointed a gun to his head and was going to pull the trigger, only stopping when Penny intervened. That was just a...vile and disgusting act. Mint's whole treatment of Snap was careless, harsh, and mean. Rudy worried for his friend the next time they'd run into Mint. Would he try to finish the job...?

Another creator in ChalkZone...an Enemy Creator...it had been one their worst fears for ChalkZone for so long, only intensified when Reggie showed up. They knew, they all knew, this was not going to be as easy as other enemies like Skrawl or Craniac 4. None of them could create like Rudy or Penny could. As threatening as they could be, so long as Rudy or Penny, or even both, had the magic chalk, they could get out of most situations without as much trouble. They would be able to hold their ground and fight back, giving their enemies a run for their money.

But now this time, it was so much different. Another creator meant the playing fields were now equal. No longer could they just draw something to save themselves with or to stop the enemy. Now, there was the Enemy Creator... Mint Zandophen... He could draw a counterattack and drive them back. He could create traps, weapons, whatever else he wanted to. Any trick Rudy or Penny could come up with, Mint also had the ability to do the same thing. Just as they could bring to life anything they needed, so could Mint. And because they had just barely met the kid, they had no idea how capable he really was...

That realization struck them all deeply, straight into their hearts. They had no idea what to expect from this kid. They didn't know just how competent he was going to be. But if their first encounter with them told them anything, he was at least competent enough to neutralize Rudy and handle all of them pretty much on his own without using the magic chalk to create something else. If that was what he could do without the magic chalk, Rudy was scared to know what he could do with the magic chalk.

Rudy had never felt this helpless before. Sure, there were times when he had no idea what he was going to do to save everyone. There were situations he didn't know he could get out of. But this time, the fact that the root of the problem was another creator just made those feelings worse. How was he going to be able to stop someone who could create just like he could? How could he stop someone who could create a counterattack against him on a whim?

Just..how was he going to stop Mint?

"I know it's going to be hard..." Penny said, breaking the silence of the room. "But we'll figure something out. I know we will..."

From the way she spoke, Rudy could tell that Penny wasn't sure if she could trust her own words or her own judgment on this. He couldn't blame her. None of them felt they could be certain they could neutralize Mint. They all knew just how hard it was going to be to win this, and they all knew that, regardless if they gained the upperhand or not, something could still go wrong so long as Mint still had access to ChalkZone.

"I don't know how we're going to be able to stop him, Penny." Rudy said solemnly. He looked towards the ceiling, his eyes furrowed with concern. "You saw him. He has magic chalk... That means that we can't just throw him out." He looked at her. "He can just find his way back in."

Penny nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, that's going to be a problem. We...we have to take it from him somehow."

"And how are we going to do that? You saw him out there. He was able to stop us in a matter of seconds like we were nothing more than target practice!" Snap said, his eyes widened. "And he was able to neutralize us very quickly... He stopped me from giving you guys the magic chalk and he just...took it."

Rudy narrowed his eyes as he remembered that. Mint had stolen his magic chalk and took it with him when he left with Skrawl. He had left him defenseless, chalkless. If Skrawl had decided to capture them, he could have and they would have had no way to fight back.

Without the magic chalk and without the mguus, they had to walk all the way back. It had taken them awhile. Rudy was grateful it was Saturday so they had some extra time to get back. Still, it took a much longer time than if he had the magic chalk with him or at least the mguus. He recalled they had run into Jager and told him what happened. But due to the stress of recent events, he could not recall his reaction. The only thing he remembered after that was reaching the Chalk Mine. He met up with Biclops and requested another piece of magic chalk and, as much as he hated to do it, informed Biclops about what had happened in the Rainbow Mountain Range.

Rudy recalled that Biclops definitely wasn't happy to hear there was another creator in ChalkZone. Rudy promised him he would do what he could to stop him. But Rudy wasn't sure if he could live up to that promise. As angry as Biclops was that he didn't erase the portal, the giant did trust that Rudy would fix things. Rudy knew it wasn't just Biclops who had faith in him. All of ChalkZone did. He didn't want to let them down. As hopeless as it seemed, he...he had to at least try.

"I wonder what Skrawl is going to do." Snap wondered in a low voice, filled with dread. He looked over at Rudy and Penny. "If he has a creator by his side now...do you think that he's going to..."

"...become bolder, attack more frequently, take bigger risks?" Rudy finished for him, a cold shiver spreading through his body. Snap stared at him, wide-eyed, then slowly nodded his head. Rudy bit his lip and lowered his gaze. "Y-Yeah. I have no doubts he's going to do that."

Penny looked just as afraid. "This means we'll have to stay on our toes now. Skrawl could attack anytime...anywhere..." She looked around the room nervously, fumbling with her fingers. "So long as that Mint kid works for him, Skrawl is definitely going to be taking advantage of that."

There was a moment of silence after Penny said that. The trio let this all sink in. The realization hit them all like a speeding car. They all realized, in horror, Skrawl really was going to milk this for all it was worth. He had a creator by his side, and because of that, no doubt he would become more ambitious, more bold. He could have Mint draw anything he needed, or keep them at bay so he could do whatever he wanted. Skrawl was going to be taking bigger risks, and most certainly the rate of his attacks would increase and become more destructive.

And those artifacts.. He was going to increase his attempts to finding all of those and...who knows what else after that... They still didn't know just what those artifacts did, what they were capable of. And with Mint helping Skrawl, there was a bigger likelihood now that Skrawl might succeed and get all of the artifacts. And when Skrawl got all of them and was able to use them for whatever purpose they held, the trio knew one thing with great certainty.

ChalkZone was going to be in big trouble.

"I won't allow it..." Rudy said, narrowing his eyes. His two friends looked at him as he clenched a fist tightly. "I won't let them succeed..."

As scared as he was, as uncertain he was about how they were going to handle this, Rudy was not going to allow the feelings hopelessness weigh him down. He was not going to give into despair and give up, especially not this early. He was the protector of ChalkZone. It was his duty to keep it safe, and that was just what he was going to do. Somehow, someway, he was going to stop Skrawl and Mint.

"It was my fault this happened." Rudy said, a look of regret on his face. "I am the one who left the portal open. And because of my mistake, a dangerous creator has been unleashed upon this world." Rudy knew he couldn't shift the blame on anyone else. He took the responsibility because he knew, no matter how hard it was for him to accept, the fact Mint could get into ChalkZone at all was because of a single mistake he himself had made. The determined look came back onto his face. "And I vow..I will find a way to get him out of ChalkZone...for good."

Penny and Snap nodded to their friend. They sat closer to him and their hands on his, an attempt to show him that they are going to be with him every step of the way. They were friends and they were a team. Penny and Snap will not allow him to face this alone. They were going to help him in anyway that they could.

"Don't worry, Rudy. We will stop him. I know we will." Snap said, smiling at Rudy reassuringly. "You made a mistake, but the important thing is you're trying to correct it, Bucko. That's what counts."

"And you will not be alone. We're in this together." Penny said, a smile on her face. "It won't be easy, but somehow, we will stop Mint. You'll see."

Rudy smiled at his friends. He was grateful for their help, their willingless to stick by him. They were right. They would find a way to win. They always had in the past, no matter how hopeless the situation felt. He knew that, as long as they didn't give up and as long as they kept trying hard, they could not only defeat Skrawl and keep him from getting the artifacts, but they would boot Mint out of ChalkZone and prevent any future entry.

Although there was still the feeling of doubt that rose up inside of him, although he wasn't sure if he could believe that they would succeed, Rudy did his best to push those feelings aside. Now wasn't the time for guilt. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself for a mistake he made. Now was the time for him to think of how to fight back. He needed to focus less on the mistake he made and more on the solution to the problem.

He put his arms around his friends and pulled them into a group hug. They returned the embrace.

"Thanks, guys..." Rudy said gratefully. "The next time those two strike, we will be prepared..."

His friends nodded in agreement.

sss

When Mint got back from ChalkZone, crawling out of his large chalkboard, he noticed that it was getting pretty dark out. The sun was setting, creating brilliant colors in the sky. His room was very dark and he had to look around to find the light. He switched it on and looked outside. The street lights had already been turned on. He was surprised he had been gone that long. Sometimes, time just flies.

He wasn't worried about his parents. They were used to him locking himself up in his room for hours. So there was no chance they could have stumbled upon his discovery. If they had, they probably would have taken it away from him to try to make him focus more on his studies. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought. Being able to create anything he wanted to in a vast, open world was far more interesting than some dusty old textbook on a subject he didn't even like that much.

It was so tempting for him to pretend to be sick tomorrow and just hang out in ChalkZone for a while. Something about that place felt...inviting. It was definitely a lot more entertaining than real life, that's for sure. And so varied, too. In a world where anything could be created, there was so much more variety in ChalkZone, so much more fascinating and disturbing weirdness, than in the real world that he can't help but be addicted.

He walked over to his bed and collapsed on it. Man that was a rush... That ChalkZone, that massive virtual reality game, it was much more amazing than he thought it was going to be. It was incredible, and he had only experienced a small taste of it. He couldn't wait to get right back into the game tomorrow and have some more fun. Drawing the laser pistol and cannon weren't things he'd usually draw, but bringing them into reality was oh so worth it. He thought about other things he could draw.

A smile spread across his face as he thought about the encounter he had with his three main opponents. They didn't seem like much. He wondered how Rudy and Penny could stand up with an advanced AI like Skrawl. He wondered just how useful Rudy's blue AI friend, Snap, really was. They hadn't put up much of a fight, much to his disappointment. But then again, that was his fault. He did not let them fight back. Perhaps, next time, he'll let Rudy try to fight him so he could gauge just how good Rudy was in this game world. It was possible Rudy was at a higher level than him.

Mint was amazed at how advanced the game was. He loved the detail put into it. The landscape crumbled realistically and the NPCs, or zoners as Skrawl called them, reacted dynamically. No sign of a repeated script. He wondered just how detailed their models were. He had to wonder what the data inside of them looked like. He wanted to know just how detailed the gibs would be if he had attacked one.

He wanted to see it up close and personal, which was why he didn't bother trying to attack any of the fleeing NPCs. Being so far away, he wouldn't have been able to tell how good they were programmed. But when he got a hold of Snap...

Mint was disappointed that he wasn't able to shoot him. He was seconds away from pulling that trigger. He wanted to see how detailed the gibs was in this virtual game. He wanted to see how long it would take for an NPC to respawn, or if they didn't do that, how long it would take for their bodies to fade away, like in most games. He had the blue zoner in his hand. He really wanted to shoot him. And he could have. If only he hadn't been distracted by Penny...

But no matter. He would encounter them again later. Skrawl told him that they would appear quite often to try to stop him. And he welcomed the challenge. And Snap, well...

He smiled evilly. He would have another chance at him.


	8. Playtime

When Rudy stepped back into ChalkZone with Penny, he was almost surprised when there was no sudden attack. He had expected Mint to be hiding somewhere, waiting to strike. He expected to walk in and find ChalkZone a mess. He expected all kinds of terrible things. With a creator as crazy and demented as this new kid, there was almost nothing that couldn't have happened. He had come in expecting the worst.

He was grateful when that wasn't the case. When he and Penny came through, they could see that ChalkZone was fine. There hadn't been any signs of another attack. The zoners didn't appear panicked or anything, at least not the ones they saw. They didn't hear anyone crying for help. They didn't see any buildings being knocked down. Nothing. Just a usual, peaceful day in ChalkZone. If Rudy didn't know any better, he would say that the events of yesterday had not happened, or were just a one thing thing. And oh how he would have wanted to believe that. So badly did he wish that it had all been just a dream or that it was just a one time event and the kid lost access to ChalkZone.

But that would have been a fairy tale ending. He knew that, in real life, things don't always work out that way. A reminder that what happened yesterday was real happened to be on his left foot. He could still walk just fine. It wasn't an issue. But the laser that shattered his rocket boots had done mild damage to his left foot. A little bit of a burn there and not much else. The worst that happens is he feels mild pain when he walks. Each step he took reminded him that he was shot out of the sky yesterday, and that it was done by another human. A creator. And this realization still chilled his blood.

He needed to find some way to get Mint to stay out of ChalkZone. The kid was a menace. He had to be stopped before he did irreversable damage. He needed to know where he would strike next so he could deal with him. And this time, he was not going to allow the kid to take his magic chalk away. This time, he was not going to be pinned on the ground and rendered helpless. He was going to fight back. And he was going beat the kid and send him packing. He would ensure he'd never get into ChalkZone again.

At least, that's what he hopes would happen. That was the best case scenario. Yet he knew, deep down, something else could go very wrong. He hadn't seen all that this kid was capable of. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve... He needed to be prepared.

He did actually prepare before he came into ChalkZone today. He had given a piece of magic chalk to Penny so they each had one. That way, if Mint took one of their pieces, the other still had one and could still fight. Two on one doesn't sound like a fair fight, but when it came to ensuring the safety of ChalkZone, fairness isn't exactly important. Rudy knew it was absolutely crucial to overpower Mint and take the magic chalk away from him, and if they could succeed in doing that by ganging up on him two to one, then he'd do it.

When Rudy saw Snap rushing towards him and Penny, he knew something was off. And he already knew what it was. Just as he thought, Mint and Skrawl must be striking again. He waited for Snap to get close enough so he could tell them what was going on. Even before Snap delivered what he knew was going to be bad news, Rudy felt himself cling tighter to his magic chalk.

"Bucko!" Snap called out to them. "Buckette! Emergency! Attack!"

He reached them. He put his hands on his knees and panted heavily. It looked like he had been running for some time. Rudy and Penny looked at each other worriedly. Rudy wondered just how much damage had been done already. And how far away was it? Could they get there in time before the damage becomes too extensive?

As Snap attempted to catch his breath, Penny moved forward. She put a hand on his shoulder, lowering herself a little so she was eye level with the blue zoner. She looked at him with a concerned expression. Although Snap was still panting, he did turn his head up a little so he could look at Penny in the eyes.

"Snap? What's wrong?" Penny said.

When Snap caught enough of his breath, he said quickly, "Skrawl is going after the crown again!"

"What?" Rudy and Penny said in unison. They stared at each other, shocked.

Nodding his head and taking in a few more quick breaths, Snap said, "Y-Yeah! Skrawl is...he is attacking Mondo Desert City again! And...and...Mint is with him...!"

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. Hadn't Mondo Desert City suffered enough? They were already attacked twice the past couple of days. And now Skrawl was doing it again? Just how much more damage could that place take? And Mint was with him? Not that Rudy expected anything different, but the fact that Mint was involved made him even more terrified about what might happen to the mondonians. What would Mint do to them?

Slowly, his eyes narrowed. He had to do something to stop them. He managed to stop Skrawl twice before. He could do it a third time. With Mint as their new opponent, they were going to need to fight smarter. It was not going to be as easy as last time. And last time wasn't even a piece of cake. He knew it was going to be much harder with Mint involved, but he was confident that they still might succeed. After all, Mint was still very new to ChalkZone. He didn't have the same kind of experience with using the magic chalk. Rudy just needed to stay on his toes and be aware of what was going on.

"The Enemy Creator must be stopped before he...!" Snap started to say.

"We know, Snap." Penny said, her eyes wide in fear. "We know..."

"Don't worry. We'll stop him...and Skrawl." Rudy said, his voice filled with confidence.

Lifting up his magic chalk, Rudy began to draw a mode of transportation. Another hovercar. This one he modified a little to go even faster. They didn't have much time. With the Enemy Creator involved, they would have less time to stop Skrawl before he succeeds in stealing the crown.

He jumped into the hovercar. He turned to Penny and Snap and motioned for them. They didn't hesitate to jump into the hovercar with him. Without saying a word, Rudy activated the thrusters on his upgraded hovercar and they sped off towards the Mondo Desert City. As they moved along, Rudy hoped it wasn't going to be too late. He hoped that, by some miracle, there was still a chance to stop Skrawl and Mint before too much damage was done to that city, and before the golden crown was taken.

An uncomfortable feeling welled up in his chest as he thought about Mint, and how he had almost killed Snap the other day. His face contorted a little in anger. He was going to get that boy back for what he had done. He was not going to let him get away with hurting his best friend.

sss

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked on in horror at the scene before them. They had expected bad. But they didn't know it would be like this. It was much worse than they thought it was going to be.

Mondo Desert City was...demolished, to put it simply. A few small buildings still stood, but the majority of the place was up in smoke. Dark grey smoke pillowed profusely out of the rubble in many places. The horrible smell of burnt stone and chalk filled the air. They could smell it even from within the hovercar. They could see some citizens still running to cover. There were many that were injured and had taken shelter wherever they could. There wasn't any signs of anyone having been killed but...there was still that possibility.

Rudy bit his lip as he looked at all the collapsed buildings. The damage was much more severe than the last time he faced the jellybean. Some of the buildings had been sliced at the bottom and it toppled to the side. He could see, to his horror, that there were still some zoners coming out of that building. How many had been injured? How many had been killed? He turned his head and on a cliff face, a bit higher up, he could see the source of what caused the damage.

Rudy narrowed his eyes when he saw Skrawl. Even from this distance, he could tell it was him. He was in that machine of his, the one that he was certain Mint had drawn for him. When Skrawl got out of the machine, Rudy was confused. Then he realized, as Skrawl headed towards a hole that was cut into the ground, that he must have already found the new hiding place for the crown.

And his suspicions were confirmed. Skrawl's Beanie Boys, just two again, came up and gave him the crown. Skrawl definitely looked happy at getting the crown. He held it in his three fingered hands, grinning at it menacingly. He appeared to be making some kind of speech. Rudy, of course, couldn't hear it. But he had a feeling of what he was saying. Probably something about how he had won and the Great Creator had lost. Well, he'll see about that.

"He has the crown..." Snap said softly, his eyes wide. He turned to Rudy. "We need to go faster!"

Rudy put his hand on the lever to move the ship faster. Then he hesitated. Something wasn't right. He stared ahead and noticed that Skrawl was...already leaving. But why? He thought that the jellybean would want to stay and watch as Mint did battle with them. This didn't make much sense. Already, he could see Skrawl getting in his chair and he knew, in seconds, he would be gone.

He wasn't sure what to make of this. In the back of his head, he began to search for a possible reason for why Skrawl would leave now instead of staying and 'watch the show', as he would put it. His first thought was that he was not that confident in Mint, or maybe he lost Mint as a partner. Rudy had hoped that was what happened. He hoped that Skrawl no longer had access to Mint as a partner. But he knew that was wishful thinking, and he began to think of some other possibility.

He realized, with a shudder, that Skrawl leaving right now might not be a sign of lack of confidence in this kid, but rather..a lot of confidence. He might really believe this kid would turn things around for him. Rudy hated to bust his bubble, but that wasn't going to happen. And speaking of the kid, where was he? He hadn't seen him with Skrawl, and even as he got in the chair, it didn't look like he had called out for the kid.

Rudy thought back to their encounter with Mint yesterday. Skrawl hadn't tried to flee until after Mint had arrived. And it might have been possible that Skrawl didn't leave yet because he just wanted to see their reactions to the appearance of the Enemy Creator. He began to wonder, if Skrawl was leaving when they hadn't closed in the distance, that maybe it was because Mint was going to...

His eyes widened in horror at the realization. And screams from his friends confirmed his suspicions.

"Look out!" Penny shouted, her head turned towards the right. Her eyes were wide. "Incoming!"

Rudy immediately steered the hovercar to the left to avoid whatever it was that was going to attack them or run into them. It wasn't enough... He couldn't move fast enough... Something slammed against the hovercar. Something that screeched really loud. Their field of vision was obscured as something large and red covered the singular window of the hovercar. The trio let out a scream as they were being pushed towards the ground, whatever it was that was attacking them refusing to let go. Another loud screech and they could hear what sounded like sharp claws screaming against the metal of the ship.

"Rudy! You gotta draw something!" Snap cried. "We're going to crash!"

Indeed, the ground was getting closer and closer as the seconds passed. The thing, whatever it is, had wrapped its wings around the hovercar and was spinning it out of control. Below them, the ground was coming at them, spinning around and around. It was nauseating to watch and they turned their heads away. Rudy picked up his magic chalk. He knew he didn't have much time. He didn't even have enough time to explain what his plan was.

Despite the spinning and despite the lines being all wobbly, Rudy managed to draw three parachutes. He tossed one to Penny and the other to Snap. They put them on the best they could despite the shaking of the hover car. Rudy went over to one of the doors and tried to push it open. He realized that it was going to be impossible so long as the thing had its wings wrapped around the hovercar like it was giving the biggest bear hug in the world. So intead, he opted to draw a hole in the bottom of the car, large enough for him and his friends to slip through.

Out they jumped, screaming as they fell much further from the hovercar due to gravity. They activated their parachutes and were yanked up by the force a bit. Then they relaxed, gripping on the straps of the parachute as they looked over at what had attacked them.

Just a few feet from them, maybe five feet, was their hovercar, and hugging it practically was a large flying reptile. Some kind of pterodactyl or something. It was about the same size as the one he and Snap were riding on the same day that Reggie had gotten into ChalkZone. This one looked more vicious and detailed than the one he and Snap rode on, though. And as it dive bombed with their ship, they could feel the rush of air hit against them, an indication of just how fast it was going.

Then, seconds later, the beast let go of their ship and it crumbled into pieces on the ground. The trio's eyes widened in horror as bits of metal flew everywhere, pillows of smoke coming out. A little bit of fire was ignited, giving the broken up ship a bit of an orange glow. The large pterodactyl squawked loudly at it before going onto the ground not far from where they were floating down. The trio looked at the pterodactyl in fear as it raised its head up to look at them. It let out a menacing squawk with its long, toothless beak. And as they set foot on the ground, the pterodactyl pawed the ground. Standing on all fours, it began to move towards them at a swift pace.

"Hold it!"

The pterodactyl stopped and shifted its head over. Running in from behind was Mint. He was riding on the back of Ripclaw. The dinosaur stopped about a foot away, shaking her head. Mint pointed at the pterodactyl with what best could be described as a scolding finger.

"I told you to put them on the ground, not smash them!" Mint said, his eyes narrowed. The pterodactyl lowered its head, looking ashamed of what it did. Mint gestured for the flying reptile to leave. "Go with Skrawl. He might need your help with something."

With that, the pterodactyl took off. It pushed itself off the ground and spread its wings. Letting out a few screeches, it rose high into the air. And soon it disappeared into the horizon. Mint watched it fly away. The same disappointed look was on his face. A hint of anger too. He let out a soft sigh and he looked back at the trio.

"Sorry about that. I didn't expect him to drive bomb you guys like that." Mint said. Then he smiled. But this smile was not a friendly one. It was a challenging one. He got off from Ripclaw and walked a couple steps in front of her, his arms folded. "Still, the ambush was a success, wouldn't you say?"

Rudy growled at this. So that's what happened. That was why Skrawl left when he did. It was because the planned confrontation wasn't over there, where he stole the crown from. It was back here, about forty feet away or more. It was here that they had planned an ambush, and they had walked right into that trap. Rudy wondered if Mint had any idea what he came close to doing. If he hadn't thought of a way for them to get out, they would all have been killed. Did Mint really care that he almost killed three people? Considering that he didn't have any qualms with shooting Snap for no reason...chances are no...

Rudy glared at the clearly deranged and psychotic kid. The way he was smiling at them like that. The way he shrugged off their near death like it was nothing. The way he acted like he could do anything here without consequence...it made his blood boil. And the way he almost killed Snap yesterday... He was not going to give him that chance again. He was going to teach him a lesson about what happens when he messes with his friends.

Mint's eyes practically sparkled, widened a bit, as he looked over at Rudy. His smile broaded, his teeth a tad bit exposed. "Ahh...I remember now! You and me, another round." He said. He stared at Rudy for a few seconds, noting his glare. "I take it you're still upset with me."

"You hurt Snap..." Rudy growled under his breath. Penny and Snap also glared at the kid.

"Oh? Do I hear an echo?" Mint said, cupping a hand to his ear. "I believe that's what you said to me before I left the other day. Well I heard you that time. No need to repeat." Mint put his hands behind his back, holding them like that. Then he began to walk around the trio in a broad circle, looking like he was judging them. "Besides, I don't know why you care about that thing so much..." Rudy, Penny, and Snap gritted their teeth at this. Mint just smiled at them. "He's not even real."

At this, Rudy's body started to shake from anger. He growled as he glared in the boy's direction. How dare he say such a thing... How dare he refer to Snap as a thing, like he was just a piece of paper or rock that he just found laying on the ground... This kid...the way he discards zoners like they were worthless... That was truly disgusting.

"He's just as real as we are!" Penny said, taking a step towards Mint. She jabbed a finger in his direction. "And he's just as alive! He's not a 'thing'!"

"I'm not real?" Snap asked, his eyes narrowing. He brought up his fists, like he was preparing to fight whatever the kid was going to draw. "Why don't you come over here and see how 'not real' I really am!"

At this, Mint turned his attention to Snap. He stopped walking and instead just stood there. His eyes bored into Snap's. They maintained eye contact for several seconds. Then Mint's smile turned into a grin. He pulled out his magic chalk, the end sparkling almost menacingly. Snap took a step back, glaring at him. Rudy and Penny positioned themselves closer to Snap, pulling out their magic chalk in preparation for a fight.

"You know, that isn't such a bad idea." Mint said. He ignored Rudy and Penny. His gaze was solely on Snap. "Everything here seems to be so...realistic. I wonder just how far it goes. And since my attempt yesterday to neutralize you was a failure..." Snap's eyes widened in horror-filled realization. Mint raised his chalk wielding hand up. "Maybe I will have better luck today..."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Rudy shouted at him. His friends looked shocked by what he said. And Rudy had to admit to himself, he didn't expect to curse like that. But he couldn't help it. This deranged kid was talking about murdering his best friend. He took a step forward, readying his magic chalk. "If you want to get to him, you have to face me first!"

"And me too!" Penny said. In one hand, she held a piece of magic chalk. The other hand was placed protectively in front of Snap. The blue zoner moved closer behind her back, placing his hands on her shoulder and glaring at Mint from behind her. His expression was intermixed with fear. "Face it, Mint. You're outnumbered! Two creators against one! How do you think you will beat us this time?"

Mint's eyes widened a little at this and he took a step back. At first, it seemed like what Penny said got through to him. Rudy thought that maybe they didn't have to fight the kid and maybe he would surrender. The boy must have realized Penny had a good point. With two creators against him, it would be hard for him to win this 'round' as he puts it. Surely, the kid would realize that, as an amateur in ChalkZone, it would suit him better to back down than to fight against two creators who were more experienced than him at using the magic chalk.

But this turned out not to be the case. If Mint's expression had hinted even just a tiny bit of fear or uncertainty, it was gone now. He had shifted his body so he could look over at the destruction behind him. He let out a soft chuckle before turning his head back to the trio. The same grin from before appeared on his face. He readied his magic chalk. Rudy felt his heart beat a little faster. Just what did this kid have in mind? He didn't like that look he was giving them...

"Perhaps I should even the odds a little." Mint said. He raised his magic chalk and, to the trio's horror, began to create something.

The lines came quickly. Curves and sharp edges mixing together. Soon it was taking shape. Something large and menacing...

"I admit, I am not as varied of an artist as you, Rudy." Mint said. He continued to draw, moving his head swiftly through the air. "But I'll have to make due, won't I?"

Then Mint was finished. Standing in front of him was a massive dinosaur. The trio's eyes widened in horror. They were cast in the beast's shadow. They took several steps back, their eyes wide in shock. The dinosaur was a tyrannosaurus. The beast looked down at them and let out a roar. Its dark brown body with a beige underside was cast mostly in shadow, its body blocking the light of the chalk sun. This made it look even scarier and more threatening.

Mint looked up at his drawing. He looked pleased at what he had created. He patted the side of the tyrannosaurus's leg, getting its attention. The dinosaur stared at him with its bright yellow eyes, like a dog waiting for a command. Mint smiled at the tyrannosaurus and flicked his head to the side, right towards the ruins of the Mondo Desert City. Taking that as a cue, the tyrannosaurus turned around and began to storm towards the city, letting out a loud roar. The ground shook with each step it made.

"Oh caloy!" Snap said, horror etched on his face. "That dinosaur is going to eat everyone!"

Penny put a hand to her mouth, disbelief in her eyes. "They won't be able to fight it off... It's not going to be like fighting Skrawl..."

Rudy couldn't believe what Mint just did. Hadn't those people suffered enough? Didn't enough of them get injured already? Did he really need to send a bloodthirsty dinosaur after them too? He watched the dinosaur rush over to the ruined city, his eyes wide in disbelief and horror. Then he whipped his head, giving Mint the harshest glare he could muster.

"How could you...?" Rudy asked, his teeth clenched. "That was low..."

Mint just shrugged his shoulders. "Fighting dirty. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Me...if it suits my needs, I'll do it." He folded his arms against his chest. His eyes brightened a tad. "Well then, I imagine that one of you has to go and stop the dinosaur." His focus was on Rudy and Penny. "This is sort of like one of those moral choices...which do you go after, the current threat demolishing the place, or the one that unleashed the threat? You decide."

Rudy glared at Mint. He then turned to Penny and Snap. "You two! Go after the tyrannosaurus and keep it away from the citizens! Find a way to stop it!"

"What about you, Bucko?" Snap asked.

Rudy turned his gaze back towards Mint. "I am going to take care of this kid..."

Penny and Snap looked at each other worriedly. It was clear that they weren't sure if they wanted to leave him behind. And he could understand why. Facing off against another creator was risky. Alone, if Rudy was neutralized, his magic chalk taken from him, he would not be able to defend himself should Mint decide to attack him more.

But he also knew that the tyrannosaurus had to be stopped. They couldn't all go; Mint might just throw something else at them. One of them had to stay behind and distract Mint while the huge predatory dinosaur was stopped. And he still had a bone to pick with this kid.

"Just be careful, Rudy." Penny said softly. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Snap and I will be back as soon as we can to provide back up, okay?"

"Yeah! We won't take long!" Snap said, his smile shining of confidence.

Rudy smiled at his friends. He watched as they took off towards the tyrannosaurus. Penny had already whipped out her magic chalk and started to draw something. He didn't keep his gaze to see what it was. He turned his focus back on Mint. He could hear Ripclaw's low growls, but she made no move. He figured that Mint trained her and didn't want her to interfere in their duel.

Both boys had their magic chalk out. They each held it in their drawing hands. Rudy's right and Mint's left. They began to circle each other, not taking their eyes off of the other. Both boys took a defensive stance, preparing for whatever the other was going to dish out.

Mint grinned, smiling evilly at Rudy as the two boys paced around each other. There was a glint in his eye. Rudy knew he was up to something. A thought must have crossed the boy's mind. Rudy tensed up, preparing himself for whatever was going to happen. He readied his magic chalk, determined to defend himself and stop Mint.

Then Mint began to draw. His left hand moved swiftly through the air. And in seconds, a large, frilled dinosaur stood there. A blue triceratops, and it didn't look happy to see him. Snorting loudly, it pawed the ground and it charged right for him. Rudy jumped out of the way in time. He drew a new pair of his rocket boots and he took off into the air just as the triceratops tried to ram him again. The triceratops just barely missed him. It raised its head and let out a frustrated bellow. It turned around and charged at him again.

Rudy managed to get out of the way again, but just barely. He felt the horns barely graze against him. He winced slightly at the mild pain. Luckily, the sharp horn only left a scrape thanks to getting out of the way in time. He brought out his magic chalk and began to fly around the triceratops. The beast snapped its jaws at him when he got too close. Once in a while, it would fling its head, trying to drive its horns into him. Rudy began to draw with his magic chalk, flying close to and around the dinosaur's head. He barely avoided getting hit.

When Rudy was finished drawing, he held out a long piece of rope. He flew even closer to the dinosau'rs head. Again and again, it tried to slash him with its horns or bite him with its razor sharp beak. Rudy was hit by the side of a horn, but he managed to stay in the air. He flew around the head, wrapping the rope around both of the dinosaur's long pointed horns. Then, when he was satisfied he drew enough, he flew towards the back. He sat on the shoulders of the dinosaur and pulled the rope tightly.

The dinosaur's eyes widened and it stopped. It reared onto its hind legs for a moment and bellowed in frustration. Then it stopped and pawed at the ground. Gaining control of the dinosaur, Rudy had it turn towards Mint. But rather than have it charge at Mint, Rudy instead pulled back on the rope, making the dinosaur move backwards a little. As much as he was starting to hate Mint, he did not want to hurt him.

"Impressive." Mint said. "Too bad it's not good enough..." His eyes narrowed deeply. He raised his hand and snapped his finger.

Rudy let out a scream as the triceratops suddenly reared onto its hind legs again and began to twist its head around. Rudy was flung into the air. He held onto the rope. The triceratops swung its head, causing Rudy to be swung around and around. Eventually, Rudy could not let go and he was flung against the wall. He let out a scream as his back slammed into the rock face, and he slowly slid down.

He opened his eyes just in time for the triceratops to smash its head into the ground. Its horn sliced against his shirt, at the shoulder, and kept him pinned against the wall. Rudy slammed his fist against the dinosaur's head, trying to make it budge. It didn't work. He glared in Mint's direction.

Mint smirked at him. "Gaining control of a wild animal takes more than just simply roping them. And since my creations are loyal to me...well..." Mint took a few steps towards him. "You never stood a chance with that plan of yours."

Rudy snarled at this.

"Oh! I forgot one more thing." Mint said. He took out his laser pistol and aimed it at Rudy. "I can't have you winning this round."

Rudy's eyes widened and he struggled frantically to get free. He punched the triceratops's head over and over. But it would not move. It pushed harder, pinning him further against the wall. Mint pulled the trigger. Rudy shut his eyes and looked away. He was surprised when the laser did not hit him, but rather his rocket boots. He winced as, just like before, some of the heat still hit his foot, and again it was his left that suffered this. He watched as his boots fell apart. As he stared at the remnants, he started to feel stupid. Why hadn't he thought of using the boots to get out of the dinosaur's grasp?

Oh well, it was just a minor set back. He could still draw something to defend himself with. He raised his magic chalk. He glared at Mint for a second before he turned his attention to the dinosaur. He had an idea of what he could draw to get this dinosaur away from him. But he realized, too late, he was not going to get that chance.

His only warning were loud footfalls and a loud, growly screech. Rudy's eyes widened as he felt a set of toothy jaws snap shut near his head. He felt hot breath against his skin. He looked over and he paled when he saw Ripclaw's head that close to his. Her eyes glared down at him and her lips were curled back into a snarl. In her jaws, she had snagged his magic chalk. His eyes widened and he tried to pull it back. It was too late and Ripclaw took the magic chalk from him and backed off a few feet.

Rudy looked on in horror. He realized, as his gut started to twist, that he was defenseless again. He looked over at Mint. His eyes slowly widened in fear, knowing that Mint still had his magic chalk and he could do away with him if he wanted to. He watched as Mint started to approach him, that evil smile still on his face. Rudy tried to struggle to get free. He tried to rip that part of his shirt so he could get away. But he was not able to.

Mint stood by him. He stared at him in the eyes. Rudy growled at him, warily eyeing his magic chalk. Why wasn't he using it? He has the perfect chance. But instead, Mint was just staring at him, smirking at him. Then the Enemy Creator lowered himself to the ground, holding himself up on his knee. He reached over and seized Rudy by his chin. He lifted it up and stared at him like he was examining some object.

"You know, you're not as tough as I thought you would be." Mint said, his voice hinting some level of disappointment. "Oh well. Perhaps it was wrong of me to overestimate you."

Rudy growled at this and he tried to grab Mint. The boy, however, had moved back away before he got that chance. He turned around and walked away. Rudy watched him, his eyes narrowed angrily. "What are you waiting for?" Rudy struggled. "Let's continue our duel!"

"Hmm..no..." Mint waved his hand. The triceratops released Rudy, letting him fall to the ground. Ripclaw returned to Mint's side. "Playtime is over. I won." He climbed onto Ripclaw's back. He grabbed Rudy's magic chalk from her jaws. He smiled at it and looked back at Rudy. "Second time I was able to take your weapon. I do hope you get better next time, Rudy."

With that, Mint was gone, riding on the back of Ripclaw as he raced through the desert. The triceratops, no longer commandeered by Mint, just turned and walked away, showing no more interest in fighting him. Rudy watched them leave, the events slowly sinking in.

Rudy couldn't believe it. He had..he had failed again... He went up against Mint a second time. He had been prepared, or so he thought. He had believed he was ready to face him. But Mint won again. He had managed to quickly subdue him, taking away his magic chalk again. Rudy kicked himself mentally for that. He should have been more vigilant. He should have been more resistant. He could have turned the fight around if he had just been more careful and aware of his surroundings.

He climbed up to his feet, brushing himself off. He winced when he stepped on his left foot. It was a little more painful now than it was before the fight. He looked over in the direction Penny and Snap had run off to. His feelings of guilt of losing to Mint had slowly given into feelings of concern. He hoped that Penny and Snap were okay. If the tyrannosaurus took Penny's magic chalk...

Rudy began to walk towards Mondo Desert City. As he made his way over, a cold realization swept over him, causing him to shiver.

Skrawl had gotten a second artifact.


	9. Alteration

"Rudy, you are being ridiculous!" Penny said, trying to reason with her friend. "You tried all you could! Don't blame yourself for it!"

Snap couldn't agree more. "Yeah, Bucko! At least you gave it your best shot! No one can fault you for that."

But their words weren't getting through to Rudy. Penny watched, her heart aching, as Rudy had his head low. His hands gripped his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. He had a look of pain, but she knew it wasn't physical, but emotional. He had been this way ever since they got back from Mondo Desert City. And despite their attempts to cheer him up, nothing seemed to work.

Rudy said in a frantic voice, "But I should have been able to do something! I should have been able to stop him! I lost again! I failed again!" He took in a few quick breaths. When he looked up, Penny and Snap moved their heads back swiftly in surprise. The way he was looking at them...those eyes, wild and wide, they could see the panic, fear, and sadness all rolled into one, making the gaze uncomfortable to look at. "And now, because of me..." Rudy's voice was softer now, more relaxed. Yet it still had that tinge of urgency in it. "...Skrawl has yet another artifact."

Penny bit her lip. She understood why Rudy was so upset. Despite how irrational she thought it was for him to beat himself up over this, she knew why he was doing it. He was the protector of ChalkZone and he wanted to do whatever he could to keep it safe. He had always managed to do so in the past, regardless of the difficulty. And he wanted to do the same here, yet he was unable to. He was unable to stop the crown from being stolen and he was not able to prevent Skrawl from attacking Mondo Desert City a third time. And now the place was in shambles. She could see how that would hit Rudy so hard.

She really did think he did all he could. He went up against Mint and at least tried to do something. He didn't turn and run away. Despite being beaten so quickly, she did admire that he did at least try to stand up to him. Mint was a threat and if Rudy hadn't tried to fight against him, he might have done more damage to Mondo Desert City. And just because he lost a second time doesn't mean he'll keep losing against Mint. She was confident that, eventually, he would get back to fight back and hold his own against the kid.

She and Snap did not blame him for not being able to stop Skrawl. How could they? None of them wanted this to happen, and they all did what they could. For now, Skrawl has the upperhand due to having a creator by his side. But they could still turn the tides in their favor. Mint was still just one creator. They just needed to be more vigilante, try to force him on a two on one battle so they could more easily subdue him. They would just have to make the first move quickly before he had a chance to draw another...distraction...like he had on them before.

That tyrannosaurus... Penny shuddered at the memory of it. It was difficult to stop and she was amazed she was able to do it. It was so big and so ferocious.. In some ways it reminded her of the gola monster she and Snap were trapped in once. But unlike the gola monster, which turned out to be ticklish, the tyrannosaurus did not have such a weakness, and it was faster than the gola monster. And those bone crushing jaws... It was a nightmare to behold.

She and Snap, using the scooter she had drawn, had caught up with the beast as it entered the remains of Mondo Desert City. She had been glad that the citizens had all taken cover by now. But she knew they wouldn't be safe for long. The dinosaur had raised its head in the air and started to sniff them out. Then it went over to a piece of fallen building and started to push against it. Its massive head slammed again and again on the debris, pushing it a little. And when it moved enough, Penny could hear screams for help. There were citizens hiding there.

The two of them knew they had to act first. If they didn't stop the dinosaur soon, it was going to break down that building piece and get that the frightened mondonians. Penny looked around, trying to find something they could use to stop the tyrannosaurus. Then she saw something that might be helpful. Two pillars that were close to each other. Simple...crude...but it just might work.

Taking out her magic chalk, she began to draw. A long piece of thick rope and a large piece of meat. She gestured for Snap to come with her. The two of them managed to lure the tyrannosaurus away from the mondonians. As soon as it had caught a whiff of the meat Penny had drawn, it lost interest. Licking its chops, it chased after them. With it so large, it would catch up to them soon enough. Penny kept holding the meat, waving it, ensuring that the tyrannosaurus could see it at all times. If the tyrannosaurus turned around...

Soon she and Snap had taken positions on either side of the pillars. They had only mere seconds to make this work. Penny tossed the meat into the ground, far enough way that the tyrannosaurus would need to walk much further to get it. Then, as the tyrannosaurus make that one crucial step, she and Snap pulled hard. The rope tightened and pressed against the tyrannosaurus's feet. The force was enough to make the tyrannosaurus trip a little, but it also flung Penny and Snap with it, due to being such a large zoner.

Penny and Snap screamed as they tumbled across the ground and landed several feet in front of the tyrannosaurus. They were horrified when the beast was still standing. It sniffed the ground and seized the meat in its mouth. It lifted it up and swallowed it in a single gulp. It licked its lips and then looked down at the two. It stared for a moment, and then it started to come after them. Having no choice, the two started to run away, the growling vicious beast closing in behind them.

Penny should have known tripping the beast wasn't going to work that well. She and Snap were too small and light to properly anchor the rope. And she doubted it was going to work a second time. She didn't know how intelligent these beasts are that Mint creates. But they must be intelligent enough to follow orders, so they must be, on some level, aware of what their doing, and not just dumb beasts. If she tried that trick again, the tyrannosaurus might opt to go around or even knock down one of the pillars, which, if she and Snap didn't get out of the way, would have crushed them.

While they were running, Snap had an idea. He said that since the dinosaur initially chased them for the meat, that perhaps they could lead it out that way. Penny couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that and thanked Snap for the suggestion. When the tyrannosaurus got even closer, she slowed it down a little by drawing another piece of meat, smaller this time. She and Snap put some distance between it and them and she started to draw a bike. Not a very detailed one, but it would do, and it did help them move faster than the dinosaur.

Snap took to the front and started to peddle. He narrowed his eyes as he turned the back around and headed back towards the tyrannosaurus. He rode between its legs and headed off in the direction they came. The tyrannosaurus let out a frustrated roar and began to chase them. Penny tried a large steak with a hook in it attached to long, thick rope. She let out some of it so that the meat was dragged on the ground. She pulled it back a little whenever the tyrannosaurus was getting too close. She had no idea if this was going to work and she knew it was crazy. But they had to do something.

This went on for a few minutes. Snap peddled as hard as he could. Penny had one harm looped around him for support. The other arm was at her side, her body twisted a little so she could look behind her. Her free hand held onto the rope, dragging the large chunk of meat a couple feet beind the bike.

And the tyrannosaurus... It was not far behind them. Just a couple feet behind the meat, and it was gaining distance. Its feet pounded the ground, sending vibrations through it each time. It looked very angry that it couldn't get the meat. It was snapping its jaws wildly in the air in frustration. Drool flew everywhere. It really wanted to sink its teeth into something. Penny was relieved that it was the meat the tyrannosaurus wanted; its eyes were locked solely on it.

Soon, they did manage to get the tyrannosaurus out of Mondo Desert City. They released the meat and stopped the car. Penny rushed over as the tyrannosaurus was busy eating the meat. She drew several more pieces to keep it busy for a little while. Though not as skilled as Rudy, she managed to draw her own rocket shoes. They didn't work as well, but they would serve their function just fine.

As the dinosaur ate the meat, she flew around, dragging her magic chalk with her. In a matter of seconds, she managed to draw a large, reinforced cage around the dinosaur. She made sure to include bars that were thick enough to resist being torn apart. The bars went vertical and horizontal, giving it even more strength. When the tyrannosaurus stopped eating, it let out a roar when it realized it was trapped and started to bang against the bars. She and Snap flinched, expecting it to break out. Fortunately, it wasn't able to.

She wasn't sure what they were going to do with the dinosaur. Snap suggested that maybe Jager would want it. A repayment for them losing three of his mguus. Penny wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but seeing as she couldn't think of an idea herself, she agreed that they could talk to Jager about the tyrannosaurus. Maybe he could tame it or something.

She lowered herself to the ground. It was a little difficult as she wasn't used to rocket shoes. She wondered how Rudy could use these so well. She ended up crashing on the ground, having no idea how to land properly. Snap managed to get the rocket shoes off of her. Penny realized too late that she had no idea how to turn them off. So as soon as Snap let go, the two of them had to move out of the way as the rocket shoes took off across the ground, leaving behind a trail of smoke.

Rudy had arrived not long after that. Penny and Snap knew something was wrong when Rudy looked forelorn. And when they learned that he not only lost the fight a second time and so quickly, but his magic chalk had been taken from him again.

It was really worrisome to them that Mint managed to do this so easily. And he hadn't even been in ChalkZone that long. If he could defeat Rudy that easily despite having just started to fight, what was he going to be like when he gets more experience? The thought sent shudders down their spine. He was going to be very hard to deal with. They had known things would be harder with another creator, but so far, things were shaping up worse than they thought.

It saddened Penny and Snap to see their friend beat himself up over this. Ever since they reunited with him in the Mondo Desert City, he had blamed himself for what happened. Even after they repaired as much damage as they could, even after apologizing to the mondonians for failing them, even after the mondonians clearly showed no hard feelings and were just happy to have at least some of their city rebuilt, Rudy still kicked himself, angry that he wasn't able to stop the third attack, that he couldn't stop Mint or Skrawl.

"I'm..sure you will get him next time." Penny said, trying to sound hopeful. Rudy looked at her. "We've only encountered him twice, Rudy. There's still a chance we can beat him. We just have to stay positive about this."

"Buckette's right, Rudy." Snap said. He put a hand on Rudy's shoulder. "You shouldn't blame yourself for losing. We can't win all the fights. But we can keep trying to win the battle."

"Yeah..I know..." Rudy said. His voice was low and soft. It was clear he was still upset with himself for losing to Mint and Skrawl a second time. "But with whatever Skrawl wants to do with those items...with whatever Mint plans on doing with ChalkZone...I can't afford to lose..." Rudy looked at them, his eyes filled with sorrow. "You...you know how Skrawl is... You saw what Mint is capable of... If I keep losing, how many more lives will be affected? How many will die all because I couldn't stop them?"

It was then Penny noticed the tears in Rudy's eyes. He..he had been crying. She hadn't noticed until now. He hid it so well. Biting her lip with concern, Penny reached over and put a hand on the opposite shoulder Snap was holding. She squeezed it gently, looking at Rudy in the eyes.

"Rudy, don't cry. It will be okay.." Penny said gently.

"Yeah. We'll stop them." Snap said. "I don't know how, but we'll stop them."

Rudy sniffled a little. Then he started to smile. He looked at his two friends and said gratefully, "Thanks you guys." He wiped away a tear. "I guess it is pretty silly of me to keep thinking of what I could do different than working on an actual solution, eh?"

Penny smiled back. She was glad that Rudy seemed to be finally coming to his senses. He seemed to be realizing that now was not the time for him to beat himself up over something that wasn't his fault. He had tried his best to beat Mint and while he failed, the fact that he tried is what mattered. And now that he was coming to his senses, maybe now they could discuss what course of action to take. They needed to find someway to stop Mint and Skrawl from continuing their rampage across ChalkZone. Doing that was what was important, not who was at the most fault.

The smile from Rudy's face soon disappeared. It was quickly replaced with a frown. He tightened his hands around his knees, gripping them hard. After a few moments, Rudy got up from Snap's couch. He walked forward a little. He moved towards the window and looked outside. He stared into the horizon, then he turned around and faced his friends. The same glare never left his face.

"We have to make sure they don't get another artifact." Rudy said. The determination he had lost before had returned, this time a little stronger. He formed a fist with one hand. "And I think the best way to do that is to stop Mint himself." Rudy slammed his fist against his open palm. "Once we do that, then it should be easy stopping Skrawl and getting the stolen artifacts back."

"But how will we do that, Bucko?" Snap said. There was a tinge of fear in his voice. Penny looked at him sympathetically. He was still shaken by the threat of death Mint practically gave to him. "Do you have any plans?"

Rudy's expression faltered slightly. "No I don't."

Not wanting Rudy to lose his determination again, Penny spoke up, raising her hand a little. "I think I have an idea."

Rudy looked at her. "What's your idea, Penny?"

"Well Mint goes to our school, right?" Rudy nodded his head slowly. "Well we can just find him in school and talk with him in private somehow. Maybe in the cafeteria when everyone is too busy to pay attention. We could talk to him, maybe convince him to stop."

Rudy and Snap stared at each other for a moment. They looked back at Penny. It was clear neither of them thought her idea would work. And honestly, Penny wasn't sure if it would work either. But it couldn't hurt to try, could it? It wasn't like Mint could do anything to them while in school. Nothing serious anyway.

"I don't know about that, Penny." Rudy said, clenching his teeth a little.

"Yeah." Snap said. "I don't think he'll stop just because you two ask him to."

"Reggie certainly didn't stop when I told him to." Rudy said solemnly. "He just threw me into the ground with that garbage of his. And this Mint kid... From what I've seen, he would do the same thing, figuratively speaking. He would just brush off any attempt at reasoning."

Penny understood what Rudy was saying. Mint could very well brush off their attempts to speak with him. He might push them away or try to get them in trouble or something. He would probably do whatever it took to get away from them and to ignore any statement they gave him. He could be much like Reggie at his worst, and just be a complete jerk to them.

And the way he treated Snap... That did give them more of a reason to believe he would not listen. He outright threatened to kill Snap, and he had the nerve to do it in their presence. The twisted smile he gave Snap as he readied his magic chalk told them enough. He wanted to kill their friend. And for what? Just for fun? Penny really had no idea why he would do such a thing.

Yet she still thought trying to reason with him would be a good first step to take. He couldn't hurt them in the real world as easily. He couldn't draw up any of his creations and sic the beasts on them. He was just a regular kid like them in the real world, and in school, that reduced his ability to do much to them. They could speak to him during lunchtime or something and try to explain to him why what he was doing was wrong. There was the chance it would not work, but it wouldn't hurt to at least try to talk to the kid. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be in ChalkZone. Maybe he just didn't know any better.

"We should at least try, Rudy." Penny said calmly. "He can't use the magic chalk in the real world. And with all those teachers and students around having lunch, I don't think he'd try anything." She paused for a moment. Then she stared straight at Rudy, her eyes holding determination. "We should try to talk to him, Rudy. He's just a kid like you and me."

Rudy narrowed his eyes a little. "I know he's a kid, but he's nothing like you and me, Penny. He's more like Reggie...a bully... And he might be worse than Reggie was. All he did was cause some chaos in ChalkZone. Mint...he has done worse in the short time he's been here. Trust me, Penny..." Rudy made a swift motion with his hand. "He is nothing like us."

"And what if he doesn't listen?" Snap asked. "What's your plan after that fails?"

"I..I don't know." Penny admitted. She lowered her head slightly. "I really don't know."

Rudy shook his head. "I thought so. You're just as clueless as me about how to handle this."

Penny narrowed her eyes. "We should at least try to talk to him. That is something, isn't it?"

Rudy said nothing.

sss

Skrawl was very pleased with how things were turning out lately. Finally, the tides were turning in his favor. For once, it was Master Tabootie who was fleeing. It was chalk boy who was losing the fight. Recruiting Mint was the best decision he ever made. The boy was performing very well, better than he had expected. And with his help, he managed to secure two artifacts.

He stood in a somewhat large room. The walls were kinda rocky in some places. Others, it was flat and metallic in appearance. The ground was pale blue, with lines decorating it kinda similar to airplane runways. It was pretty dark. There wasn't a whole lot of lighting in here. But Skrawl knew this room well and could navigate it easily, even with the poor lighting.

Along the walls, there were many clear glass tanks. Enough for all but one of the artifacts he found. In one of the tanks was the rod he took from Rainbow Mountain Range. It floated in what looked like bubbling liquid. Wires looped all around the glass tanks, connecting to each other and then running along towards the center. The wires had lights on them. They gave a pale glow, flashing slowly along the wires, giving the appearance that light rings were constantly being pumped towards the center.

A hard platform, looking like a mixture of stone and wood, stood in the center. On the platform floated the crown. Sparkles of light floated from it. A tall glass hooked firmly into the hard surface kept it in place. Skrawl looked at the crown gleefully, his face contorted into a hideous smile. The crown glowed a little, giving off even more light. The rod also glowed, but it wasn't as bright as the crown.

Skrawl was happy that he was able to steal the crown. None of this would have worked without it. He still needed the rest of the artifacts, but the crown...it was the most important piece. The other items would not work without it. The other items, in a way, were powered by the crown. So long as he had it, when he got the other artifacts, no one could stop him.

And to think, he was able to get this far simply by manipulating Mint. The boy thought this whole world was one giant video game. And as long as he believed that, he was going to be easy to control. Unlike Rudy and Penny, Mint had no loyalties to ChalkZone. He had no reason to protect it. Why would he try to protect something he believed was not real?

It amused Skrawl that the boy thought this was all just a game. He laughed to himself whenever the boy started using game-based terms in front of him or towards Rudy and his friends. Yes, the video game lie was working perfectly. The boy believes he is in one giant virtual reality simulation. Skrawl knew quite well how gamers often act more violent in games than in real life, and now he had managed to weaponize that behavioral trait. He managed to take it and use it as a means of gaining the upperhand.

And there was little chance of betrayal. Mint would continue eating information from his hands. He would continue believing him blindly; he had no reason not to. Mint just saw him as an advanced AI, a complex NPC. He believed Skrawl was his guide in this 'game'. And he would keep letting him believe that. So long as Mint continued to believe he was in a game, he was not going to hold back in his creation skills. He would not think twice about destroying a building or creating a weapon of mass destruction.

Mint was his tool. And Skrawl was going to make sure it stayed that way.

Still, he thought it was time for a little..change of plans. He was impressed with how Mint was able to beat Rudy so quickly. But the jellybean knew the boy well and he knew how determined he can be. He would be able to, eventually, push back Mint and be able to stop him from stealing the artifact. Having Mint stop Rudy before he got too close in Mondo Desert City worked well. But how many times would it work?

Instead of using the same tactic until it starts to fail, Skrawl decided it was time to shift things around a little. It was a risk having Mint fight Rudy so close to the artifacts' locations. It increased the odds of Rudy being able to get to him before Mint could stop him. He needed to try something else. The distraction was working, but he needed to..upgrade it a little. Make it so that it ensures Rudy never has time to get to him.

And Skrawl knew exactly how to do that. An evil smile spread across his face. All he had to do was sent Mint to random locations in ChalkZone and attack those areas. Rudy would come to their rescue. Mint would fight him. It would keep Rudy distracted long enough to allow him to steal the next artifact. It was brilliant. It was like how he distracted Rudy when he and Craniac 4 were going to destroy the Chalk Mine. But this time, without that annoying robot around to muddle things up, this brilliant plan was going to work.

He was certain of it.

sss

Snap walked down the street in night zone. The street lights shined, illuminating the area so he could see here he was going. He looked around, seeing all the tall buildings huddled up together, multiple windows indicating many rooms. All of them held zoners. So many zoners...so many people that Mint could end up hurting...

Snap was very worried. He wasn't sure how they were going to deal with this mess. He wasn't sure how they could stop Mint. There must be a way. He wanted to believe there was a way. But getting there...he knew it was going to be very hard. This kid was tougher than Reggie, and that was saying something. Reggie was just a pushover compared to Mint.

Walking down these streets, seeing the buildings he knew had zoners in them, seeing zoners walk down the streets of the night casted city, filled Snap with dread. He knew that any one of these guys could get hurt or killed if Mint was allowed to roam free in ChalkZone. And if Skrawl got all those artifacts..he knew nothing good could come out of it. He knew that they had to keep Skrawl from getting all of the artifacts. They had to get them back...somehow...

And they had to find some way to send Mint packing. He didn't really know what to think of Penny's idea to talk to Mint. Rudy was willing to give it a try, but he could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn't so sure it would work. Snap had his doubts as well. The kid was crazy. He had almost shot him yesterday and he didn't have doubts he would do it again. He didn't seem like the type of person to listen to reason. He was completely out of his mind, and those types of people, well, they were impossible to reason with. But he did admire that his friends were still willing to try anyway.

Snap did not really feel very safe without his friends around. As he walked down the street, he couldn't stop the cold shivers from going up and down his spine. He couldn't stop the constant fear of dread, or him looking around, trying to see if anyone or anything was following him.

It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling. Snap had never had to fear a creator before. Well there was Reggie, but that was short lived. Now there was the Enemy Creator. He had access to ChalkZone at any time, like Rudy and Penny. He could appear whenever he wanted, including times when his friends weren't around. And if he found him... What chance did he stand? He would be at the kid's complete mercy. Oh he could try to fight back, but how long would he last against someone who could create any weapon they wanted to?

For the first time, Snap was downright terrified of a creator. He feared the abilities a creator wields. He fears what they are able to accomplish. The power of a creator scared him now. And all because of some new kid on the block. A kid who had no qualms about shooting him...

Snap tried to shake off the feeling. Mint was nowhere in sight. He likely left to go home. He most likely wouldn't want his parents to find that he was missing. He wasn't a stupid kid. He would know that he had limited time in ChalkZone and reacted accordingly. It didn't shake off all of Snap's fears, but it did help him relax a little bit. And as he reached the steps of his sleeping quarters, his cold feeling had slowly disappeared as he managed to control it.

He slowly opened up the door. He started to walk inside. He stretched his arms a little, letting out a yawn. He was feeling pretty tired. It was really late. He stayed up later than he meant to trying to think of how to deal with Mint and Skrawl. Perhaps some sleep would help him concentrate better. Maybe in the morning, he could figure out a plan for Rudy and Penny should their attempts to speak to Mint fail.

The door closed behind him. Snap was surprised by this. He must have pulled the door a little too hard when he stepped in. He didn't have a chance to turn on the lights yet. He moved his hand along the wall, trying to find the switch. He didn't have time to find it when, suddenly, the room was barel light by some faint orange glow. Snap, for a brief second, was happy because now he could see where the switch was. But soon, it dawned on him...something wasn't right...

"Hello, Snap."

Snap's eyes widened in horror. No..it couldn't be... It was impossible... It couldn't be him...Anyone but him... Cold shivers went down his spine, causing his body to tremble a little. He took in several quick shaky breaths. That voice... He had known it only briefly, but he knew who it was... There was only one person it could be. Shaking, he turned his head around.

There, standing next to the door, a torch sitting down next to him, was Mint. Most of his body was cast in shadow. The fire's glow only illuminated him partially, keeping a lot of dark shadows on him, especially the face. This made him look even more menacing. And that smile...oh man that smile...It froze Snap's blood just looking at it.

Snap tried to scream for help, but Mint moved too quickly. He gripped Snap by his shoulder and pushed him hard against the wall. He raised his laser pistol and pressed it against Snap's face, just below his left eye.

"If you scream for help, I will shoot you." Mint said in a low threatening voice. His eyes narrowed. "Be quiet...Do you understand?"

Trembling, Snap gulped and rapidly nodded his head up and down. His eye were locked on the pistol. His heart pounded against his chest. He stared at it for a few seconds, and then looked back at Mint. The boy smiled at him, moving his face close to his.

Mint pulled the laser pistol away from Snap. He still held it close, his finger still on the trigger. Snap knew that the boy would still pull the trigger if he so desired. His body continued to shake as he stared at Mint. He wanted so much to fight back. He wanted to punch this kid and make a run for it. But he couldn't. And it wasn't just fear holding him back. That pistol could do a lot of damage. And if Mint aimed it as his head or chest...

Snap had to wonder how this kid managed to find him. How did he know to come here? How long had he been following him? How did he do that without being seen? And why was he doing this? Why was he hunting him down like this? What did he ever do to this kid to deserve such treatment? Mint was deliberately targeting him, and for what, Snap did not know.

"You know...it's incredible." Mint said, keeping the frightened Snap pinned against the wall. "This game is so..realistic... I did not expect game sprites like yourself to be programmed with your own 'lives', in the loosest sense of the term. It's incredible."

Game..? Snap's eyes widened in realization. This kid...he thought this was all just a game? Suddenly his behavior was starting to make sense. This revelation did little to comfort him, though. He still had a laser pistol pointed at him. He was still dangerous.

"It's...this is not a game..." Snap tried to say. He let out a whimper when Mint pressed the pistol against his forehead to silence him. He gulped and bit his lip, staring at Mint with wide, frightened eyes. "P-Please don't...can't we talk about this..?"

"Shut up." Mint said, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't come to talk to you. I came...to prove a point." Snap looked at him, confused. Mint smiled evilly at this. "Rudy and Penny seem so fond of you. I don't know why... You're just a game sprite. Not real. Regardless, they do care about you...and I guess they would be very upset if something happened to you..."

Snap whimpered when he saw the glint in Mint's eyes. He was going to do something to him...

"So perhaps I should deliver to them a message. Perhaps I should show them that I am still able to enter this game without them... That I could do things while they are gone..." Mint said. He looked at Snap up and down. His eyes were glowing with intent, and Snap could tell it was nothing good. He shuddered as Mint pulled the pistol away enough so Snap could get a nice long look at it. "It would be so easily shooting you..."

Snap looked at Mint fearfully. Tears streamed down his face. He shook his head in protest, staring at the boy pleadingly. He silently begged him not to hurt him. He tried to move back, but Mint only pressed himself closer to Snap, blocking anyway for him to escape.

Mint pulled his pistol back, much to Snap's relief. The boy examined the gun, his eyes focused on the barrel. He turned his head to Snap. "But where would the sport in that be? It'll be too easy finishing you off... It would be no fun..." He paused for a moment. "I would rather try my luck at you when you are with your friends. It would be more entertaining that way."

Although Snap knew that Mint just thought he was playing a game, his behavior was still downright frightening and sinister. The knowledge didn't make him feel safer. In fact, it made him more afraid. Because this kid thought this was a game, he was not going to hold back... Because he thought that there would be no consequences in anything he does to ChalkZone or zoners, there was no telling what he would do.

He continued to stare at Mint in fright. He had no idea what he was going to do to him. He was relieved that Mint was not going to shoot him. But...what did he mean by 'proving a point'? What was he going to do instead? Was he going to injure him? Was he going to have him captured? His body trembled at the fear of what might happen to him. He let out low whimpers, continuing to cry as he stared at Mint, pleading with him without words to let him go. His heart continued to beat quickly.

"I want to do something to get it in your friends' heads that I can come after you when they're not around." Mint said, smiling nastily at Snap. "Maybe that would encourage them to be...a little smarter. Maybe they will play harder at this game and they will be more of a challenge..."

Mint released Snap and took a few steps back. Snap looked at him warily, his body arched in self defense, prepared to run or fight if need be. Snap started to move away from him, down the halls. Mint narrowed his eyes and pointed his pistol at him. The sight of him caused Snap to freeze where he stood.

"Get on your knees."

Snap stared at Mint, his eyes widening in fear. He hesitated, his body shaking harder.

"Get down now!" Mint snarled, his pupils dilating a little.

Crying harder, Snap did as he was told. He dropped onto his knees. He looked over as he saw Mint begin to draw. His eyes widened in fear, wondering what he was going to do with him. Then Mint started to walk over towards him. Snap felt Mint's presence behind him and his body shook harder.

Mint grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. He felt something cold press against his hand. And then a click. Mint had cuffed his hands behind his back securely. Snap struggled a little, but he knew it wasn't going to work. The cuffs were pretty tight, pressing into his skin. He had a feeling that, if it wasn't cutting off circulation, it would pretty soon.

"I am impressed with how dynamic and realistic the reactions are here." Mint said. He took out a cloth. "You're one advanced piece of programming, Snap. I had no idea technology came this far."

Snap felt the cloth press against his face. Before he knew it, Mint had gagged him with the cloth. He tied the cloth behind his back tightly. Snap winced as the gag caused his teeth to press into his lip painfully. Then he felt Mint grab his cape and pull him off the ground. He pointed the laser pistol towards his face again.

"Take me to your bedroom."

Having no choice, Snap showed Mint the way to his bedroom. Mint kept a grip on him to keep him from trying to make a break for it. Faster than Snap would have wanted, they reached his bedroom. Mint pulled on Snap harder, almost causing him to trip over his feet. Mint dragged him all the weay to his bed. Once he got there, he pushed Snap into the ground and knelt down beside him.

Mint drew some rope. He then wrapped the rope around his cuffed hands. He tied the other end to the bed post as tight as he could, giving little leeway for Snap to move around. He then moved back away from Snap. His laser pistol was back in its holster. He put his hands on his hips and smiled down at Snap.

"Yes, this will do nicely. Once your friends find you like this, I trust that they will have the response I want..." Mint's eyes brightened. "I want Rudy to try his hardest against me. I want a challenge in this game." Mint turned around and began walking away. "I trust they will find you. I imagine this would be one of the first places they will look." He waved his hand dismissivley. "Goodnight, Snap. I will see you tomorrow."

With that, Mint left the room, shutting the door behind him.

All alone, Snap started to sob, tears flowing down his face. He couldn't get free. And no one knew what happened. No one was witness to this. He had to wait until Rudy and Penny find him. He..he wished they were here now..He was scared...so very scared... Mint..he was crazier than he thought.

Fear and dread tightened in his heart, making it ache. He felt so scared he wanted to throw up. His body wouldn't stop trembling, despite it being pretty warm in his bedroom. As he thought about what could have happened to him, about what almost happened to him, the tears just flowed faster, muffled whimpers escaping his throat.

As Snap tried to go to sleep in this position, he began to wonder something. How were they going to stop someone who was completely convinced they were interacting with a video game world? How were they going to stop Mint...?


	10. Game

Rudy paced around his room. He was waiting for Penny to come over. They had heard on the news that their school got a 2 hour delay. He didn't remember all the details. Something about how they had to a little wiring fixing and they thought it was best to delay the school instead of closing it completely or having students run underneath the workers as they did their duty. The news came as a surprise to Rudy. Usually their school was delayed for weather reasons. This was the first time it was delayed due to some construction work they wanted to do.

At least it gave them some extra time to be in ChalkZone. He had spoke to Penny over the phone and they managed to convince Mrs. Sanchez to let Penny come over to do some extra work for school. Mrs. Sanchez was going to be there soon with Penny, a few minutes perhaps. When she got there, he and her were going to go into ChalkZone and speak to Snap about the plan. He also wondered if his friend had come up with any plans himself, something they could fall back on in case Penny's idea did not work.

And there was a good chance it would fail. Rudy wasn't convinced that he would be the type of guy to just sit down and listen to reason. He had been a real nutjob so far, and he had shown he isn't afraid to kill. He almost took Snap's life... He had threatened to kill Snap right in front of them...

Rudy gritted his teeth at the memory. The way the kid was so casual about it... Rudy wasn't sure if talking to him would work. He felt that being more forceful was the way to go. He wasn't advocating hurting the kid, but they needed some way to force him out. Simply talking to him, he felt, just wouldn't work. The kid had threatened to kill their friend and acted so casual about it, and he had disregarded the lives of zoners as meaningless. He didn't believe that simply asking him to stop would work. If he really felt that zoners were worthless...if he felt there was no problem with him hurting them...how could a simple request make him stop at all?

But there was a small part of him that hoped that Penny's plan would work. He had hopes that maybe it would be that simple, that maybe all they really did have to do was ask. It was wishful thinking. Rudy knew that it would take a miracle for it to work. But it wouldn't hurt to try and it certainly wouldn't hurt to be hopeful that it would work. The worst the kid could do to them in school was say no, right? It wasn't like he could really do much of anything to them there.

He was grateful for the extra two hours. He really did hope that Snap came up with some other plan. Rudy himself couldn't think of any at the moment. He was drawing a blank. He was hopeful that Snap had better luck. He was pretty good at coming up with plans when the time called for it. He was confident that Snap thought of something overnight.

He hoped that his friend was able to get some sleep last night. He knew how shaken up Snap had been when Mint tried to shoot him and later threatened him. He could tell, just by looking at him, how much that had affected him. He wondered if his friend was going to have nightmares. He was certain of it. He could only hope that it didn't affect his sleep too much. He would feel so bad for Snap if he wasn't able to sleep because of his fears regarding Mint. If that had happened, Rudy would try to do something to help him feel safer, perhaps offer to let him stay at his or Penny's place.

That was another good thing about this two hour delay. If Snap had been tormented by nightmares, then he didn't have to wait long to be comforted by him and Penny. They would visit him early in the morning instead of having to wait until the afternoon to be able to get in. If Snap had nightmares, he would definitely feel better seeing his friends and talking to them about it. Then they could comfort him and tell him that the nightmares did not happen and that everything was okay.

Well...almost okay. There was still the fact that Mint was loose in ChalkZone, potentially causing damage all for Skrawl, who was looking for these artifacts that...well he didn't know what they did. But if Skrawl really wanted to get his hands on them, it had to be something terrible, something Skrawl could use to, perhaps, take over ChalkZone. They still needed to find a way to get Mint out of ChalkZone, which would greatly weaken Skrawl. Despite Skrawl being the one in charge, it was Mint who had turned the tides for him; get rid of Mint and Skrawl loses his hold over them.

Rudy hoped that he would do better against Mint next time. He was still upset that he lost a second time against Mint. He had been more prepared the second time around, and yet the boy still managed to take his magic chalk from him. He had, like the first time, rendered him helpless, unable to fight back well. And knowing that he could keep losing to his kid...It was something he didn't want to think about.

Sure, winning wasn't everything. And had this been something pretty unimportant, such as a sport, then Rudy wouldn't be as upset. But this so-called 'sport' he was playing...not only was it serious, but it involved real lives. He couldn't afford to keep losing to Mint. Every time he lost, ChalkZone paid the price in some shape or form. Every time he was not able to beat Mint, Skrawl would get another artifact and be closer to ruling ChalkZone or whatever he planned on doing with it. Whenever he wasn't close enough to fight off Mint or Skrawl, zoners were getting hurt.

This was anything but a game. This was reality, with lives on the line. He could not afford to keep losing. He couldn't afford to let Skrawl and Mint get away with what they're doing. He had to do whatever it took to get the upperhand. Even if it meant playing dirty... He needed a way to stop Mint for good. He was the biggest threat right now; Skrawl would be easy to take care of once Mint was out of the picture. He just hoped that, by the time they are able to stop Mint, that the damage to ChalkZone isn't irreversable.

Rudy heard the door open up. He turned his head and he could see Penny walking into his room. She shut the door behind her. She walked over to him. She seemed to catch that he was feeling apprehensive about the plan. She gave him a look of sympathy and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Rudy." Penny said. "We've got to at least try."

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah I know." He looked at his portal. "Come on, let's go talk to Snap before we have to leave for school."

Penny said, "Yeah... I hope he doesn't feel too awful about the other day." Rudy looked over at her, a little confused by what she meant. Penny realized she wasn't clear enough and went on to say, "I mean, regarding Mint. He was so scared..." She furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see us this early."

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. Those were his thoughts earlier. Maybe, during their stay, they could think of something to help Snap not feel as afraid. He still thought that maybe letting him stay the night at their places once in a while would help. Mint couldn't really sneak into their bedrooms at night unless he wanted to risk getting caught. Mint might be willing to take risks, but that wasn't the type of risk Rudy imagined he would be willing to take. And getting arrested for trespassing and getting in trouble with his parents... Yeah Rudy could pretty much confirm that Snap being in the real world at night would be safe.

Rudy got out his magic chalk and drew a circle. Once the portal was activated and opened up, he and Penny went through it. Rudy was careful to erase the portal just in case his parents came into his room. He would explain his absense later; that would be easier to deal with than his parents finding out about ChalkZone.

He and Penny jumped onto the ground. They landed on the grassy field where they usually meet Snap. They brushed themselves off and looked around. They didn't see Snap anywhere. They weren't too surprised or worried. Snap knows they had school today and likely wouldn't hang around this portal waiting for them. If he were hanging out at any portal, it would be the one near the school, but he wouldn't be there this early in the morning.

They weren't sure specifically where to go first to look for Snap. Other than meeting them at the portals, his schedule wasn't really set in stone. He would be hanging around ChalkZone with his zoner friends most likely, having fun playing whatever game they thought of. But he could be anywhere doing that. They were certain Snap liked to do a little exploring while they were gone, though they don't imagine him straying far, knowing that they were going to come looking for him almost every day.

They soon decided that ChalkZone City was the best place to start looking. Snap might be taking a stroll there to pass the time, maybe get something for Rapsheeba or hanging at some newly drawn place. They quickly headed there.

But when they got there, they couldn't see Snap anywhere. Well they had just arrived. And this city was pretty large. They would just have to keep looking. They headed up and down the streets, knowing, that at some point, they would see their friend. Or at least they hoped so. There was still no way for them to know if Snap was going to be in the city or not. But it wouldn't hurt to look here first before they tried some other places where they knew Snap liked to be with his zoner friends.

When they didn't see him, no matter how much they walked around the city, they decided to try something else. Knowing they had two hours didn't really mean they had all the time in the world to find their friend. They really wanted to talk to him before they had to go to school. So instead of just continuing to wander around, hoping they'll locate Snap before time was up, Penny suggested that they go talk to some zoners. One of them would have seen Snap and be able to give them his location. Rudy agreed that it was a good idea and they started stopping random zoners in the streets, asking them about Snap.

Much to their surprise, not one of them had seen Snap that day. They said that they hadn't seen Snap since the other day. Well it was early... There was a chance that they just hadn't seen Snap yet today. That was their train of thought...at first. When they asked more and more zoners, all of whom said they didn't see Snap, suspicion began to rise up inside. What were the odds that fifty, hundred zoners in this city hadn't seen Snap that day? That didn't feel right. It was still too early to tell, but the two couldn't shake the feeling that maybe something was wrong with Snap.

Then they got their confirmation. They heard footsteps heading in their direction. Rudy and Penny turned to see Blocky rushing towards them, a worried expression on his face. That's when they knew that something might be wrong with their friend. Their stomachs tied in knots. They hoped it wasn't anything serious.

"Rudy! Penny!" Blocky cried. He soon reached them. He stopped and panted, catching his breath.

"Blocky!" Rudy said. He reached a hand out partway towards his first creation. "What's wrong?"

When the green zoner caught his breath, he said in a panicked voice, "Snap never left his house this morning!"

"What?" Rudy and Penny said in unison. They looked at each other worriedly.

"Yeah! No one's seen him leave." Blocky said, his eyes widened a little. "We think he might be sick. But we can't even get the door open and he won't answer!"

The kids' eyes widened in horror at this. For Snap to not answer the door...something really was very wrong. Rudy tried to think of what could have happened. Had he caught something the other day? He must have. If he didn't even get out of bed yet, Snap must be really sick. And to lock the door...maybe it was contagious and he didn't want anyone else catching it.

Rudy hoped it wasn't anything life threatening. He had to take Snap to the hospital and fast. He must be passed out at his bed or in too much pain to really respond. He looked over at Penny, noting her worried expression. She knew what was going through his mind. They had to rush to Snap's place and fast. They couldn't tell at the moment if what Snap caught was life threatening. It could just be a fever and he was probably resting. But still, he wasn't going to chance it. He had to get to him as soon as possible.

"You've got to help him! He might be in trouble!" Blocky said, jumping into the air once frantically.

"Don't worry, Blocky." Penny said, putting a hand on him. "Calm down. We'll help him."

"Yeah. If he's sick, we'll take him to the hospital." Rudy said, smiling at Blocky.

This clearly cheered Blocky up as he smiled at them gratefully. Rudy and Penny thanked Blocky for the information. Not wasting any time, Rudy drew a pair of rocket shoes and grabbed onto Penny. The force of the rocket shoes made it easy for him to carry her through ChalkZone. Up ahead, they could see night zone, characterized by the sudden pitch blackness of the area. Rudy lowered himself to the ground and gently set Penny on the ground next to him. He deactivated the shoes and the two of them rushed into night zone.

They ran along the streets. They tried their best to avoid zoners that were walking down. They ran into a few zoners by mistake. They apologized and went on their way. The buildings seemed to zip by them quickly as they ran as fast as they could. Rudy knew he could have just used the rocket shoes to continue flying through the city, but that thought hadn't crossed his mind. With thoughts racing, all he could focus on was getting to Snap's place.

They soon got to his place. It felt like it took hours, but really it took much less. Time seemed to move slow for the two as they opened up the door and rushed in. They called out for their friend as they headed towards his bedroom. Just like Blocky mentioned, there was no reply at all. Not even a muffled 'I'm here guys'...and that was really worrying. They guessed he had a terrible fever and probably couldn't move very well. This horrified them. It meant that he was sicker than they thought.

They reached his bedroom door. Penny reached down and tried to turn it. The doorknob wasn't budging. She tried to push it open, but it was no use. Being a little physically stronger than Penny, Rudy decided to try next. He gripped the knob tightly and turned it as hard as he could. It wouldn't move; it was locked in place. The two of them looked at each other worriedly. Snap wouldn't lock himself up in his bedroom unless something was really wrong.

Rudy started to slam against the door. He hit it again and again. He tried to force it open. He was desperate to get to his friend and make sure he was okay and well taken care of. His mind was focused just on that. He kept hitting against the door over and over, hoping that it would dislodge off its hinges and they could get it open. But, as time passed and the door would not open, he knew it wasn't going to work. He was just a kid; he didn't have the muscle mass required to do something like break a door down.

Penny pointed to his magic chalk. "Why don't you just draw a key?" She asked, looking perplexed by his attempts to break the door down. "It would be faster that way."

"Oh..." Rudy felt stupid he hadn't thought of that before. He quickly drew a key the right size for this door. "Thanks, Penny."

He put the key in the door's keyhole and turned it. When he heard a click, he pulled the key back. Putting the object away, he tested the doorknob. This time, it turned. He pushed the door open, allowing them to see into the very dark room. They stepped inside, standing right in front of the doorway.

They started to hear sounds. Almost muffled. It sounded like...whimpers almost, perhaps mixed in with muffled speech. Their hearts ached. Poor Snap..he must be having a fever induced nightmare. They moved further into the room by a couple of steps. Rudy moved over to where the light switch was. Before he got there, he looked over at the bed and noticed something...off about it. It almost didn't look like Snap was there, and there was something on the side that...didn't look like it belonged there.

He and Penny looked at each other worriedly. Snap must have fallen out of his bed. And he must have been so sick that he could not get up and climb back in. He must be freezing with that fever. No wonder the dark mass on the ground they believed was Snap was shaking. He must be so cold, poor guy.

Rudy reached the light switch. He put his finger underneath it and he pushed it up. Light illuminated the room in an instant. When he and Penny were able to see Snap, they froze where they stood. They stared in shock, their eyes widening in horror.

After the initial shock, Penny let out a terror-filled squeal and Rudy cried out Snap's name. They rushed over to their friends side, in absolute shock of what they were seeing.

Snap was leaning against his bed, his head slumped forward. There was a gag tied around his head, muffling his cries and calling out for them. His fightened eyes looked at them with a sense of relief. His arms were secured behind his back and rope attached him to the bed post. His body was shaking like a life and it looked like he didn't get a whole lot of sleep. His eyes had dark circles under them and his face was stained with tears.

"Oh my g...Snap!" Penny cried in a panicked voice. She dropped to her knees beside him. She reached over and undid the gag that silenced her friend. "What happened?!" Snap didn't reply at first. He took in quick breaths, his eyes wide with fear. He looked at her and started to whimper, mumbling something under his breath. "Snap..."

Rudy moved in on Snap's other side. He drew a knife to cut Snap's hands free from the bed post. He gently pushed on Snap's back a little to get him to lean forward a little. Drawing another key, this one smaller, he undid the cuffs that kept his arms secured behind his back. As soon as he did, Snap looked over in his direction, his lower lip quivering. Then, without warning, the zoner lunged at him, wrapping his arms around him and holding onto him tightly. He began to cry harder.

He looked at Penny, his eyes filled with shock and terror. Penny had the same expression on her face. She moved in closer. She made sure to be close enough that she made physical contact with Snap. She leaned against him gently, careful not to accidentally hurt him. She put her arms around him and Rudy, securing Snap between them.

Snap continued to cry and whimper as they held him in their arms. The sight of their friend like this made their hearts twist. Just what had happened to him? How long had he been like this? Was he hurt? He didn't seem hurt, but that didn't mean whoever did this didn't do something more to him. They continued to hold onto their friend, letting him cry, feeling his body shiver in fright.

When Snap started to calm down a little as he realized he was safe, Rudy and Penny moved back a little. They still stayed physically close to him, a way of letting him know they were still there with him and that this wasn't a dream. But even when calmed down, Snap still looked so scared. He looked at them, his eyes widened. They had never seen him look this scared before. It broke their hearts. Something happened to him last night. Something bad. And it wasn't an illness... Someone had done this to him. And they were going to find out who it was.

"Snap..." Rudy said. He put a hand on his friend's cheek. "I know you're still scared.. But you have to tell us what happened. Who did this to you?"

Snap let out a few soft whimpers. He sucked in a few quick shaky breaths. He stared at Rudy, his mouth open to reply. But he just started to cry harder. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, tears rapidly pooling down his face.

Penny reached over and stroked the top of his head. Snap looked over at her. "We're here for you, Snap. Please, tell us what happened, and we'll do what we can to make it better."

Snap whimpered, staring at Penny, then at Rudy, with those big frightened eyes. His body shook a little harder. Then he pressed his head against Rudy's shoulders. He managed to speak through his crying. "M-Mint..."

The mention of that name sent chills down Rudy and Penny's spines. Horror swept over them like a tidal wave. Mint had done this to Snap? He had attacked Snap at night and tied him to the bed and just...left him there? The realization caused anger to start to churn inside the two kids' chests and stomachs. And now, because of Mint, because of the Enemy Creator, Snap was so scared...so frightened..

"He...he did this to you?" Penny breathed, her eyes widened in absolute horror.

"Y-Yes!" Snap squeaked. He gripped onto Rudy tighter, afraid to let go. Through his crying, he shouted, "H-He ambushed me! He threatened me! He says that this is all just a game! A virtual game! He wanted to teach you g-guys a lesson, so he tied me up! He almost shot me with that laser pistol!" After that, his speech turned back into whimpering and sobbing.

"Oh Snap..." Penny said, tears escaping her eyes. "Don't worry...you're safe now..." She leaned forward and pressed her head against his. "It'll be okay..."

Rudy held onto his friend a little tighter, more securely. He turned his gaze towards the door, looking at nothing in particular. He was in absolute shock. He couldn't believe Mint did something like this. He couldn't believe that he would threaten Snap like that...leave him tied up like he had... What if no one found him in time? What if he had been trapped in his own house for who knows how long? What if something worse had happened? These thoughts plagued Rudy's mind, and the more he thought of them, the angrier he got at Mint.

How dare he treat his friend this way... How dare he threaten him like this... How dare he scare his friend to death like this... Rudy's hatred for the boy increased. No one threatened his friends and got away with it. No one was going to get away with scaring Snap like this. He was not going to let Mint off the hook. When he sees him in the cafeteria...he would make sure to give the boy a piece of his mind.

What had Snap done to the kid to deserve this? Nothing. They had just barely met and already he had hurt Snap and tried to kill him. Now he had broke into his own house and tied him up and left him all alone, scared and frightened. Rudy was glad that Mint didn't do worse to him, but that was still a terrible thing of him to do.

And a game...? This kid thought this was a game...? He wanted to ask Snap more about that, but he could tell he was not in the mood to talk. He was too shaken up by what happened and he couldn't blame him. Right now wasn't the time to be seeking out Mint. Now wasn't the time to scold that kid for what he had done. Right now, Snap needed him and Penny. He needed comfort and reassurance. He needed to be with them for a while. Rudy decided not to talk about plans regarding Mint and instead thought it was best he and Penny just stay with Snap until they had to go back to school.

"D-Don't leave me alone at night..." Snap whimpered. "Please don't leave me alone..."

Rudy bit his lip. He thought about the offer he was considering earlier. It seemed now was the best time to give it. "Would you like to stay the night at our places for a while?"

Snap nodded his head. "Y-Yes..."

"Okay then." Rudy smiled at his friend. "You can stay at my place tonight, and tomorrow, you can stay at Penny's. You may sleep with us until you feel safe again. Don't worry about our parents; we'll find some kind of explanation if they find you there. Isn't that right, Penny?"

Penny moved back. She gave Snap the best smile she could. "Yeah. We'll keep you safe. Don't worry."

Although Snap looked grateful at their offer, and he did relax a little, he was still very upset and scared. And for good reason. He had been threatened by Mint while they were gone. It had to have been a frightening experience. Without them around to protect him, he could have gotten really hurt. He wouldn't have been able to defend himself against a threat like Mint.

As Snap continued to cry, Rudy and Penny looked at each other, a look of determination on their faces. They were going to make sure another stunt like this didn't happen again. They were going to make sure Mint never got a chance to get Snap alone. They were going to stick by him as often as they could. They were going to protect him no matter what. Mint was not going to hurt Snap again. They would see to that.

sss

It was difficult leaving Snap behind. They wanted to stay with him longer, comfort him until he felt better. His mood did improve some while they were with him. But when they said they had to leave, he was scared and tried to convince them to stay. This wasn't like Snap. He knew they had school. For him to try to get them to skip school to stay with him showed just how deeply the incident with Mint had impacted him. They promised him they would be back as soon as they could.

As lunchtime was fast approaching, Rudy wasn't sure if the plan would work. If anything, the incident with Snap further convinced him it wouldn't work. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Mint right now. He was so filled with anger that he thought he was going to explode right in front of him. And to even attempt to talk to him, Rudy had to control his anger. If he exploded at him in the cafeteria, he might get in trouble.

Penny herself started to have further doubts of her own plan. She started to have thoughts similiar to Rudy on this. That he was an out of control kid who had no remorse for what he did, and would be difficult, if not impossible, to reason with. But even though she was doubting her idea even more now, she still wanted to go through with it as they had not come up with any other plans yet.

The two of them soon entered the cafeteria. Lunchtime was earlier due to the two hour delay they had that day. They moved in the single file line that stretched down the hallway. The smell of food filled their nostrils. Normally this would make them hungry and eager to eat. But they ignored the smell, their minds focused on Snap and Mint. They couldn't see him yet, but they knew that he would be in the cafeteria somewhere. The fifth and sixth graders at their lunches at the same time. That ensured their chances of finding Mint in this place.

After Rudy and Penny got their plate of food, they headed out towards the sitting area. There were many tables here, many filled with students. They kept walking, ignoring any empty seat they could have taken. They looked around, trying to figure out where Mint was. They hoped that he would be alone. Last thing they needed was for him to be sitting with a group of friends. That would make talking to him that much harder.

They continued to look at the tables, trying to look for any that looked empty or looked mostly devoid of people. And soon they found Mint. Much to their relief, he was alone, sitting off on his own. It looked like he was halfway done eating. They hurried over towards his table. As they moved closer, anger began to rise inside of them. Rudy and Penny did their best not to let it show. But it was an uncomfortable feeling to be approaching someone they knew was a crazed lunatic. The only reason they felt even just a tad safe going near him here was that he was in the real world. He couldn't do anything to them here.

Rudy and Penny sat their trays in front of Mint. Then they sat down, taking their seats in front of him. Mint was eating a piece of chicken, but at the sound of their trays being set down in the table, he froze. Keeping his head down, he moved his eyes up. He stared at them for a second before moving his head up to see them more clearly. He swallowed his food, the same expression on his face. He looked surprised to see them, like he didn't expect them to approach him.

"Rudy? Penny?" Mint asked, perplexed. Then he smiled. Unlike before, it wasn't a crazed evil smile. But it still made them feel uncomfortable. "What a pleasant surprise." He straightened himself up, holding his fork in his left hand. "What brings you two over here?"

Rudy narrowed his eyes. This kid was acting a little friendlier than he did in ChalkZone. If he was trying to butter them up and make them lower their guard, it wasn't going to work. The fact that he appeared to be treating them as if he was doing nothing wrong sickened him. Penny didn't look too happy about this either.

"We need to talk to you." Rudy said, doing his best to hide his anger.

But Mint had caught his tone of voice. His expression shifted a little. There was some confusion in his face. "You want to talk to me? About what?"

"ChalkZone...and our friend." Penny replied, narrowing her eyes a little.

Mint looked at each of them. He looked confused for a moment. Then he smiled again. He took another bite of his chicken. He waved his right hand towards them. "Proceed then."

Rudy gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe this kid was playing dumb. He knows full well what he had done. He knows that he had caused destruction in ChalkZone. He knows he had injured his friend...tried to kill him. How dare he pretend like he didn't know any of this... How dare he act like he did nothing wrong... How dare he act like he had no idea why they were so angry with him...

"We will make it simple. Stay out of ChalkZone." Rudy said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Mint looked at him in shock, like he was surprised he would make such a demand. "I will not have you running around ChalkZone causing all kinds of destruction. You have nearly killed a lot of zoners, including my friend, Snap. As protector of ChalkZone I order you..." He leaned forward and said in a low voice. "...stay out!"

Penny nodded her head. Mint turned his attention to her, waiting for her to speak. "And stay away from our friend, too. We found out what you did to him last night. That was really cruel of you, you know that? Leaving Snap tied and gagged like that. What gives you the right do that to another living being?"

Mint stared at them for a while, wide-eyed. Then he nearly choked on his food as he started to laugh. Rudy and Penny glared at him. What did this kid think was so funny? They watched as he laughed, grabbing his throat like he was worried he was going to choke on his food. He managed to swallow and he looked back at them. From his expression, he looked genuinely surprised and amused by what they said. This did not suit well with them.

"So you two want to stop me from going into ChalkZone?" Mint asked. Rudy and Penny nodded affirmatively. Mint chuckled. "I had a feeling you two were going to try to hog that game all to yourselves.."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. Snap had mentioned something about Mint thinking it was a game. He growled softly at Mint. "It's not a game. It's a real place, filled with real people."

Mint shook his head. "No. It's just a well done virtual reality system. You and Penny have just been in there so long, you deluded yourselves into thinking it was real." He made no reaction to when Rudy and Penny's glares deepened. "And considering your friend, Snap, is nothing more than data pieced together into a life-like simulation, just an AI, I don't see why you're so upset with him being gone. You can always just recreate him and he'll be fine." He pushed his fork into the final piece of chicken. He lifted it up to his face. "No big deal."

Rudy's body started to shake in anger. As Mint started to eat his piece, Rudy let his anger get the best of him and he slammed his hand a little too hard on the table. He was lucky that it was so noisy in the cafeteria no one really noticed.

"ChalkZone is not a game!" He said, his voice raised a little. "Snap is not some game sprite! He's real! It's all real! Why can't you understand that?!"

Penny put a hand on Rudy's shoulder, attempting to calm him down. She turned to glare at Mint. "You really have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? Your actions in ChalkZone have far more consequences than you realize. Skrawl isn't some NPC guide. He's a monster. And he is using your talents to take over ChalkZone. Do yourself a favor, and us a favor, and stop going into ChalkZone."

"Skrawl warned me you two would try to do this." Mint said, shaking his head, laughing in amusement. "It's quite entertaining listening to you two defend a place that's not real, just a video game." He looked at them in the eyes. "I guess that just shows how passionate you are about the virtual world."

Rudy and Penny growled at him.

"And since you two took the trouble of finding me and talking with me, I will give my answer." Mint said. He jabbed the fork in their direction. "No. You two are not going to stop me from going into that game world. You are not the boss of me. I don't care what name you came up for yourself there, Rudy Tabootie. But you have no right to try to deny me the fun and thrill of that place. It is not your game. I will continue to come and go as I please."

With that, Mint got up from the table. He carried his tray with him. He walked around and stopped right next to them. He looked down at the two. The familiar evil smile came onto his face. Small, but it was there.

"I trust you two will fight harder in the game." Mint said. "Since you two found Snap tied up and gagged, I take it you two know what I can do while you are gone. I hope that inspires you to fight harder...because who knows?" He grinned darkly. "I might do worse next time..."

As he started to walk away, Rudy felt rage take him over. He got up from his seat. He started to rush over to Mint, prepared to tackle him. He felt a hand grab him and pull him back. He looked down and saw Penny shaking her head. Rudy took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself a little. He and Penny watched, anger boiling in their blood, as Mint walked away.

This kid thought ChalkZone was a game. He thought Snap was just a game sprite, an AI programmed into the game. And he was not listening to reason. Skrawl must be feeding off this lie, convincing Mint he really was in a game. And because he thinks it was just a game, his conscience was not going to kick in. He was going to continue doing terrible things, believing that nothing he did had any consequence. He didn't know any of this was real, and that made him even more dangerous than before...


	11. Challenge

"You did what...?" Skrawl asked in a low voice.

"Hey it wasn't a big deal." Mint said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't see what the problem is."

Skrawl's body shook in anger. His fist shook in anger. It took all his strength not to last out at the boy. He had to remember to keep himself as calm and collected as possible, at least when interacting with him. In order to keep this boy's allegience, he had to act friendly and helpful towards him. He had to act like the guide the boy thinks he is.

But if he kept doing stuff like this...if he kept going around doing whatever he wanted to... Skrawl wasn't sure just how long he could keep up this charade. Sooner or later, something would break. He hoped that this kid would do better than Craniac 4 did. That red robot's arrogance cost him the one surefire chance he had at defeating Rudy Tabootie. If Craniac 4 had just listened to him, the plan would have succeeded and Rudy would have been their slave. But nope, the darn robot wanted to do things his way, which cost them precious time and allowed that annoying rat, Snap, to warn Rudy about the robot, which he was certain was what had happened.

As he stared at Mint, he began to realize that tricking the boy into believing this was a game world still had its complications and wasn't as foolproof as he had originally believed. The kid was going to take huge risks, believing there was no consequences. That was good, but only if used against Rudy and his friends. Only if it was used during actual missions. Mint's recklessness might cost him the battle if he wasn't careful. It would be easy for Mint to accidentally destroy something important, or do something that makes him easier to get caught, thus ruining his plans. The kid's destructiveness was only useful if contained and properly controlled.

He had to think of a way to keep him from pulling such a stunt again, especially not a bigger one. He was not going to back out of the video game deal. It was the best plan he had to control Mint. If he let it in that this place was real, Mint might turn tail. Mint did not seem like the kind of kid who would deliberately cause harm to something he believed was real. So as long as he thought this place was virtual, he would not hold back. Keeping up that lie might prove difficult, but Skrawl had some ideas on what he could do in case it came to that.

As clever as it was, Skrawl did not want Mint going around ChalkZone at night, even if he could have gotten a chance to off Snap. Skrawl didn't like it when others messed with his plans. The last time he allowed that to happen, with Craniac 4, it demolished the entire plan. No, this time, they were going to do things his way, and his way only. He was not going to have Mint prancing around ChalkZone, doing who knows what, because he might end up doing something that will set him back in his scheme.

Then there was the chance that, when not under his supervision, Mint might find out that ChalkZone is real. He might figure out that the material around here was not data, that he had not been digitized, that he is still flesh and blood here, that the citizens were indeed made of chalk dust, not data made to look like chalk dust. That was a huge risk. If the boy made that discovery, that ChalkZone was not a video game, he could potentially lose an ally. No, he would not allow that to happen. He would make sure that this boy did not do anything in ChalkZone without his permission.

And out of the ideas he had, there was one that he believed would work the best. He was not an expert on video games, but he knew enough to fool this kid. There was one particular piece of game knowledge he knew that would convince this kid not to do anything outside of his assigned missions.

"Look, that is not how the game is supposed to go. I'm your guide, remember? You're supposed to do what I say." Skrawl said. He jabbed a finger against his own chest. His mismatched eyes stared down at the boy. "This game is still in beta."

Mint raised an eyebrow. "Beta? For how long?"

"What does it matter?" Skrawl said, waving a dismissing hand. "The programmers are still sprucing things up. Listen, child, if you want to keep playing, you have to play by my rules only. Since the game picked me as your NPC guide, you cannot do anything in the game that isn't part of an assignment I gave to you."

"Oh really?" Mint folded his arms against his chest. "What about when I almost shot Snap? That wasn't part of the plan, and nothing bad happened."

Skrawl slapped himself in the face. This kid was good. He had forgotten about that bit. He'd have to be more specific to keep the video game facade up. He tried to think of a good enough response to that. It didn't take him long to think of a reply.

"That was because you were on a mission I designated for you. It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you stay within the parameters of the mission and remained focused on the task at hand." Skrawl said. He gave a knowing smile to the boy. "So if you want to try your hand at taking out their...AI construct... Then so be it. But you can only do so on a mission. Do you understand me?"

Mint narrowed his eyes slightly. "What happens if I try to play the game differently?"

"Deadly glitch." Skrawl said. "Er, well not literally deadly.. But if you try to do something outside of a mission, the game will freeze and crash."

"No problem then. The game can just reset..." Mint started to say.

"No!" Skrawl shouted at him. Mint took a step back, his eyes widening a little. Realizing his mistake, Skrawl cleared his throat and gave a light hearted chuckle. "Sorry about that." He spoke in a calmer, more controlled voice, trying to push back the anger and annoyance he had felt previously. "What I mean to say is that...no you can't do that. If you let that glitch activate, the whole game comes crashing down and you'll have set the programmers back many years. If you want to play the full version of this game, you must play by the rules. My rules."

Skrawl hoped that would be good enough for the boy. He hoped that his explanation would convince him to do what he said. And sure enough it appeared to have worked. The boy's confused expression had disappeared. The look of understanding flashed in his eyes. He appeared to have gotten it. Skrawl gave a mental evil smile at this. The kid was so easily fooled. He was glad that the creator he found was a child. An adult would have been harder to convince.

"I have a quick question." Mint asked, taking a step towards the jellybean. Skrawl's eyes widened slightly. "If you are the NPC guide the game assigned for me, what about Rudy and Penny? Who is their guide?"

Skrawl hadn't really thought of that. He never told Mint just who Rudy and Penny's NPC guide was. He should have realized that Mint would have wanted to know. He had convinced the boy this game had a team-based set up. And it can't be like that unless there was more than one team. He hadn't come up with a zoner that could be his nemesises's guide. And since he had the boy convinced he knew all about this video game world, he could not simply say that he didn't know.

There were a good number of zoners he could have named. He tried to narrow it down, focusing just on the ones that Rudy and Penny hang out with the most. Then from there, he mentally shifted through the candidates. There was Blocky, another of Rudy's creations. He immediately scrapped that idea. That stupid zoner couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Hmm...Rapsheeba? No, she wouldn't do. She had a busy schedule lately and if the boy found any of her advertisements, he would know she wouldn't have time to constantly guide Rudy and Penny around.

Biclops might be a good candidate. Yeah, he was large and foreboding enough to convince the kid he was an NPC guide. He did like trio and trusted them, especially Rudy. He often aided Rudy if his help was needed. Rudy did have to visit Biclops often enough to get magic chalk. Biclops was the guardian of the stuff, after all. Stealing magic chalk from him wasn't easy. Biclops might be a good choice...

...except maybe there was a better choice. There was a zoner that was very familiar with Rudy and Penny who often hung out with them. A zoner that was almost always present when those two humans were in ChalkZone. A zoner that, at the first sign of trouble, would rush over to Rudy and Penny and take them over to where the danger was so they could help fix it...

That was the kind of behavior that seemed most appropriate for an NPC guide. And there was one particular zoner that fit that bill.

"Snap." Skrawl said. "He is their NPC guide." Realizing that he had forgotten about the created bit, he quickly added one small detail. "This game offers you a chance to create a look for your NPC guide. That is what Rudy did. Unlike you, he created his own NPC guide."

Mint looked confused. "Snap? That little blue kid? He's their NPC guide?"

Skrawl nodded his head. "Well of course he is! Why do you think they're so protective of him?" The jellybean stood on one leg and folded his arms behind his back. "Oh I'm sure they try to convince you that it's because they care about him. Well they do, but it's not simple friendship. The biggest reason they don't want you to kill Snap is because they will get booted out of the game. Without a guide, they can't play."

Mint stared at Skrawl, his eyes widened a little. "So that's why they were so defensive when I tied up Snap."

Skrawl nodded his head. "Yes, exactly."

"Huh." Mint scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, now I know. That does explain why they'd be so jumpy about Snap getting hurt. I can sympathize with them. If something happened to you and I couldn't play, I would be upset myself."

Skrawl was pleased that this information was sinking into the boy. He was taking it and gobbling it up just like he had hoped he would. Children were so naive, so easily fooled. All he had to do was pick the right words, and he could convince Mint of anything. And the fact that he managed to convince the boy that the friendship Rudy and Penny shared with Snap was more about 'getting access to the game' than 'actually wanting to hang out with Snap because he's their best friend' proved it.

"Well okay then." Mint said. "I promise I won't do anything off mission again." He motioned towards himself. "You have my word, Skrawl."

Skrawl smirked at Mint. "Good boy. Now..." Skrawl walked back towards the child. He stared down at him intently. Now was the time to talk about the change in plans. "There is something I would like to discuss with you." Mint looked up at him expectantly, waiting for his next orders. "For your next, mission, I want to do things a little differently. You will not be following me to the next artifact location. I realized that having you following me increases the odds of Rudy gaining the upperhand. This time, you will be sent to a location in the opposite direction."

Mint slowly nodded his head once. "Okay... And where do you want me to go?" He held out his hand in a gesture. "And what exactly do you want me to do there?"

Skrawl smirked at the boy. "I will assign a couple of my Beanie Boys to take you over to Happy Face Valley, near Mount Runnynose." Mint stifled a laugh at those names. Skrawl ignored it and continued, "Just begin demolishing the place. I don't care what you do, so long as you stay within the town's parameters. That will draw Rudy's attention to you. Just keep him busy for a little while. Twenty minutes at least is all I'll need. Do you think you can handle it?"

Mint smiled evilly, folding his arms tightly against his chest. "Don't worry about it. If Rudy had already shown me the best he can do..." He let out a soft chuckle. "Then this will be a piece of cake..."

Giving a dark smile, Skrawl turned around and walked away. He waved a hand. "Beanie Boys! Take him to Happy Face Valley! And then report back to me!"

As a couple of Beanie Boys guided Mint and Ripclaw to the location of Happy Face Valley, Skrawl laughed to himself. It was amusing how easily manipulated this boy is. He had no idea what he's doing. He had no idea just what he was about to help him unleash on this world. He had no idea that he was, in fact, spelling out the end for ChalkZone, paving the way for it to be remade in Skrawl's image.

And the best part...even if he realizes that he's working for the 'bad guy' of this world, Mint still would help him. As long as he believed he was playing a video game, he would keep helping him because, to him, it wasn't real. Even if Skrawl outright told him something extreme like he was going to kill a giant group of zoners and eat them one by one, Mint would still help him because he doesn't think any of this is real.

It was perfect. Absolutely perfect...

sss

Mint stood on the hill not far from Happy Face Valley. His arms folded, he stared down at the place, his mouth ticked into an amused smile. He had to give the creators credit. They really went out of their way with imagination and creativity for this game world. When he had heard the names Happy Face Valley and Mount Runnynose, he wasn't sure what to think. But a town with the houses arranged so that they looked like a smiley face from a distance? A large rock that was leaking out water like it really had a cold? Clever. Something different.

Happy Face Valley looked like such a nice place. Simple, quaint, but nice. The houses were pretty small and simplistic. They were arranged not far from each other. He didn't really see any larger buildings around. He wondered if the NPCs there were programmed to go somewhere else for 'food' or if they didn't really need to eat anything.

And the NPCs themselves were pretty cute. He did chuckle when he first saw them. Literal smiley faces, some yellow and some pink, walking around with simple arms and legs. They had even waved hello to him when they saw him approach from a distance. Mint didn't do anything at first. He walked around, careful not to bump into any of the townsfolk. Some of them tried to talk to him, but he ignored them. He had to remain focused on his task at hand.

Mint knew it wouldn't take much to destroy this place. These zoners, these happyfaces as Skrawl put it, did not have much of a defense. And looking around, they didn't have any weapons either. They literally had nothing to stop him from the rampage he was about to go on. As cute as they were, orders were orders. And, calling forth Ripclaw, he began his destruction. The look of shock and horror that swept through the happyface's, seeing their look of shock at his sudden attack, was amusing to see.

And now Mint stood on the hill, smiling down in satisfaction at what Ripclaw was able to accomplish. He ordered her to destroy the place, to demolish the buildings one by one. That would buy Rudy enough time to arrive before he was finished. If Rudy didn't show up, it meant that the distraction had failed, and he would have lost this round.

Ripclaw was rushing through the small town. She chased off some of the happyfaces that got too close, but did not attack. That was a specific order from Mint. She was not to harm the happyfaces; only attack the buildings. If all the buildings were destroyed before Rudy got there, then she could attack one or two happyfaces. That would definitely prompt Rudy to stay and fight, especially if his role in this game was to be its protector.

Mint knew he was playing as the bad guy. He knew that, in this game, he had been assigned the role of the villain. And he absolutely loved it. He enjoyed being the one causing trouble. He enjoyed being able to do almost anything he wanted to. He was glad the game assigned him on the antagonistic side. He was getting quite a thrill from it. His smile turned into a devious grin as he continued to oversee the damage that Ripclaw was causing.

Ripclaw had already destroyed about a quarter of the town. Using her large size, she easily knocked over the buildings, reducing them to rubble. Her jaws made quick work of the chimneys and she tossed them into some more of the houses, destroying them as well. Smoke pillowed out from the damaged areas, rising into the air almost like a smoke signal. The utahraptor gnashed her jaws at some of the happyfaces simply to scare them or make them run faster. Then she would turn her attention to another building. She rammed it with her head, kicking at it with her claws, doing whatever to destroy it.

The happyfaces themselves were running around in circles. They were completely panicked, unsure of what to do. Mint laughed at this. It reminded him of those simulation games he heard of before, where it was possible to do some bad things and make the virtual customers run around screaming like crazy. He had seen some videos of it for a good laugh. But seeing it in three dimensions was just great. He hoped Skrawl would continue with this plan. He didn't think he'd get tired of causing NPCs to panic like this.

Whenever a happyface tried to run out of the valley, Ripclaw would chase them back into town. She would harrass them to make sure they stayed. Another order from Mint. He didn't want any of the happyfaces leaving during the destruction. It just wouldn't have the full effect if any of them had left. If they all disappeared, Rudy might think the area was done for and leave. No, he had to make sure that Rudy believed it was still worth fighting for, at least until his time to play with him was over.

The sound of cracking, rocks crumbling filled the air as Ripclaw continued her assigned destruction. She had destroyed more than half the houses now. The happyfaces were even more terrified now. Most of them had stopped running and were huddled around in one spot, shaking like a pile of leaves. Ripclaw kicked her foot into another house, her eyes staring at it intently as it crumbled down as easily as a pile of cards. Then she lifted up the chimney from the rubble and threw it into another house, reducing it to a pile of rubble.

Now there was only five houses left...

Mint was starting to feel disappointed. Where was Rudy? What happened to the 'guardian of ChalkZone' that he had spoken to earlier in the cafeteria? Mint wondered if the game was glitched and the message wasn't getting send through. He narrowed his eyes at the thought. Well that would be inconvenient if that were the case. It's no fun carrying out this new scheme of Skrawl's if Rudy isn't going to show his face and fight him. A game was no fun without a challenge.

Ripclaw turned her attention to another house. She opened her jaws and let out a screech. She began to rush towards it, but then stopped. Mint's eyes widened in surprise when one of the happyfaces jumped onto Ripclaw, wrapping his arms around her to try to hold her back. He hadn't expected the happyfaces to be programmed to do anything really all that defensive. Running around and screaming was what he thought they were only capable of. So seeing one of them do something different came as a genuine surprise. Perhaps the dynamic AI behavior was more widespread than he imagined for this game. Impressive.

"No! Please stop!" The smileyface cried. "Don't do this anymore! Please!"

Ripclaw narrowed her eyes and snarled at the happyface. She shook her body to and fro, letting out a roar of frustration. The smileyface was knocked back and forth. He let out a scream, hanging on as tightly as she could. Finally, the utahraptor managed to throw the happyface from her and into the ground. She turned towards the fallen smileyface and let out a roar. The smileyface screamed and put his hands in front of himself in self defense.

But before Ripclaw had a chance to do anything else, out of nowhere, there was a flash of color, the burning smell of rockets, a quick glow of fire, and Ripclaw let out a screech. Mint watched, his eyes slowly widening in shock, was Ripclaw was tossed back away from the town. She tumbled across the ground and landed on her side.

It didn't take him long to see what had happened. Hovering over the town, staring at him with an intense glare, was Rudy himself. Mint was impressed that the boy rammed himself against Ripclaw like that. Despite it all being virtual, he had to admit that took guts. He could see just how determined this kid was to protect this video game, despite it not being real. He really took his role in this game seriously, to the point where he even pretended it was real outside the game. Mint wasn't sure if he should be impressed at his dedication, though, or if he should be amused or frightened at how deluded the ten year old had become.

He wondered where Penny and Snap were. Their last two encounters in this game, they were together. So where did they go now? A quick glance behind the angered Rudy showed that they were helping the happyfaces. But he realized they weren't so important in this mission. It was Rudy he had to focus on. He turned his attention to the boy.

"Well...it's about time you showed up." Mint said, smiling evilly. "You know how to make an entrance, don't you?"

Rudy's body was shaking in rage. It was clear he was angry at the damage he had caused to Happy Face Valley. Mint couldn't believe that this boy was taking this game so seriously. He should lighten up. It was just a game.

Pointing his finger in Mint's direction, Rudy shouted, "This isn't a virtual world, Mint! This is real! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Mint just looked at him with an amused expression, an eyebrow raised. "You attacked innocent civilians! You destroyed their homes! And for what? Nothing!" Rudy's voice filled with more anger as he continued to talk. Mint rolled his eyes. "And since you can't understand the consequences of what you have just done, I will give you something you can understand! Mint Zandophen, I challenge you to a rematch!"

Mint laughed at this, prompting a snarl from Rudy. He kept his gaze on Rudy and sneered, "Okay then. I accept." He held up his magic chalk, smiling evilly at Rudy. "Let's play..."


	12. Versus

Rudy hadn't been certain what to expect when he got word that Happy Face Valley was under attack. He hadn't thought of why, if there was an artifact there or what. He hadn't a clue of what to expect when he finally arrived. There were all sorts of possibilities, ideas of what could be happening. Thoughts that he had considered of what he should be prepared for.

But it sure wasn't something like this...

When he, Penny, and Snap arrived, they were in absolute horror of what had transpired there. Most of Happy Face Valley was...destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed... They had been here a short while ago, too, before the whole Enemy Creator incident had started. The happyfaces were jolly and going about their merry lives. Everything was fine. Everything was in order.

But now..now it was nearly all gone. All except five houses had been demolished. Even from a distance, Rudy could see just how much destruction was going on. It absolutely horrified the trio. What was the purpose of this destruction? Why was Mint doing this? Why would Skrawl order him to do this? Even if it were just to get an artifact... Even Skrawl usually only targeted the area in which the artifact was hidde; he only attacked the buildings in Mondo Desert City because they were uncooperative. But the happyfaces were always so nice. They wouldn't really resist all that much if Mint had just asked if he could dig around for something.

That was what made this attack that much more sinister. It was just pointless. The happyfaces, unlike the mondonians, didn't really have much of a defense. All they would do when under attack was run around in circles. They were one of the most peaceful zoners Rudy has known. It was to the point where a mere slap would make them afraid. He could only imagine how they must feel now, watching their homes being destroyed by some kid for what seemed like no reason.

And when Rudy saw Mint standing there, overseeing the damage, that smile on his face...it made his blood boil. The kid was enjoying the rampage his dinosaur was giving the happyfaces. He was relishing in the damage, looking all proud and what not. There was no amount of empathy in his eyes for the happyfaces. He didn't care about what happened to them at all. It was clear that Mint was loving what he was doing. He truly was a twisted, psychotic child, regardless if he thinks he's playing a game or not.

Rudy was not going to let him get away with this. He was putting his foot down. He was going to face Mint. Despite his worries that he'll lose again, he was going to face him. He was going to challenge him to a fight and this time, he was going to win. He was going to see to that.

As they had arrived, Rudy told Penny and Snap to go help the happyfaces. He told them to make sure they were safe. He wanted Penny to draw them a shelter to hide in during the battle. And after that, he wanted them to go find where Skrawl was. Rudy felt it was suspicious that Skrawl wasn't here. Something was definitely wrong and he wanted to figure out what it was. But he couldn't leave Happy Face Valley while it was being attacked... He trusted that Penny and Snap could locate Skrawl while he dealt with this kid.

Rudy felt that Mint was his responsibility. He felt that the damage this kid caused was, in a way, because of him. He was the one who left the portal open. He was the one who didn't think it was important to erase the portal just because it was covered. He was the one who should have double checked to make sure that no one had been following them. He was the one who inadvertantly let Mint into ChalkZone. And now he was going to be the one to get him out. He was going to defeat Mint, take away his magic chalk, and get him out of ChalkZone. As protector of ChalkZone, he was not going to allow Mint to continue to get away with what he's doing. Since he won't listen to reason, he'll have to deal with him the hard way.

When he had seen Ripclaw looking like she was going to attack an innocent happyface, Rudy stepped up to the plate. He sped up his rocket shoes and headed off towards the dinosaur. He knew it was crazy. He knew he could have gotten hurt. But he wasn't going to allow that dinosaur to hurt someone. He rammed himself against Ripclaw and tossed her back into the ground. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he saw surprise in Mint's eyes.

And when that kid rolled his eyes...Rudy was furious. He still thought this was a game. He did not take his position as 'protector of ChalkZone' seriously. The kid thought he was joking or something. He really did not understand the consequences of what he was doing. Well he was going to make him take him seriously. He was not going to let that kid, that menace, to continue running amock in ChalkZone.

So he challenged Mint to a duel. He was a little surprised the kid had accepted almost right away. He wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting. Perhaps some taunting comment about how he beat him twice already, and how would he beat him again if he kept losing. The kid was clearly a jerk. He was certain he would have gave him some kind of insult and just walked away. But instead he accepted the duel. A part of Rudy began to wonder...had this been part of the plan all along?

The idea of Mint causing destruction just to get his attention...it was sickening. It was pointless violence. These happyfaces had never done anything to him. How dare he march in here like he owned the place and start demolishing it...especially when there was no need to. If Mint really wanted to fight him again, he could have easily have traveled through ChalkZone to find him. He didn't need to start demolishing a place down just for the sole purpose of 'getting his attention'. This kid really had no idea what he was getting himself into...just how damaging his actions were...

And now here he was in Happy Face Valley, or what was left of it, hovering above it glaring daggers at the kid who was the source of the destruction. Although the kid had accepted the duel, and he had his magic chalk out, he did not do anything. He just smirked up at Rudy, looking like he was waiting for him to make a move.

At first, neither of the moved. Rudy did not lower himself to the ground yet. He was expecting Mint to draw something to attack him with. But so far, the boy was not moving his arm. Rudy's eyes locked onto Mint's left hand warily. Why wasn't he drawing anything? He had accepted the challenge. He had agreed to a rematch. So why hadn't he made a move yet? Rudy didn't like this at all.

Then Mint did make a move. But it wasn't one that he had been expecting. The boy raised his right arm into the air. He snapped his fingers. Rudy's eyes widened. The snapping of fingers...that was the way he controlled his dinosaur creations, to an extent. And if he was doing that, then it meant that...

Rudy turned his head and saw a flash of orange feathers rush at him. Letting out a surprised cry, he moved out of the way just as a pair of claws slashed at him, narrowly missing his side. Ripclaw had lunged at him and tried to knock him out of the wair. He watched as the beast landed on the ground heavily. She looked up at him and snarled, pacing around underneath him. Her yellow eyes glared up at him intently.

Rudy couldn't believe just how close those claws got to him. Had he just been a little more over to the left, he would have been... He shuddered and tried to push the thought away. He shot a glare at Mint. He had really taken a big risk there. If he had been seriously hurt, he wondered how he would have reacted. Would Mint finally realize it wasn't a game? Or would he continue to believe in his delusion, that this was all just virtual simulation? There was no telling, and Rudy didn't feel like letting himself get hurt just to prove a point to the kid.

Judging from his expression, Mint did not look at all concerned for his safety, further cementing the fact that he believes this is a game world. Mint did not think that Rudy could get hurt that badly while here because, to him, it was all digital. If Rudy could somehow make him see just how wrong he was...

He didn't have time to think. The orange raptor below him was getting restless. He tried again to jump at him and again he had to move out of the way. He was going to have to take care of her first. He was a little happy that, at the moment, her attention was on him and not on Happy Face Valley. But how long was that going to last? Sooner or later, she would get bored and go after the final five houses. Rudy had to do something to make sure that she never got that chance.

And there was a way. Rudy flew down lower to the ground. He got the beast's attention, letting her chase him. He led her outside of Happy Face Valley, several yards away. He heard Mint's desperate shouts and he realized, for once, he had Mint worried, even if it were only brief.

Once he got Ripclaw away from Happy Face Valley, he flew in circles around her. Getting out his magic chalk, he began to draw quickly, avoiding getting bit by her. A tall metal pole stood in the ground now. Ripclaw was running around it, trying in vain to get to the boy. Her jaws snapped wildly in the air. And all the while, Mint did not show concern. Of course not... Rudy began to draw a long thick chain and a metal collar. He flew around Ripclaw, keeping out of reach of her jaws. He was able to get the metal chain around her neck.

Rudy moved back away and stared at her to see if it worked. Because of all the running aorund she did, the chain link was wrapped tightly around the pole. She could move back, but her eyes were locked on him. She roared at him and tried to move forward. But she had limited her own movements by running around like that. She clawed at the ground furiously, stomping on it and screeching at Rudy. She really wanted to get at him, but the chain prevented her from doing so.

Rudy didn't leave right away. He waited, watched, to make sure that Ripclaw really was secured. He watched as she kept trying to lunge at him. He watched as she frantically pawed at the ground, trying to pull herself forward. He could tell she was putting all her effort into it. But it was doing little more than maybe budge the metal pole a little. She would get free, but it wouldn't be any time soon. It would buy him enough time to take care of Mint. That is, unless he draws something else...

He wasted no more time. Confident that Ripclaw would be unable to attack for a time, Rudy turned his attention over to Mint. He stared at his magic chalk he still had clutched in his left hand. He had to get that way from him somehow. He knew he should plan his next move better, but he did not have a lot of time to spare. Igniting his rocket shoes to go even faster, Rudy dove down towards Mint.

Mint made no move. He just stared up at Rudy, his expression completely calm. He made no attempt to get out of the way. Rudy would normally be confused, but his attention was purely focused on that magic chalk. If he could get it out of his hands, he would not be able to fight back, and he could get him out of ChalkZone. And in a matter of seconds, he would have it. Just a little more time, just a little closer...

Then Mint just...stepped out of the way. He moved to the left when Rudy got too close. The suprised ten year old ended up barreling past Mint and crashed into the ground. Because his rocket shoes did not turn off, he was pushed along the ground for a while, pushing his body against the chalky grass, before he managed to get himself back up again. Wiping off the chalk dirt, he glared at Mint. He turned himself around and tried again.

Rudy got close again, but this time, he did not get as close as before. Mint did not move out of the way this time. No, something else happened that stopped Rudy. Something he had not expected to occur this fast.

Something hard and metal struck him. A blur that was too fast for him to register at first. It hit him against his chest, knocking him back. Then he felt a blast on his feet, his shoes being destroyed. Mint had shot him with the laser pistol again... Gravity did its work and he fell to the ground. He cried out as he hit the ground with a heavy thud. He trembled a little and then raised his head up to see what had happened.

Just like he thought, Mint had his laser pistol out, his magic chalk put away. He could see a little steam rising from it, a sign that it was recently in use. And standing next to him was Ripclaw. The pole was ripped from the ground, and she was dragging it along behind her like it was nothing. Rudy realized, in shock, that she was smart enough to use stored energy to swing the pole effectively enough at him to knock him out of the air, rather than use her claws to do the work. Just how smart was she...? Maybe he should talk to Penny about this...

He turned his attention to his feet. His right foot still seemed fine. It was always his right foot Mint shot first. But there was something about his left foot.. He wasn't sure if Mint deliberately was using more force on his left foot to give him a weak spot or if he was just really bad at keeping the same level of power behind two subsequent shots. He touched the back of his foot and winced slightly. There was indeed more damage. He would have to look at it later, though.

Hearing a laughter, Rudy shot a glare over at Mint. Of course he would find this funny. Does he not realize he would have been badly hurt? Is it not getting across his head that if he keeps blasting him with the laser pistol, something will soon give and he could get a worse injury?

Mint put the laser pistol back in his holster. He folded his hands behind his back. He started to walk down the hill, towards Rudy. He stopped when he was about seven feet in front of the boy. He was smiling at Rudy, but there was something else about that look. It looked almost like...boredom? Rudy narrowed his eyes at this. Of course Mint would have the audacity to be 'bored' when it came to a situation like this. Bored, like this was just some game, which to him, it was.

"I have to admit, Rudy. You really disappoint me." Mint said. He let out a sigh and shook his head. He looked at Rudy, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I would have thought that you'd do better by now. Yet here you are on the ground. I had thought that you would have been more prepared."

Rudy climbed up to his feet. He stifled a yelp when he put pressure on his left foot. He staggered a little, but maintained his balance. He continued to glare at Mint as he pulled out his magic chalk.

Mint shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps I was wrong about you. Maybe you really aren't all that great." He turned around but did not move from his spot. He instead looked down towards Happy Face Valley. He chuckled a little, and then gave Rudy a sideways glance. "You say you are the protector of ChalkZone. But tell me, Rudy. Where were you when I first came here? Where were you while I was attacking this place? You should have heard them screaming for help. They really wanted you to be here to save their sorry asses."

Rudy growled at this. "How dare you..."

Mint continued, "Even when I threatened your NPC guide..."

Rudy was confused momentarily by this. He quickly realized that Mint must have been talking about Snap.

"...you still don't fight harder. What a shame. Even the threat of losing who you claim to be your friend isn't good enough to motivate you, is it?" Mint sneered, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Isn't that such a pity? I guess then...if you aren't going to be putting up a real fight, Rudy, then I might as well finish what I started here."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. No, he wasn't going to allow it... Happy Face Valley had suffered enough damage already. And now this psychotic child was going to destroy the rest of it... Just out of spite...

Mint turned his attention to Ripclaw. He motioned towards Happy Face Valley with his right hand. "Destroy the rest of it. And if any of those happyfaces try to stop you..." An uncomfortable feeling rose in Rudy's heart as Mint's pupils dilated slightly. "Delete them."

Ice ran through Rudy's heart as the kid said that. And he watched, in horror, as Ripclaw let out a shriek before she turned her attention back on the damaged town below. Mint had...given the order to kill. He just told his dinosaur to kill, as if somehow that was not a big deal. The thought chilled Rudy to the core. He couldn't believe it. Did this kid have any idea on what he had done? Did he not have an inkling of what would happen if his dinosaur succeeded in killing a happyface? Or any zoner?

Rage started to sweep through Rudy's body. The ice in his veins soon melted as burning anger started to take control. To kill an innocent zoner like that, game or not...it was heartless. This kid...he was..he was a monster... An oblivious monster, but one nonetheless. He had to be stopped at all costs...

Rudy quickly redrew his rockets shoes. Ignoring the pain in his left foot, he rushed over across the hill. He jumped into the air and his rocket shoes activated instantly. He looked down and saw as Ripclaw was rushing towards one of the few houses left standing. He narrowed his eyes and moved faster. He didn't have much time left before she would make contact with the house. He could see her body tensing and flexing, preparing to make that crucial jump.

He managed to catch up to her in time. He flew in front of her, startling the raptor. She kicked her legs against the ground, coming to a halt. Her eyes widened in surprise. She looked around, her head twisting and turning swiftly. Then Rudy came around from the side and knocked into her thigh, nearly causing her to topple over. Pulling her lips back into a snarl, she turned her attention on Rudy. She slammed her jaws in the air, narrowly missing Rudy's right leg.

He flew around the dinosaur, keeping close but then backing off when she tried to bite him. A few more times, he rammed into her, knocking her a little. This frustrated her and she kept trying so hard to get at him. He then started to fly away from the town, hoping that she would follow him. And luckily, she did. Rudy didn't want to risk accidentally damaging the final five buildings as he dealt with the dinosaur. The raptor, snarling at him, jumped into the air. She swung her claws down at him. Rudy moved out of the way and them pushed down onto of her, making her crash into the ground.

He saw a flash of red, and his eyes widened. Rudy flew off to the side just as a stream of red flew passed him. He stared at the spot the red disappeared in and then turned his attention down to Mint. He glared at him. The boy had just tried to shoot him again.

"Ah, I see you learn well. Congratulations." Mint said mockingly.

Rudy would have said something to him, but his attention was on Ripclaw. He turned to face her and his eyes widened in horror as he saw her lunge at him in the air. He couldn't believe it. Mint was providing a distraction so that his raptor creation could sneak around behind him... He felt the claws lightly graze him, unable to get out of the way in time. His shirt was a little ripped, but luckily there wasn't any other damage. Narrowing his eyes at the raptor, he knew he had to remain vigilant.

Rudy dove down towards the ground until he was a few feet above it. He flew right past the raptor, narrowly missing her. He then turned around and came right back. The dinosaur screeched and kicked at the ground. She started to rush towards him. Rudy started to draw, knowing he didn't have much time. Lines took shape as he drew as quickly as he could. There was just seconds left...they were getting closer to each other now.. He could see her starting to open her jaws, preparing to bite him...

Then he was finished. In his hands he held a thick leather muzzle. As Ripclaw tried to get him, he started to fly around her head, just out of reach. Taking a risk, he moved down lower and managed to slip the muzzle around her snout. Confused, the dinosaur started to shake her head, attempting to dislodge the muzzle. Rudy, behind her now, pulled tightly, moving her head back. He secured the muzzle behind her head, locking it in place.

For a moment, Ripclaw struggled to get the muzzle off of her. She clawed at it, trying to scratch it off. Rudy knew that she would soon have it off of her. Taking this distraction as a chance, he dove down again. He grabbed onto the metal pole she was still dragging along with her like it was just a piece of paper, and started to drag her. The force generated by his rocket shoes made it possible for him to drag her along the ground, pulling her like she was just a dog on a leash. He immediately headed off up towards the hill.

Mint's eyes grew large as he saw Ripclaw was continuously dragged along the ground. Rudy then raised Ripclaw off the ground. He flew up a couple feet. Then, mustering as much strength as he could, he tossed the raptor towards the ground. He and Mint watched as she crashed into the grassy ground head first. She let out a pained screech before she slumped down. It was hard to tell if she was unconscious or merely incapacitated enough not to get back up. Either way, she was out of the picture for now.

Rudy knew that Mint would not be defenseless for long. Already the boy had his magic chalk raised. He was going to draw something else. Maybe something dangerous like that tyrannosaurus...or worse... No, he was not going to allow it... He was not going to let Mint win again. Determined to stop him, Rudy started to draw again and dove down towards the kid as fast as he could go.

Now carrying long rope, Rudy tied a loop at the end. He glared down at Mint as he got closer to him. Taking careful aim, he tossed it. The rope sailed towards Mint. Before the eleven year old could react, the rope slipped around his body, over his arms and across his chest. He looked stunned, and froze there as Rudy lowered himself to the ground. He pulled the rope hard, tightening the rope and pressing Mint's arms against his side. Rudy pulled Mint forward a little, causing the boy to stagger a little.

Mint struggled against the rope. "Let go of me!"

Rudy narrowed his eyes. "No. You are a menace to ChalkZone and I won't have you wreaking havoc here. You are going back to the real world!"

Mint laughed darkly. "Oh you wish..."

With Mint still lassoed, Rudy pulled on the rope hard. This caused him to lose his footing and he fell onto the ground. Now with the Enemy Creator on his back, Rudy rushed over and pressed his foot down on his chest, holding him in place. For a few moments, he and Mint just glared at each other. Then Rudy lowered himsef a little and held out his right hand expectantly.

"Give me the magic chalk, or I will take it from you." Rudy demanded.

Mint stared at him for a moment. Then he started to laugh. Rudy gritted his teeth. He still wasn't taking him seriously. He still thought this was all just a joke.

"Oh I don't think so." Mint sneered. "I am not done playing with you yet."

Rudy didn't realize that roping his arms at his sides didn't mean he couldn't still bend his arm. He had forgotten that Mint still could bend his elbow, could still rotate his arm. It hadn't crossed his mind that Mint was still capable of drawing. And he hadn't noticed Mint making small gestures with his hand. By the time he did, it was too late.

Without warning, a group of six tiny dinosaurs, something small and with mouths full of sharp teeth, came rushing at him. They pushed Rudy back away from Mint, allowing the boy to climb up to his feet, his arms still pinned at his sides. Rudy moved back as the dinosaurs kept coming after him, squeaking loudly as they snapped at his feet and legs, tearing a few small bits of clothing off of him.

As Rudy attempted to draw something to defend himself, Mint managed to get the lasso off of him. He folded his arms and chuckled evilly as he watched Rudy go up against the swift, fast moving dinosaurs.

"Oh so close, Rudy..." Mint said in a taunting tone. "Next time, make sure I can't move my hands before you try to take my magic chalk. You never know what kind of nasty surprises I will have in store for you..."

Rudy shot Mint a quick glare before he turned his attention to the tiny dinosaurs. He raised up his magic chalk. He had to take care of these swift, agile dinosaurs. And he has an idea of how he was going to do that. But he had to act fast.


	13. Failure

The small dinosaurs ran around Rudy, chirping angrily at him. They kept him surrounded. They randomnly jumped at him and nipped him. Rudy winced. He managed to grab one of the dinosaurs and threw them into the ground. He took a few steps back. One of the dinosaurs nipped at his left ankle. This caused Rudy to stagger a little. Then he accidentally pressed too hard against his injury and he let out a yelp of pain.

Rudy fell onto his knees, still clutching the magic chalk in his hand. He clenched his teeth, his eyes shut tightly. Then he felt the dinosaurs jump onto his back. All of them. Although small, their combined weight caused him to fall into the ground. He could feel their claws dig into his back, their teeth nipping at him.

Rudy had already tried his plan with these dinosaurs, and that had failed miserably. He had hoped to catch them in a lasso, like he had with Mint. But they were too fast for him. And too smart; somehow they knew not to stay together in one place for very long. They knew, on some level, what a lasso could do to them. So they deliberately ran in opposite directions whenever Rudy tried to lasso them. Then they would group together and attack him from all sides. Not vicious attacks; just enough to hold him back. It was like they were stalling for time. But why?

While he couldn't figure that out yet, there was one realization that did cross his mind. Mint had, in a way, been going easy on him. And not in the sense of 'he wasn't trying hard enough'. This kid was not allowing his dinosaurs to do a lot of damage to him. Maybe shake him up a bit, but no really serious injuries. He wondered if that was because he knew, on some level, he could get hurt, or if it was simply because he was human.

It had to be because he was human. That was the only reason. Mint did not care about zoners. He did not care if he hurt Snap or any other zoner. Heck, he had ordered Ripclaw to kill any zoner that tried to stop her. Mint saw him and Penny as 'fellow gamers', a challenge, but still human. This was the one part of his conscience that had surfaced. He was holding back on his dinosaurs because he did not really want to see Rudy and Penny get badly injured, even if he did not really believe that was possible in a virtual world.

And since these little dinosaurs were holding back because their master wanted them to, that might give him an advantage. If he could just try again with a new plan, he could secure them. He raised his hand to try to draw with the magic chalk, but he cried out when one of the dinosaurs bit his hand. Not enough to draw blood, but he could see the toothy indentions in his hand. He winced at the sight of it.

That quick moment of seeing the dinosaur did give him an idea. The dinosaurs had huge eyes. Large black pupils. That would mean that they were sensitive to light. The light of day zone wasn't bothering them because they had adjusted to it. But if he were to draw something brighter, and have it flight suddenly, then maybe he could drive them back temporarily. He wasn't sure if it would work. But he still had to try it. He had to try something anyway.

Rudy pushed himself up a little. He winced as he felt the talons on his back scrape against his skin. He pulled up the magic chalk, making quick flicks in the air before the dinosaurs could do anything about it. A flashlight dropped into his hand. Mustering as much strength as he could, Rudy flipped himself over, knocking over the small dinosaurs. He turned on the light and shined it in their eyes.

Their reaction was exactly what he had hoped. Their pupils dilated and they let out a screech. They shut their eyes and they turned their heads away. Screeching, a few of them bounded several feet back, trying to get away from the sudden bright light.

This would not keep them distracted for long. Rudy dropped the flashlight and turned towards Mint. The boy had been watching him this whole time, amused. Rudy narrowed his eyes. He had another shot at taking this kid down. Without thinking, powered by determination, Rudy started to run towards Mint.

Running may not have been the best idea. His left foot erupted in pain. He started to stagger as he ran. He found himself clutching his leg, and favoring his right. Mint raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Oh so now he took notice of his limp... Rudy wondered if this would finally convince Mint that this was real, or if he was just going to do what he expected and just brush it off like it was nothing. Rudy did manage to handle the pain well enough to continue running towards Mint.

All the while, Mint did not move. Just like before, he just stood there. Rudy narrowed his eyes. He wasn't stupid. He was not going to fall for the same thing twice. He knew Mint was going to just stop aside like he did before. At least this time, he did not have Ripclaw to help him. She was still unconscious on the ground several feet away. Mint showed no concern for her. Either he knew she was fine, or, as Rudy felt was more likely, he just didn't care about her and only saw her as an attack animal. He believed it was the former, and if he got a confirmation, then Mint was a disgusting person, using a living zoner in such a manner...

Rudy closed the distance between him and Mint. He didn't bother trying to draw more rope. The kid wasn't going to fall for the lasso trick again. He tensed the muscles in his body. He had to get the kid on the ground again. He had go get that chalk out of his hand. With the small dinosaurs temporarily distracted and Ripclaw still unconscious, Mint had less of a defense to protect him.

He could see Mint starting to shift. He was going to step aside now. Rudy prepared to make the turn. He watched Mint carefully, adjusting his movements as he did. He was moving to the side again. Rudy started to make the turn, preparing to lunge at the eleven year old. This was it. Just a second later, and he will have this boy pinned down again. And this time, he would make sure he couldn't move enough to draw anything.

But Mint was more clever than he had thought...

As Mint was turning, Rudy failed to realize he wasn't simply stepping aside. He was pivoting himself, turning around. As Rudy made the turn and started to take that crucial step towards him, Mint had lifted up a leg off the ground. He spun quickly, gathering energy in his leg. And he rammed it against Rudy, hitting him in the stomach. The force caused Rudy to grunt in pain, his eyes widening. He fell to his knees, holding his stomach. Rudy glared up at Mint.

"Pain simulation?" Mint asked, a little confused. Then a smile spread across his face. "Excellent. This game is more realistic than I imagined. I guess it will hurt you when I do...this!"

Without hesitating, Mint slammed his foot on Rudy's left hand, the one he was using to hold himself up. Rudy's eyes widened and he left out a scream. Mint smiled in satisfaction, clearly impressed with what he thought was just an advanced simulation, not realizing that it was very much real. Rudy clutched his left hand to his chest, inspecting the damage. A bruise was forming, but it didn't seem much worse than that. He turned to glare at Mint, opening his mouth to say something.

But Mint was not finished with him yet. Pulling his leg back, he rammed his knee against Rudy's chin. Rudy yelped as he bit his tongue. The force thrusted Rudy backwards. He landed on his back hard, groaning softly. He opened his eyes and started up as Mint hovered over him, his face cast in shadow due to his position. Rudy couldn't believe Mint hurt him, and on purpose, too. Maybe he had been wrong about him. Maybe he didn't care if he hurt him and Penny.

"Normally, I wouldn't do that. But if it suits my needs, I will." Mint said, smirking down at Rudy. "Plus, I love testing out newly found features. Pain simulation is going to be things a little difficult. That's good! I love the challenge!" He sneered down at Rudy. "At least pain itself offers a bigger challenge than you, little boy."

Rudy snarled at this. "I am going to beat you!"

"Not likely." Mint laughed coldly. He pressed his foot against Rudy's chest and held him down, just like Rudy had done to him before. The boy lowered himself, staring at Rudy, keeping his eyes locked with his. Mint reached down and grabbed Rudy's chin, holding his head in place. "It is such a shame that you keep losing to me, Rudy. I was hoping for a greater challenge. But if you keep fighting me the way you are...you will never win. I do still hope you get better, because as of now...you're a failure."

Rudy tried to jerk his head away. Mint tightened his grip. Rudy winced as Mint dug his nails into his skin a bit. Baring his teeth, Rudy growled, "Say what you want about me... It doesn't change anything! I will find a way to get you out of here. I swear it!"

"Swearing is one thing, Little Rudy." Mint said mockingly. "Doing is a whole other thing." He reached down with his other hand and lightly traced the back of his pointer finger along Rudy's cheek, prompting a snarl from the younger boy. "Until you learn to step up your game, you'll always be a failure to the ones you claim to be protecting. How pitiful... these game sprites must look up to you, and yet here you are, rendered helpless...oh how many times has it been?" Mint moved his hand away and tapped his finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Three?"

Rudy growled at him.

Mint chuckled. "Why yes, it has been three." He smiled down at Rudy. "And you know, normally they say 'three strikes and you're out', don't they?"

"I'm not beat yet!" Rudy shouted at him.

A cold laughter erupted from Mint. It was chilling...even if the boy was just 'acting the part of a villain' since he thought he was in a virtual game, that sounded too good, too authentic... Rudy felt his glare fade, his eyes starting to wide in realization. There was something Mint knew that he didn't. Something that he was about to find out soon enough.

Mint's smile scared Rudy. There was something about the way he was looking at him. It was downright creepy. Almost...insanity... Mint moved himself back a little, still holding Rudy on the ground. Rudy had been unable to draw anything for Mint had used his foot to hold his right hand against the ground. Rudy saw the boy look out behind them, where Happy Face Valley was. There was a look of...triumph that came over the boy's face. Rudy's heart started to beat quickly. No, it couldn't be...

Then Mint turned down to look at him. That grin, that creepy smile, was still etched on the older boy's face. "Oh, but I think you already are..." He made a swift motion with his head, looking back out towards Happy Face Valley.

Rudy's heart clenched. A horrible feeling spread throughout his chest. No, it was impossible. Mint was here... The small dinosaurs were too weak to do anything that major, and Ripclaw was still unconscious...wasn't she? Mint couldn't have been able to... No... Rudy pushed his head upwards as far as he could go. Although he was seeing things upside down, he could make out easily what was going on. And he was horrified.

Ripclaw had woken up. At some point while he had distracted himself with Mint, she had woken up. And she was finishing up her rampage. All the houses save for one were destroyed. And Ripclaw was working on the final house. He watched, his body shaking, as Ripclaw demolished the last one.

A cold feeling washed over Rudy. Realization sunk in from all sides. A pang filled up inside of him. He couldn't believe it... He just couldn't believe it... He had failed. He failed Happy Face Valley. He failed the happyfaces. Their home...it..it had been completely destroyed. All their houses...gone. There was no building left standing. Mint had succeeded in destroying Happy Face Valley... How could he...

He glared up at Mint. "You monster..."

Mint's eyes widened a little at that statement. For a moment, he looked genuinely surprised. Then the smile came back. "You're taking this game too seriously. Calm down. The creators of this game can always create them new houses for them to go on their preprogrammed lives."

Rudy narrowed his eyes. Of course this kid would have no remorse for what he's done. Of course he would act like it was no big deal. He had come to expect this from this child.

"Now what was I thinking? Oh yes! Strike three, Rudy. I could say 'you're out', but I know that's not how it works in this game. Who knows?" Mint lowered himself closer to Rudy. "Maybe fourth time's the charm?" He said tauntingly. He laughed when Rudy bared his teeth at him. "Such determination...yet you still fail, Rudy. You don't even know what was really going on."

Rudy looked at Mint in confusion. "What..what are you talking about?"

Mint chuckled. "Oh that would be telling. I'm sure someone of your intelligence could figure it out." Mint sounded absolutely pleased with himself. It was disgusting. "Think about it. It will come to you soon enough."

Rudy glared at Mint. He still wasn't sure what he was talking about. But right now, he was more focused on what he just did. He destroyed Happy Face Valley. Completely and utterly destroyed it...and for what? Because he thinks this is a game? If he could just open his eyes, if he would just think for a moment, he'd realize this wasn't a game world. Why couldn't this kid see that he had just rendered a group of zoners, real people, homeless? Why couldn't he open his eyes and see the destruction for what it was?

While Rudy had understood before, meeting Mint really drove Biclops's point of view home. He remembered how distrustful the giant was of him at first. He remembered how the giant was determined he didn't draw anything. And meeting Mint...he could see why on a deeper level than before. He had seen the destructive power a creator could have if they so chose. And with Mint, it's worse because he does not realize this place was real. He had to stop him, somehow...

He felt Mint press against him harder. He watched as the older boy shifted his weight, keeping him on the ground while turning his attempt to his right hand. Rudy's eyes widened as he realized what was about ot happen. He started to struggle on the ground. No, he was not going to allow Mint to take his magic chalk again. Not a third time. He tightened his fingers around the chalk and held on tightly. He started to struggle against Mint.

"No..you're not...taking that from me..." Rudy growled as he tried to push Mint away from him.

Mint did not respond. He instead rolled his body across Rudy, using his weight to hold him down. His left arm was pinned at his side. He started to kick his legs frantically, trying to get free. Mint wrapped his legs around Rudy's left leg, holding it in place. He pressed his elbow against Rudy's upper arm, near the shoulder, and used the rest of his arm to hold down Rudy's arm. Rudy tried to kick at Mint with his free leg, but he couldn't land a hit.

He felt Mint start to pry his fingers open. Rudy responded by tightening his grip. Mint growled in frustration and started to pull harder, tightening his hold on Rudy's wrist. This went on for a little while. Rudy kept kicking at the ground desperately. He tried to free his trapped arm. He tried to jerk his right arm free from Mint's hold. Despite Mint not being that much larger than him, it was clear Mint was the strongest of the two.

Then Mint did something he did not expect. Mint lifted up Rudy's right hand a little. He was still trying to pry open his tight fingers. Clearly frustrated, like he was desperate to 'win this round', Mint bit down on Rudy's wrist hard. Rudy's eyes widened and he let out a cry of pain. His fingers loosened up and Mint took his magic chalk from him.

In desperation, Rudy started to grab at Mint, trying to get a hold of his arm or hand and pull him back. Mint had gotten up from him and moved back quickly enough before Rudy got close to getting his chalk back. Now off the ground and standing up, Rudy glared hatefully in Mint's direction. Mint just smiled back at him, waving his magic chalk in front of him tauntingly. Rudy was not going to let him get away. Even though he was chalkless again, he was not backing down. Tensing up his leg muscles, Rudy bolted towards the older boy.

He did not get that far. He felt something nip at his left leg. Then something else at his other leg. He realized the small dinosaurs from before had come after him. He felt third one jump on his head and bite against his shoulder. Rudy winced and gripped the dinosaur and pulled it off of him. The dinosaur nipped on his finger, causing him to drop it on the ground.

Rudy kept trying to get closer to Mint, but the dinosaurs were making it nearly impossible for him to stop closer. They constantly targeted his feet, biting at them and his legs. Some of them kept jumping on his shoulders, trying to knock him back into the ground using their weight. Rudy winced as they kept biting at him, crawling all over him, clawing at him. He found himself taking steps back away from Mint. He didn't want to move back. He wanted to go after the boy. But all these dinosaurs on him, clawing at him, biting him... He found it hard to do anything but step backwards.

Mint did not react to the little bit of blood coming out of the small wounds the dinosaurs were making. He must think it's just part of the simulation. Rudy desperately pulled the dinosaurs off of him and backed up some more. The dinosaurs kept coming at him. All six of them ran around him in circles. At random, they would bite at his ankle or leg or jump and bite his arm. They pushed Rudy back further. Chalkless and in some considerable pain, Rudy did the only thing he could do.

He turned and ran away. It was the one thing he did not want to do. He did not want to flee from this kid. Without his chalk, though, and with these dinosaurs protecting Mint, he had no choice but to run.

He could hear Mint laughing as he fled. Anger welled up in his heart. He was going to find a way to beat Mint. Somehow, someway, he would. He lost to him a third time. That sent shockwaves through his mind. A third time... He really needed to figure out a way to beat this guy. If he could destroy Happy Face Valley so heartlessly...what's going to stop him from doing something worse?

Once he was about thirty feet away from Mint, he heard the boy call back his dinosaurs. Almost instantly, the tiny little things broke off their chase and ran back to Mint. Rudy stopped and turned around. He glared hatefully at Mint as he got on top of Ripclaw. The tiny dinosaurs dispersed, going off in separate directions. Mint waved his magic chalk, the one he had just stolen from him, tauntingly, a smug grin on his face.

"Looks like I win again, Little Rudy!" Mint called out to him. "I'll be seeing you around! Oh! And before I forget..." His eyes twinkled a little. Even from this distance, Rudy could see it. "Why don't you bring your NPC guide with you? I'd love to see how well you can protect him from me. If this is the best you can do..."

Mint made a motion towards Happy Face Valley, or rather, the rubble that stood in its place. Rudy growled in anger. How dare he...

"I don't think Snap stands much of a chance." Mint said, smiling darkly at Rudy.

"Why you..." Rudy started to say.

Mint just waved at him dismissingly, ignoring the enraged boy. He patted the side of Ripclaw and off they went. Rudy watched, anger filling his heart, as the two disappeared over the hills. Rudy's body trembled. His teeth were clenched. His hands formed fists as they shook. That kid...he had just threatened Snap again... His best friend... And he mocked the idea of him being able to save his friend. That jerk...

He wouldn't let him get away with this. He destroyed Happy Face Valley. He was not going to destroy another place. Not on his watch. He would show him. He would let this kid know why he was chosen as protector of ChalkZone. He would make him see just how wrong he was. And he was going to make sure he did not hurt anyone anymore. Snap or any other zoner.. Mint was not hurting them again.

When his thoughts went to Snap, there was a pang in his chest. He recalled how frightened Snap was when they found him tied up like that. He was not going to let Mint to have another chance. He was not going to let him go anywhere near his friend. If Mint thinks he is going to have another shot at Snap tonight, he is sadly mistake. He and Penny would see to it that he never got a chance to hurt Snap. The blue zoner was staying with him tonight, and unless Mint knows where he lives, which he doubts, he can't get to Snap tonight. Snap would be safe.

Rudy looked at Happy Face Valley. He bit his lip. He couldn't believe he failed again. It was hard to let it sink all in. The feeling was horrible. This place was completely destroyed...and he had been unable to stop it.. He didn't get here on time. He didn't stop Mint in time. Mint had gotten away with destroying this once happy and beautiful place. He failed...

The horrible feeling crashed in all around him. He fell to his knees, feeling weakness in his legs. His body shook with emotion. He stared at Happy Face Valley, at the frightened and confused happyfaces as they looked around at their destroyed home. Tears streaming down his face, Rudy lowered his head and started to cry. This wasn't fair... It just wasn't fair... The happyfaces didn't deserve this. This violence had been pointless... What...what was Mint trying to accomplish...? What purpose could that rotten child have had to do something so...horrible...?

He should have tried harder. He should have moved faster. He should have been more vigilant. He thought he would do better this time. But he still lost to Mint... And what made him feel worse is that he could have beaten him. He had him tied up shortly ago. He could have won against the kid and stopped him from coming into ChalkZone if he had just taken the magic chalk from him. But he had blown his chance.

At least none of the happyfaces were seriously hurt. And they did still have that shelter Penny drew. Still, it did little to ease the guilt he felt inside.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone calling out his name.

"Rudy!"

Rudy looked over and saw Penny and Snap rushing towards him. He wiped away his tears as he turned around to face them. They stopped in front of him. They had clearly taken notice to his tears and were looking at him worriedly. They were about to say something when Rudy gestured with his head over to Happy Face Valley.

The sight of the place now completely destroyed horrified the two. Penny put her hands to her mouth. Snap took a step back, his eyes widened in shock. They had already seen the destruction from before. But it was a shock to their system to see it now completely destroyed, with no buildings left standing.

Penny turned her attention back to Rudy. She bit her lip and took a step forward. "Rudy...I know what you're feeling. But this isn't your fault." She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Don't blame yourself. You did what you could."

Rudy wrenched his shoulder free and walked away, putting his back to her. "Yeah? Well my best wasn't good enough." He looked down at Happy Face Valley's remains, tears still running down. He motioned with his hand. "They were counting on me... and I failed them."

Penny shook her head. "No Rudy. You didn't fail. You would only fail if you did nothing at all. But you tried your best and that's what counts. None of the happyfaces appear to be that badly hurt. You can redraw their houses and it'll be fine. The important thing is they're still alive."

"Penny's right, Bucko." Snap said. He walked over to Rudy, looking at him sympathetically. "It could have been a lot worse. Mint could have...killed someone." There was a lump in his throat as he said that. It wasn't something he wanted to think about. "If he had planned on doing that...at least you managed to stop him."

"But..." Rudy started to say.

Snap shook his head. "No buts, Rudy. Remember, buildings can always be replaced. But lives cannot."

Rudy let what his friends said sink in. He realized they were right. He did try his best. He gave it his best shot. Yeah, he lost, but at least he managed to stop Mint from doing worse. He wasn't sure if the kid would have done more, but at least now he didn't have that chance. He could always redraw their homes. That was very true. He couldn't recreate a life, but he could recreate a building or something inanimate. He shouldn't feel guilty; he at least stopped something worse from happening.

Rudy wiped away his tears. He managed to smile at his friends. He was grateful for their support and understanding. He was glad they were there to snap him out of his guilt trip. He took a step forward and pulled them into a group hug.

"Thanks, you guys.." Rudy said in a soft voice.

"Don't mention it, Bucko." Snap said.

"We'll be here for you." Penny whispered softly.

Rudy pulled back from them and smiled. They smiled back at him. But the smiles soon vanished as Rudy realized there was still one more matter to take care of.

His expression becoming that of worry, Rudy said, "What did you guys find out about Skrawl? Did you find him?"

Penny and Snap looked at each other. Then back at Rudy. They shook their heads slowly.

"We're sorry, Rudy." Penny said. "We haven't been able to locate him. Snap and I searched everywhere we thought he could be. There was no sign of him. And when we asked some zoners, they say they didn't see him either."

Snap nodded his head. "It's so strange, don't you think? Why would he not be present here? Isn't this where the artifact is?" Snap looked around. "Did that kid manage to steal it?"

Rudy shook his head. "No. He didn't try to steal anything. He was just...causing destruction."

Penny raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't trying to dig for anything? No attempt to unearth something of value below?" Rudy shook his head. Penny's eyes widened a little. "Maybe there is more to this than we think."

"That's what Mint said." Rudy said, his eyes narrowing. "He said that I should be able to figure it out." Rudy let out a soft sigh. His expression softened up. "I hope I can... I hope I can make this right..."

Penny put her hand on his shoulder again. "And you will. Don't worry."

sss

Rudy waited until it was late at night before he attempted to open up a new portal on his chalkboard. He would have opened up a portal much sooner for Snap's sake, but he couldn't rush into it. He didn't want to risk his parents hearing something and walking in to find a blue boy in the same room as him. He didn't want them freaking out about a stranger coming over.

He knew Snap was still scared. He had hidden his fear well today. It helped that he didn't have to deal with Mint again today. The Enemy Creator had vanished before Penny and Snap had arrived on the scene. While Rudy would have loved some backup, it was glad that Snap didn't have to see Mint's mug that day. The poor guy was still so shaken up... Seeing Mint again so soon would have terrified him. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Snap would have to run into him again sooner or later. It was inevitable that a confrontation between the two would occur again.

They weren't sure if Mint would try something again when Snap was alone. Yeah, he said he wasn't going to, according to Snap. But who is to say he was telling the truth? He might still go after him again. He might have said that just to throw them off, to make them lower their guard so he could strike unexpectantly.

They had talked a bit about what Skrawl might have been doing, and what Mint meant when he said 'what was really going on'. They agreed that something more was going on. It was strange that Mint hadn't tried to dig for the artifact. Rudy's thoughts before about it being merely a distraction rose in his head once more. His heart clenched. He really hoped that wasn't the case. All that destruction...for no reason... Just how far was Mint willing to go...?

They had decided to continue talk tomorrow. It was starting to get late. They didn't have much time to stick around and chat. They had to go before their parents start to get suspicious. Snap wasn't happy about being left alone again. He had been following them more closely during their stay. But they had no choice and Rudy promised to let him in as soon as he could, when the time was right. Despite his fear, Snap did understand and he agreed to wait in the spot where Rudy's house portal was. Rudy told him to bring food and water if he gets hungry or thirsty during the night.

Feeling that now was a good time, Rudy drew the portal. He had to take a step back as Snap immediately climbed through the portal as soon as it was open. The little zoner had moved in so fast that he had knocked Rudy into the ground by mistake. The two of them just laid there for few seconds, groaning a little from the surprise collision.

"I know you really wanted to come in, Snap, but..." Rudy said as he rubbed his head. "..please be a little more patient and don't jump through portals like that again, okay?"

"Sorry." Snap said. He got off the ground and brushed himself off. He set a small plastic bag on the ground, which Rudy noticed contained some chalk food and a bottled chalk drink. He looked over at the portal, his eyes widening. "Bucko...? Could you...?"

Rudy noticed Snap's fear. He knew right away what he wanted. He picked up his eraser and went over to the chalkboard. He rubbed the eraser across the dark surface unti the portal was completely gone. Rudy noticed Snap relaxing as he saw the portal was gone.

"There. Now he can't get to you." Rudy said, giving his friend a smile.

Snap didn't answer. He just nodded his head. Rudy could tell he was still frightened. He felt so bad for him. It must have been one horrible experience. Tied up and gagged all night long... And not being able to sleep much because of it. He was amazed that Snap managed to stay alert despite being sleep deprived.

He could see his friend was trembling a little. Rudy's heart tightened. He wanted to find someway to help him feel better. It may not be enough that Snap just sleep in the same room as him. He might need something a little more. He turned his eyes up towards his bed. It was meant for one person, but Snap wasn't that big. He was a tad bit smaller than him. There might be enough room on that bed for two.

He looked back down at his friend. It seemed like an awkward request. He never asked anyone to sleep in the same bed as him. But Snap was scared...so frightened... This was the best way he felt he could comfort him.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed with me?" Rudy asked. "Would that help you feel better?"

Snap stared at Rudy in surprise for a second. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, if that's not too much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all! You're my best friend!" Rudy smiled, prompting Snap to smile back at him. Rudy went over to his bed's ladder. He motioned for Snap to come with. "Come on up here. I'll make room."

The two boys headed up the ladder. Rudy went up first. Then Snap. When Snap got to the top of the ladder, Rudy scooted over as far as he could, pressing his back against the wall. He made enough room for Snap to lay down next to him. He pulled the covers over himself and Snap and settled down on the bed, making himself comfortable, laying down on his side facing his friend.

Snap, on his side, snuggled closer to Rudy. He pressed his head against his chest and put his arm over him. Smiling, Rudy put his arm around Snap and pulled him closer. He rested his chin against the top of Snap's head as he felt him nestle closer against him. As Snap lay against him, Rudy could feel Snap's speeding heart slow down dramatically, comforted by being so close to him.

"Thank you..." Snap said as he closed his eyes to try to get some overdue sleep.

Rudy pulled him a little tighter. "Don't mention it, Snap." He yawned. "Goodnight..."

"Goodnight, Rudy.." Snap said softly.

The two boys then drifted off to sleep.


	14. Weakness

Rudy woke up to the sound of low whimpering. Something was moving against him. He opened up his eyes, his surroundings dark and blurry at first. He rubbed his eyes and looked down next to him. He soon saw what was making all that noise and movement.

It was Snap. He had rolled onto his stomach during the night, his head facing towards the ladder. His body was shaking like a leaf. He could hear more low cries coming from his friend. Moving over a little, he could see that Snap, though still asleep, was crying. It looked like he had been crying for a while. His face was stained red and he could see the shines from where his tears kept falling.

His heart tugged as he heard Snap start to talk in his sleep. Whispers and whines intermixed with his words, making it all the sadder to watch.

"N-No...please..." Snap whimpered. "Don't come near me..."

Rudy looked at his friend sympathetically. He was having a nightmare, poor guy. Rudy put his hand on the back of Snap's head and started to stroke it gently in an attempt to comfort him. His touch, however, had the opposite effect. Snap started to kick his legs a little, like he was trying to run away.

"Don't touch me! Please! I don't want this!" Snap started to cry loudly, more sobs escaping his throat.

Rudy bit his lip. Seeing his friend suffer under a nightmare was a terrible feeling. He had to calm him down somehow. Ignoring Snap's increased struggling, Rudy moved closer to his friend and put his arm around him. He could feel Snap's trembling body against him. His fingers touched a wet spot from where Snap's tears had fallen down. He held onto Snap firmly but gently, trying his best to calm down his frightened friend.

"No!" Snap cried in his sleep.

"Sh sh sh...It's okay Snap.." Rudy whispered gently. "It's okay. You're safe. It's me, Rudy."

Snap continued to cry, trying to toss and turn in the bed like he was going to be dragged away. This prompted Rudy to pull him even tighter, still being careful not to hurt him.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your friend, Snap. It's me, Rudy... It's okay..." Rudy said to his friend softly. He laid his head on Snap's back, his cheek against Snap's head. "Calm down...calm down..."

Snap started to calm down a little. His crying slowed down. His whimpers started to die down. His body wasn't shaking as hard. He was still very frightened and his words continued to be mumbled. There was just as much fear mustered in those words as they were before, tugging at Rudy's heartstrings.

"Please let me go..." Snap whimpered as his shaking grew a tad bit stronger, regaining some of its strength. "Please...I haven't done anything to you...Why are you doing this to me? Why..?"

"Shhhh..." Rudy whispered in Snap's ear. "Please calm down, Snap. You're safe..." He moved his head back and then pressed his cheek against Snap's. He pulled him even closer. "Don't worry. You're safe."

Slowly, Snap calmed down some more. Rudy felt his body slowly stop shaking, becoming relaxed. His crying went on for a little while longer, but soon that stopped as well. Rudy stared at his friend worriedly. That must have been one bad nightmare. Poor guy. He wasn't surprised he had a nightmare. Mint had scared him so much... At least he calmed down now.

Keeping his head against Snap's, Rudy closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

sss

Mint wished it was the weekend already. But he still had to wait. There were still a few days left in the week before the weekend would be here. He really wanted it to be Friday evening because that meant he had Saturday and Sunday to play that game. It was so exciting and he was happy to go any chance he got. It was frustrating for him to have to wait until a couple times during the day to go.

He wanted to go there now. But he could not. He had to get dressed for school and his mom and dad wanted to talk to him about going on a trip later on. A couple months or something. He didn't know why they couldn't just wait, but then again, they always liked being prepared. So he guessed he shouldn't be surprised they wanted to talk to him now. This meant that he would not be able to enter the game until later on today during recess at school. Recess didn't give him a lot of time; but it was enough to meet up with his NPC guide and get instructions on what to do next.

He had enjoyed his last mission. He had wanted to see some destruction more up close and personal. And seeing it, as Ripclaw tore through Happy Face Valley, brought a sense of wonder and joy to him. It was like buying a new video game with the latest features and just being blown away by what it could do. The destruction he had witnessed yesterday evening, it was so realistic...so incredible. He had no idea how the programmers managed to make the game seem so real, how they managed to make the buildings crumble and fall apart much like they would if they were real.

And the happyfaces...despite being just preprogrammed data, he thought they were pretty cool. The way that the one happyface that tried to stop Ripclaw showed that their programming was more dynamic. Their reactions weren't static. They weren't simple generic responses he had come to expect from video games. They were lively, variant. It was truly amusing to see them react like they did to their homes being destroyed. Not because he genuinely found it funny, but because he couldn't believe the level of detail and thought put into this game. It was amazing.

On some level, he felt guilty about it. He didn't know why. It was just a game. None of it was real. Yet he could not shake off a small pang in his chest. There was a tiny bit of him that did feel bad about destroying their homes, despite the fact that they can always just be rebuilt. He tried to shake the doubt form his head. It was just a game. He had to keep telling himself that. It was nothing more than data and numbers put together to create a virtual simulation. None of it was real.

His mind drifted to Rudy. He was impressed that he was getting a little better. He lasted longer this time around. That was good. It meant that Rudy could be a real challenge. It would be boring if his only opponents in the game weren't able to keep up with him. He was new anyway. Shouldn't Rudy have the advantage? Why had he been able to beat Rudy three times in a row without having nearly as much experience?

He wondered if Rudy was holding back on him. No...that wasn't possible. The deluded child really thinks he's protecting real people. If he was determined to do that, he would not go easy on him. He would fight with all his might to get him out of the game. His other thought is that Rudy just wasn't used to fighting against someone like him. Yeah that might be it...

Skrawl did say this game was still in beta. Maybe Rudy and Penny were the first ones to get here and since they were on the same team, or they just decided to join forces, they did not have any, or at least very little, experience against fighting against another player. They were used to fighting against the AIs only. That would explain why Rudy was having a hard time against him despite having more experience. He was not used to fighting against another human player. He was not used to have to think dynamically with someone else.

He was certain that Rudy could, at some point, do even better. He seemed like a bright enough kid to be able to do that. He hoped he would get better. He would feel bad if he kept wiping the floor with Rudy without the boy being able to fight back. Yeah, he was harsh on him during their battles, even taking his magic chalk. But he was only like that because he was playing the role of the bad guy. And Skrawl did tell him that to win each round, he had to take the magic chalk from Rudy. And only from Rudy; he did not mention anything regarding Penny.

Mint wondered if Penny would even be a challenge for him. He didn't doubt that she could draw. Anyone could; they just take a pencil or pen and scribble lines on paper. It was how well they could form lines into shapes and creatures and objects that counted. He hadn't seen Penny do much. She probably isn't even worth fighting. Yeah, she probably isn't. He'd keep his attention on Rudy.

He did feel bad, on some level on how he had treated Rudy in the game. Yeah, it was just acting. Yeah he was playing up the role of the villain, so he had to act pretty vicious. And it wasn't real. Despite Rudy and Penny's delusions, it wasn't real, so it wasn't like they were in any real danger there. He could stab Rudy through the chest if he wanted to, and he would still be fine. It might look bad, but that was the worst that could happen. Not like he would actually do that, but still.

But he still couldn't help but feel somewhat bad about what he said and did to him. He was so condenscending to the boy. He had been pretty mean to him, calling him a failure and what not. And what made it bad is that...Mint kinda meant what he said. On some level. He was getting frustrated and disappointed with Rudy that, in that moment, he was angry at enough to say something like that. He didn't feel Rudy was putting his best in it, in that second. He thought Rudy was going to be an excellent opponent, but so far, he did nothing but disappoint. Yet...perhaps he shouldn't have been quite so mean to him.

And stomping on his hand like that, deliberately hurting him... Even though it was all fake, seeing Rudy react like he was in genuine pain did make him feel a pang in his stomach. It was a neat game feature. He had never seen a game incorporate pain simulation so well. It would indeed be useful to help him win more rounds against Rudy. But perhaps he should hold off a bit. Perhaps he shouldn't abuse that game feature too much. It was unsettling, deep down, for him to see another human in pain, even if it were just brief.

It wasn't like how it was with Snap. With that blue boy, he couldn't really feel guilt about what he did to him. He was just data cobbled together to look like a person. He knew he wasn't real. He knew that Snap could not really feel any emotions or any pain. And any appearance of such was nothing more than a mere simulation. Snap was not really scared; the data that controlled him just made it seem like he was.

With Rudy, he knew he was real. He met him in the real world before. He and Penny sought him out. He spoke to them. He had been mean to them there, too. But that was just to get them to fight harder, especially Rudy. He wanted them put it their all in the game so there would be a challenge. He had heard Rudy start to come after him and he realized he may have gone a little too far. Then again, it wasn't his fault that the two deluded themselves so much that they believe that ChalkZone was real, even after they left the game. There was no harm in having a little fun with them, was here?

Despite the small feelings of guilt he experienced with his treatment of Rudy, Mint didn't see much of a reason to alter his behavior. Rudy was already used to him acting like a jerk, and a part of it did feel a little good. For once, no one was forcing him to do something he did not want. For once, he was more in control of his choices, going down the path that he wanted to, not one that someone set up for him. Yeah he still took orders from Skrawl, but he was an AI programmed to know how to have fun. Any assignment he gave him so far, it had been quite entertaining.

And who knows? Maybe Rudy will surprise him next time. He did surprise him with that lasso trick of his. Simple, yet effective. It was the first time he felt that the boy could be a challenge. So perhaps continuing to be mean to him would be the best way to make him bring out his best. And if he continued to believe that ChalkZone was real, he deserved a few taunts once in a while, didn't he? Rudy and Penny should both know better than to take a game that seriously, after all.

He thought about Snap. It had been fun when he boxed him in the corner like that. And he had enjoyed maintaining control over him. It was incredible how the AI responded appropriately, and he got Snap to do what he wanted. He had thought about hurting him when he forced him on his knees, but thought better of it. He was only there to send a message, not damage their NPC guide. Still, it was amusing to see how realistic the fear Snap displayed was. Even crying... Had he been real, he would have felt bad about what he was doing. He was glad that he was just an AI.

He hoped he would see Snap again in the next confrontation. He still wanted to have another shot at him. He still wanted to see what his data looked like when he shot him. Or cut him, or whatever he decided to do with the NPC guide. He did feel bad about the idea of deleting Snap since it meant that Rudy and Penny might not have access to the game anymore. But if they don't start putting up a challenge, it wasn't like there would be much of a difference with them gone.

Mint looked at the time. It was getting close to get ready for the bus. And his parents still wanted to talk to him. He looked at the portal one last time, disappointed that he couldn't go in and meet with Skrawl real quick. Oh well. A little time away from the game wouldn't hurt. He will be able to go into it later.

"Mint!" He heard his dad call out. "Come down here! We need talk to you!"

"Coming!" Mint shouted back. He quickly picked up his things and headed out of his room.

sss

Rudy did feel bad about having to wake up Snap. He would have liked to let his friend sleep with him longer. But his parents were awake and his mom had come in to wake him up. He was relieved that she did not notice Snap. It was a very close call and if she had see him, he would have had to find some way to explain his presence.

He had no choice but to wake up his friend. Snap looked like he was having a good night's sleep, especially after that horrible nightmare that plagued him for a while. He looked so peaceful and calm as he slept. It was hard for Rudy to have to wake him up. But with his parents about, he couldn't risk him being seen. He got his friend up and took him down towards the portal. He told Snap that Penny was coming over soon and they would make a quick visit to him before they headed off to school.

There wasn't a whole lot of time in the morning. A little, just enough to give Snap a heads up on what they're going to do. Penny wanted to talk to him a little about what happened in Happy Face Valley. She said she had an idea of what was going on, but she wanted to talk to him in person about it.

He didn't have to wait too long for his friend. About half an hour before it was time for them to go to school, Penny had arrived at his house. She went upstairs to greet him. He opened the door, letting her in, and then shut it. He wished he had a lock on his door to prevent his parents from walking in on their conversation. But with them currently so busy, he had doubts that they would come into his room any time soon.

He and Penny sat down on the ledge by his window. They took a moment to look outside, seeing the people walking on the streets, the wind blowing through the trees, the bright sun shining through. For a moment, they reflected on all that has happened recently. It was now day four and they still hadn't found a way to get Mint out of ChalkZone. Who knows how long it would be before they finally get him out...how knows what kind of destruction would be laid upon ChalkZone before Mint is finally stopped.

Rudy was glad that he was able to redraw at least some homes for Happy Face Valley. It had taken a while, and he had to put in a lot of effort. But he managed to draw about fifteen houses before he had to leave. There was still more he had to draw, but at least, for now, it would do and Happy Face Valley no longer looked completely like a wreck.

"How is your hand?" Penny asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Rudy glanced down at his left hand. There was a light bruise there. It hurt him still, but not as bad as it was before. He rubbed his right hand over it gently, remembering how much it had hurt when Mint stomped his foot on it.

"It's fine. I put some ice on it when I came back." Rudy said, his eyes still on his head. "I told my parents that I hurt my hand when trying to arrange some things in my room. It's such a mild bruise that they did believe me." He looked over at Penny. "I am glad that the kick to my stomach and chin didn't leave a bruise as well. I don't know how I would have been able to explain those on such short notice."

Penny nodded her head. "I'm sure you would have thought of something."

"Yeah...perhaps." Rudy said.

Penny looked down at his left foot. "And your foot? How...bad is it?"

Rudy looked down at his foot. He reached down and pulled off his shoe and set it down. Then came his sock. He lifted up his foot for Penny to see. He heard her gasp in shock. That was his reaction to when he saw how bad the wound looked when he first took a glance.

There was a deep red mark on his heel, covering part of the bottom of his sole. It spread from about half an inch along the back of his foot where his achilles tendon was to about half an inch under his sole. In about the center of the foot, there was a slightly brighter area where the skin looked really raw. Touching it even just lightly stung him. And the rest of the mark was painful as well. There was also a bit of bright red spotting, indicating where there had been a little bit of bleeding.

"It's hard to walk without limping." Rudy said softly.

"Oh Rudy..." Penny whispered.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much as it looks." Rudy said, putting on his best smile. "And I did find find an explanation my parents found satisfying for what happened."

"What did you tell them?" Penny asked.

"I stepped on a tack." Rudy replied.

Penny winced at that. "I hate tacks..."

"Yeah, me too..." Rudy nodded slowly. He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He turned to Penny. "So..what were your ideas regarding Happy Face Valley?"

Penny leaned back. She looked at Rudy and said, "I think I figured out what Mint had been doing all along." Rudy leaned in a little closer, eager to hear what her thoughts were. "I think he was just disracting you."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. "Distracting me...?"

Penny nodded solemnly. "Him not trying to take anything, or dig anything up didn't add up. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the only logical conclusion I could come to..." She hesitated for a moment. She looked a little apprehensive." ...was if his whole role there was just to keep you busy... Maybe the only reason he was causing all that destruction was to draw your attention to him and keep you from finding Skrawl."

Rudy's eyes filled with horror. It was something he had considered himself. He had thought that maybe the whole thing was a distraction. But hearing from Penny, he realized...that had to have been it. It made sense. Mint attacking such an innocent place, one that had nothing to do with the plan...all just to keep him far away from Skrawl. The realization sent shudders down his spine.

"I had the same reaction." Penny looked at him sympathetically. She turned her gaze downward. "It was...hard for me to come to that conclusion. The idea of Skrawl now using distractions is..unsettling. It means we are forced into a...a.. sadistic choice.. We can either go after Skrawl and stop him, or we go after Mint and stop him from hurting innocents, like he had with Happy Face Valley."

"And either way, we lose." Rudy said, his voice shaky. "We either let Skrawl get more of those artifacts, which he could use to do who knows what to ChalkZone and its citizens... Or we let Mint get away with hurting, possibly killing, so many people, all for what he thinks is just a game..."

Penny nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah..I'm afraid so.."

Rudy wasn't sure what he was going to do. If Mint really was just distracting him, and that was most likely the case, how was he going to deal with it? He needed to figure out something he could do... He had to come up with a plan and fast. If he allows Skrawl to continue stealing artifacts, things would get so much worse. But he couldn't just abandon zoners in need. A lot of them could get in trouble if Mint was allowed to roam free.

His head started to hurt. He clutched it, trying to fight off the headache that was forming. Penny looked at him sympathetically. Her hand was on his shoulder. Rudy's mind swirled with many thoughts. It was going to be so hard to choose what move to make next time. There had to be something he could do. Someway to stop Skrawl and protect the zoners... Something, anything...

And how many artifacts had Skrawl managed to take? He hadn't seen the jellybean for a day. He was being distracted by Mint... Skrawl might have gathered nearly all of them for all he knew. Possibly even all... He could step into ChalkZone today and it could be taken over by the crazed jellybean. And even if Skrawl only managed to get one more artifact..he still had three. And how many did Snap say there were? Twelve he thought? If that were the case, there were nine more artifacts and, at this rate, Skrawl would get them in, at most, nine days. Little over a week...

He had to stop Mint. That was the only way he could prevent Skrawl from doing a lot of damage. If he defeated Mint and kicked him out, Skrawl would no longer have a creator by his side to help him. He would be back down to where he was before, and Rudy could deal with him.

But how was he going to beat Mint? So far, in their three encounters, Mint had always won. He had taken the magic chalk from him three times. That shook Rudy up. He lost three times against Mint. He had to figure out a way to beat him. This was not a game. He couldn't allow himself to lose a fourth time to Mint. He needed to figure out a way to push him back, to change the tides in his favor. There had to be a way. There just had to...

"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about." Penny said. Cut from his thoughts, Rudy turned his attention towards her. "It's regarding Mint. I was thinking about him as I was walking over. There was something I noticed about him..." There was a tinge of hope in her voice. "Something that you could use to your advantage."

Rudy's eyes brightened a little. "What is it?" He asked her enthusiastically.

"Well, from what you told me, Mint usually only draws animals, doesn't he?" Penny asked. Rudy nodded rapidly in response. "Well, it seems to me, because he doesn't draw a whole lot apart from those dinosaurs and what not, it is likely that Mint does not have as much experience. He even said so himself before. He's not as varied as you."

Rudy let this sink in. Penny was right. Mint did say he wasn't as varied of an artist as him. He hadn't really taken it into account before, as he was too busy trying to fight him. Why hadn't he realized it before? Why hadn't he taken into consideration the fact that Mint really wasn't as experienced of an artist as him?

Penny continued, "For all his talents with drawing those beasts, he is still lacking. An artist that is pretty good at drawing everything is better than an artist who is only good at drawing a few things in this case. You have a larger arsenal of artistic talent at your disposal, Rudy. While Mint..."

"...he usually only draws one thing. And that leaves him open.. It gives him a weak spot." Rudy said, his eyes widening a little.

Penny nodded her head, giving a small smile. "It means you have an advantage over him, Rudy. You can do things he cannot. So to gain the upper hand, all you have to do is use your artistic experience to its full advantage. If you draw more variety of things, and fast, Mint would not be able to keep up with you. You will be able to beat him. I know you can do it, Rudy."

"Thanks, Penny." Rudy said. Penny nodded in response, her smile broadening a little.

Rudy smiled at her, grateful for her help. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. He did have more experience than Mint. He could draw more things than him. Sure the kid could attempt, and he wasn't half bad at drawing weaponry. But he almost always defaulted to drawing dinosaurs. And while dinosaurs might work in some cases, it wasn't a foolproof plan. All Rudy had to do was find effective ways to distract the dinosaurs, trap them, and Mint would be pushed back, especially if the eleven year old was unable to draw much else very well.

This did bring a sense of hope to Rudy. It made him believe that perhaps he could win against Mint after all. He had a weakness. And Penny was able to pinpoint it. Rudy can target that weakness, and Mint would be the one running away, not him. Yes, he was not going to lose against Mint again. He was going to see to that.

"Let's go talk to Snap before we have to leave." Penny said as she got up from the ledge. "We don't have much time left before the bus comes. Fifteen minutes at best."

Rudy nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear what we have to say."

"Yeah. I agree." Penny said.

With that, the two children headed to the chalkboard. Rudy got out his magic chalk and drew a circle. The portal opened up in a second. Rudy and Penny crawled through the portal and walked up to Snap, who had been waiting eagerly for them to visit. They walked up to him and began to detail them what they had discussed.


	15. Advantage

"Mint is doing what?!" Penny cried in shock.

"He's where?!" Rudy joined in, his eyes wide.

Snap looked at them with wide, worried eyes. "He got here a little bit before you guys did! Come on, we have to hurry!"

With that, Rudy quickly drew a mode of transportation. A bike that hovered above the ground. Penny and Snap jumped aboard. He revved it up a little and they started to head in the direction that Snap said Mint was spotted in.

Rudy could have easily ran over...under normal circumstances. But his foot was still bothering him. It still hurt to walk on it too much and he found himself limping a lot. There was no way he could run very well with his foot hurt like that. He was going to have to rely on his rocket shoes more often, which meant he was going to have to learn how to dodge Mint more effectively. He was able to do it before, but how many times could he do it?

If Mint hit him again, he wasn't sure just how bad the damage would become. It was already pretty bad. It wasn't life threatening or anything, but if Mint kept shooting his shoes off the way he was, Rudy could easily lose the ability to walk for a while. At least, at the moment, he could still walk, even if it still came with a limp. That was better than not being able to walk at all.

When he and Penny arrived in ChalkZone, they were both surprised and not surprised that Snap came running to them like he had. They weren't surprised because they had expected it. With Mint running loose, they had come to expect destruction. After what he did to Happy Face Valley, there was little reason to doubt that he wouldn't attack another place like that again. And when Snap came running over to them like that, they weren't surprised. But what did surprise them is what he was carrying with him. Three wiggies, all of which looked absolutely panicked and terrified, though not injured.

That was when they learned that Mint's next target was Wiggie Island. Rudy knew, right away, what Mint was doing. Just like he had destroyed the happyfaces' home, he was going to destroy the wiggies' home as well. Rudy couldn't believe what this kid was doing. Did he have any inkling of what he was doing to the wiggies, to zoners, by destroying their homes like this? And the wiggies were wild animals; destroying their home involved destroying their habitat. Without it, the wiggies would have to go elsewhere, and they might not be able to survive as well.

It wasn't hard for Rudy to make the decision to go after Mint. Yeah it was still a lose lose situation. Skrawl was out there somewhere, gathering who knows how many artifacts, but Mint had to be stopped. He was Skrawl's key to victory, and if Mint was taken out of the picture, Skrawl would start to lose again. Despite him really wanting to go after Skrawl, Rudy could not ignore his gut and abandon zoners in need. And if Mint were stopped, Skrawl would be easier to handle.

Besides, if he did not go after Mint, the boy might do more than just destroy their homes. He might outright kill zoners. He had given Ripclaw the order to kill already, showing that Mint didn't care if he 'deleted' zoners or not. He would go that far. And as Snap had told him the other day, buildings can be replaced, but lives cannot.

Although Skrawl might also kill, Rudy was not as worried about him doing that. Skrawl was more of the zoner to just take what he wants and leaves. All Skrawl cared about right now was getting those artifacts. He had doubts the jellybean would stick around too long after he obtained them. If he wanted to keep them so bad, he'd leave and lock the items away somewhere where only he can get to them. Mint, on the other hand, thinks this whole world is just a game, and has little reason to hold back. That alone made him a lot more dangerous than Skrawl. But it was made worse with the fact that Mint was a creator. He could do much worse than Skrawl.

Soon, as they continued to zip across the ground, heading towards Wiggie Island, they could see, even from this distance, something was very wrong. They had been down this way before. They knew this area well. And the one thing they had never seen here before, as they ran along the hills, was the tall tower made of blackened smoke.

Penny took in a sharp gasp as the black smoke first came into view. "That's...that's in the direction of Wiggie Island.."

Snap narrowed his eyes. "I knew he was going to do something horrible, but..this..."

Rudy couldn't find his voice. He was too stunned by what he was seeing. Even before they got there, Rudy already knew what was happening. He knew what Mint did. He could only hope that it was not too late to stop him. He hoped that Wiggie Island was not yet destroyed.

Then, as they got closer, they could see the flicker of what was causing the black smoke. Something bright, orange and yellow. It was small at first, but as they got closer, they began to see more and more. The area started to feel a tad bit warmer, the temperature increasing as they continued to ride closer to the island. The skies started to darken, the black smoke hovering above them. Several small dots, bright orange, floated in the air, wisping around in the wind. It would have been pretty if it not for the horrific sight that accompanied it.

As they came on top of the hill and stared down at the land below them, they froze in place, horror sweeping through them as they witnessed what Mint had done. The boy wasn't anywhere in sight, but his 'handiwork', his doing, that was in plain sight. And it was worse than Rudy thought it was going to be.

Wiggie Island was...on fire. The hair-like grass that grew from the head-shaped island was set ablaze. Tall, twisting flames shot out from all sides. Thick, black smoke covered the area, blotting out the sky completely. Embers floated in the air so thickly it looked like they would burn them if they got too close. Wiggies were jumping all over the place, trying desperately to get away from the fire. To Rudy's horror, there were still a couple of wiggies on the island, as he could still see a few jumping from the island into the river.

A blast of flame shot a wave of heat at the trio, forcing Rudy to look away for a second. He looked back and saw that the fire got a little worse. Taller and brighter, the crackling sound of chalk hair-like grass being devoured by the flames. If Wiggie Island had a mouth and a voice, it would be screaming right now.

The smell of smoke filled the trio's noses and they let out a few coughs. The smoke was thick enough that it was a little hard to breathe. And it was getting in their eyes, forcing them to shut them. Rudy had to do something and fast. He got off the bike and made his way down the hill, ignoring the pain in his foot the best that he could. He got into position at the river's edge. As Penny and Snap followed him down, Rudy began to draw a large fan, as big as he could get it without using rocket shoes.

He flipped it on. The blades spun quickly. Rudy watched as the wind generated by the large fan began to push the smoke away. Soon, some of the sunlight became visible, getting better the longer he kept the fan on. The smell of smoke died down a tad. Still there, but not as strong. It became easier to breathe and his eyes no longer felt irritated. The fan also hit against Wiggie Island itself, making the grass hair sway a little, although it did not put out the flames. Seeing some of the flames jump from the island, little tiny ones, but still flames nonetheless, Rudy realized that the fan could accidentally cause other areas to set on fire as well. He got out his magic chalk once more.

Now bringing out his rocket shoes, Rudy rose up into the air. He looked down and he could see Penny and Snap helping the wiggies out of the water and ushered them to get away. They could always round them up later; right now the wiggies had to get away from the fire. Rudy began to draw a large bucket. He dove down towards the river and scooped up a large thing of water. He rose back up and flew over the island, dumping it on the fire. He did this a few times and soon the fire was out, replaced with nothing but thin whisps of smoke.

With the fire gone, Rudy and his friends could now see the extent of the damage. All of the grass hair on the island was gone. If any stems were left behind, they were short and pitch black. They did not look the least bit edible for anyone or anything. The whole top of the island was charred a deep grey mixed in with some black and the ground, with the steam rising, looked very hot. It did not look inhabitable in anyway. It looked absolutely terrible. With all that smoke pillowing into the air, it reminded Rudy, with a chill in his blood, of Happy Face Valley.

The realization hit him like a freight train. Mint had succeeded in destroying another home. This time, he had targeted Wiggie Island. He destroyed the natural habitat of these frog-like zoners. Now the wiggies were currently homeless. The poor guys were jumping all around, frantic, panicked by the fire that was started on their island, their home. Most of the wiggies had run off somewhere. The few that remained hopped around them, their usually goofy expressions replaced with fear-filled ones as they glanced back at what was once their home.

Rudy noticed that the wiggies that stayed behind did not try to eat Penny's hair. One even jumped into her arms, trembling. The wiggies were too frightened to think of eating anything right now, and, though wild animals for the most part, the wiggies were smart enough to know that they were trying to help them. Penny did her best to calm the frightened wiggies and tried to get them to leave the area and go some place safe for a while.

Redrawing the hair on Wiggie Island was not going to be too difficult. But right now, he couldn't do that until the charred areas of the island were fixed somehow. He could find a way to erase those parts and just redraw them, or he could wait it out and just draw a temporary home for the wiggies in the meantime.

After the rest of the wiggies finally left, bounding off into the distance, Penny and Snap rushed over to Rudy as he lowered himself to the ground. He stared at them with a solemn expression and looked back towards Wiggie Island. Another home..completely destroyed by some jerk who thought he was playing a game... How many more homes would be destroyed..?

"I can't believe I was too late..." Rudy whispered softly as he stared at the destruction that was once Wiggie Island. "I failed again.."

"No you didn't." Penny said. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You did your best. And at least the fire's put out. Still..." Penny bit her lip as she stared out the charred island. "..I can't believe he'd do something like this. He...he...might've killed a few wiggies doing this."

This made Rudy's heart freeze. He hadn't realize that until now. Penny was right. In setting the island on fire, Mint could have killed one or more wiggies. Some of them might not have escaped the blaze. And with how hot it was, there was no way he'd be able to tell right now if that happened. Their remains might be so charred it turned into ash. The realization that there might have been some casualties this time made Rudy's body tremble with intense emotion.

Anger swept through his body. Mint...he was going to pay for doing this... If he killed zoners this time, even if it were indirectly...he was going to pay. Mint had been careless for too long. He had caused enough destruction and chaos. He had to be stopped. Setting fire to the wiggies' home and driving them out like that was just cruel. And it wasn't like they had even done anything to Mint to make them deserve such a fate. When he saw that kid again he...he didn't know what he was going to do.

Snap stood on the edge of the river, staring at the head-shaped island in absolute shock. He looked at the island worriedly, his eyes having some horror mixed into them. Then he clenched his teeth tightly and kicked the ground angrily.

Taking a step forward and holding out a clenched fist, he snarled, "...that...jerk! What did the wiggies ever do to you, Mint?! If I had been here, I would have...!"

Snap's voice stopped immediately as something struck him. He let out a cry of pain. Rudy and Penny snapped their heads over, watching in shock as their friend was knocked into the ground. Before they had time to react, a foot was pressed against Snap's chest, holding him down. It took only a split second for them to know who it was.

"Mint!" Rudy shouted, his voice laced in hatred.

Mint stood over Snap, smirking down at the zoner. Snap looked at up at him, his previous anger gone and replaced with horror. Mint didn't have his laser pistol out this time, but that didn't stop Snap from trembling. Mint crossed his arms and chuckled at Snap before turning his attention to Rudy.

"Ah, Rudy Tabootie. I am disappointed in you." Mint said, staring at him with a psychotic smile. "I guess fourth isn't really your lucky number after all. Tell me, what took you so long to get here?"

Rudy growled at him. "How could you...?"

Mint looked at him with a slightly confused expression. Then he smiled. He looked out at the charred island, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, you mean that? Well, originally I was supposed to just attack a few wiggies just to get your attention. But you know..I got bored of waiting. So I decided to set the place on fire. It was really quite entertaining to watch."

"You had no right to do that..." Penny said in a low voice. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Mint turned towards her, his pupils dilated very slightly. "I really don't think it's your place to be asking questions. You don't even belong in this game. Why don't you leave and..I dunno...study the quantum theory of mechanics or whatever shit you study."

At this, Penny's eyes widened for a second. Then she narrowed them and snarled at Mint. He just waved her off.

Rudy narrowed his eyes in anger at what Mint had said. "Don't you dare talk to Penny that way...!"

"I'll talk to her however I want, Little Rudy." Mint said tauntingly, grinning at the boy. "Not my fault she seems to run away from most of the fights instead of staying and actually doing something. I don't know why you even let her come with if she's not going to do anything." He shrugged his shoulders. "She's worthless."

Rudy and Penny glared at the boy. How dare he say that... How dare he mock Penny when he had no idea what she was capable of... Rudy formed a fist with his hand. No one mocked his friends that way. No one.. He wasn't going to let Mint get away with it.

Mint looked like he was about to speak, but then he let out a pained grunt. Rudy and Penny were both surprised when they saw Snap, who had previously been frightened, gather up enough courage to kick Mint. The force he had applied was enough to force Mint off of the zoner. Then, when Snap got back up to his feet, he, although still visibly afraid, stormed over to Mint and grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him roughly. Mint stared at the zoner in shock.

"Take. That. Back." Snap demanded, gritted his teeth.

Mint stared at Snap, wide-eyed for a moment. Then he gave a dark smile. He seized Snap by his cape and pulled him roughly to the side. He pushed him back into the ground as hard as he could, this time forcing Snap on his stomach. Snap, growling, attempted to fight back, but froze when Mint pointed the laser pistole at him.

Mint smiled menacingly at the trembling zoner. He put his finger on the trigger. The barrel's tip was against the side of Snap's head. Mint was beginning to pull the trigger. And in seconds, there would be a shot of red energy and Snap would be...he'd be dead... Rudy's heart froze. No...no he couldn't allow that to happen. Without thinking, he began to rush over, Penny running behind him. He ignored the pain in his foot, dealing with the limping, as he rushed over to stop Mint.

"No! Let him go!" Rudy shouted, holding out his hand, his eyes wide with both horror and anger. "If you shoot him, I swear I'll...!"

Much to their surprise, Mint did what he asked, sort of. Rudy and Penny stopped in their tracks when Mint released Snap. At first, they thought he was going to walk away let the blue zoner rush towards them. But instead, something else happened.

Mint grabbed Snap by his cape and lifted him up into the air. He watched as Snap squirmed in the air, tugging at his cape as if it were choking him, which Rudy didn't doubt due to how roughly Mint had lifted him up. Then he pulled back his arm and he threw Snap at them. Snap screamed as he collided with Rudy and Penny, knocking them into the ground in a pile. They rubbed their heads and sat up. They let out a few small groans of pain.

Their eyes narrowed in anger as Mint laughed coldly at them. He stood there, his back straightened, arms crossed against his chest. He looked so proud and smug about what he did. Regardless if he was acting or not, he was shaping up to be a real bully. The way he was treating ChalkZone was horrible. And the way he was treating Rudy and his friends...it wasn't much better. This kid..he needed to be taught a lesson.

Rudy climbed up to his feet, glaring daggers at the kid. He took a quick glance down at this friends, and then back at Mint. He clenched his hands into fists, letting them shake by his sides. Mint raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused by his anger. Of course...he thought this was just a game... Well regardless if he thought this was a game or not, Rudy was not going to let him go unpunished. He was going to make Mint regret what he did here. He was going to make him regret the way he treated his friends.

He was not going to win this 'round'...

Rudy looked back at his friends. "Penny. Snap. Try to locate the wiggies and gather them up." He looked at Penny. "Draw them a temporary shelter, like you did for the happyfaces." He then looked back at Mint. "I'll take care of him..."

Penny and Snap looked at each other. They looked a little nervous, even more so when they looked back at him with widened eyes. He could understand why. He had done this before, sending them off to help the zoners while he stayed to face Mint. And he had lost those times. They didn't want him to put himself in danger like that.

But Rudy was determined. He took responsibility for Mint being here. All the damage he caused, Rudy took responsibility for it, as he should have closed the portal instead of leaving it open. Their situation would have been much more manageable that way. Mint could have been no worse of a threat than Vinnie or Terry since, like them, he wouldn't have magic chalk to get into ChalkZone. He was going to correct his mistake here and now.

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to stop Rudy, Penny and Snap nodded their heads. They wished him good luck and told him to be careful. With that, the two disappeared, running in the direction most of the wiggies had gone, leaving Rudy alone with Mint.

Mint chuckled as he paced from side to side in front of Rudy, staring at him like he was studying a mere object. That smile...it both boiled Rudy's blood and chilled it. "Getting rid of dead weight... Congratulations."

Rudy snarled and took a step forwad. "What did you say?!"

"You heard me." Mint sneered. "Those two would have just slowed you down. I see now why you send them off. They could just make it harder for you to fight."

"That's not true!" Rudy fumed, trying his best to control his anger. He could feel his blood getting hotter. He pointed a finger at Mint. "And you know, at least I have friends to back me up! What do you have? You're alone here! I would say you have Ripclaw, but you don't care about her, do you? All you see is some cobbled up data! You don't understand just how real all of this is! Well let me show you how real it is!"

Mint shook his head. Rudy's words obviously wheren't getting through to him. No surprise. "So you wish to challenge me to a duel after I already destroyed this place?" He stopped pacing around and stared at Rudy. His expression was unreadable. Rudy couldn't tell if he was amused, upset, or what. Then a shrug of the shoulders and his mouth ticked into a small smile. "Well okay. I'd love to see you lose one more time before I kick you out of the game..."

Rudy's eyes widened at that. If he lost this round, Mint was going to try to...keep him out of ChalkZone? How dare he... He had no right to do that. This wasn't his world. He did not control it. He was not the masdter of it. Granted, the same could be said about Rudy. He wasn't the boss of this place. But he was its protector. Unlike Mint, he was fighting to protect it. And if protecting it meant kicking this boy out, he would gladly do it. Mint did not belong here...

Rudy activated his rocket shoes and took off into the air. He hovered above Mint, preparing to fight. Mint's first act was to rush towards the water. If he didn't know him, he would have thought that Mint was fleeing. But no, that wasn't what Mint was doing at all. Rudy could see the boy rapidly drawing something large and with razor sharp teeth. Then shining metal glinted, and Rudy knew this was not going to be like Mint's other creations.

In seconds, he could see a large...something in the water. As it rose its head out of the water, he could tell it was a plesiosaurus. A deep grey one with shiny, wet skin and mottled with black spots. Long, sharp teeth jetted along its mouth, looking wickedly pointed. Rings of metal clamped along its neck, and Rudy soon realized that was its neck, reinforcing it and giving the neck more strength. On its back was two lasers, looking much like the ones Skrawl had used in Mondo Desert City. And on the sides of its head, two smaller versions of the same thing. The creature let out a screech as it turned its head towards him.

Reacting quickly, Rudy dodged the lasers as the beast tried to shoot at him. Again and again, the lasers came and he kept moving out of the way. A few of the lasers nearly hit him. He flew around, doing his best to avoid the shots. The good news was that the beast could not move its weapons quickly, so it was just a matter of going around in circles around it to avoid getting hit.

But that woudn't last too long if he wasn't careful. And in seconds, he felt something graze by him. He turned his head and saw Mint holding out his laser pistol. He was going to try shooting him out of the sky again. Rudy could feel a pang of pain in his left foot as he imagined it striking him again. No, he was not going to allow that to happen. Thinking back to what Penny said, about Mint's weakness, Rudy narrowed his eyes in determination. He knew what he was going to do.

Getting out his magic chalk, Rudy began to draw something as Mint shot out another energy beam at him. Holding a large mirror, he held it in front of himself. The beam struck the mirror and bounced back at him. Mint's eyes widened and he couldn't get out of the way in time. The beam struck his pistol right out of his hand. The object, charred now, flipped in circles in the air as it landed a couple feet away from Mint. The boy clutched his hand, gritting his teeth. Rudy didn't know if it was from pain or from the force of the impact.

After holding his hand to his chest for a few seconds, Mint glared up at Rudy, baring his teeth. This lasted for a few seconds as he took in a few quick breaths like he was trying to calm himself down or something. Then he gave a small smile and said, "I see you learned a new trick. But I wonder if that will save you from my cyborg companion."

At this, Rudy barely dodged out of the way as the plesiosaurus took aim and fired at him. The beam grazed his skin, leaving a slight mark on it. Mint had noticed this, but was barely fazed by it. Of course, he did think this was all fake, just a game. Rudy wondered if he would realize it was real if he showed Mint the mark, or if his previous thoughts from before would turn out to be correct and Mint would think he was just faking it.

Rudy turned his attention to the plesiosaurus. He had to take care of it and fast. Remembering how he tried to deal with the triceratops, the raptor, and the tiny dinosaurs, he knew he had to come up with a different strategy for this thing. Again, he thought of Penny's words regarding his weakness, about how Rudy had a larger arsenal at his disposal. As he kept dodging the plesiosaurus, he tried to think of how best to handle this thing. Then he got an idea.

The plesiosaurus was in water. It couldn't get up onto the land. If he could make it stay in one spot, he could then restrain it. And what better way to keep it in place than the freeze ray he had created to stop the garbage from destroying the Chalk Mine? It still gave him pangs thinking about what he had almost done. But he did at least save the mine and send the garbage back to the real world. And now he could use that incident to his advantage here. Moving quickly, he drew the freeze ray, and held it in his hands as it materialized.

Dodging more of the cyborg's lasers, Rudy dove down with his freeze ray. He flew around the plesiosaurus, shooting at the water around it. The liquid rapidly froze. He kept going around until there was a circle of ice around the beast. He flew back and watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to free itself. But its body was not strong enough to break the ice and the lasers would take too long to melt it.

But Rudy realized almost too late that just because the plesiosaurus can't move doesn't mean it can't attack. It fixated its large cannons at him and shot at him. Rudy dodged out of the way, but the combination of the large lasers and the small lasers made it difficult to get out of the way. And soon, his rocket shoes were destroyed yet again. He let out a cry of pain as his left foot, already hurt from before, was further damaged. He crashed into the ground. He looked at his foot and his eyes widened as there was a bit of red peaking from his shoes.

Rudy got up to his feet. The pain in his left foot, worse than before, caused him to stagger. He put his hand on his leg, wincing, trying to cope with the pain. He looked over at the plesiosaurus. It glared at him, those teal eyes narrowed. The weapons on the side of its head glowed and he knew it was going to shoot at him again. With his foot injured, there was no way he could get out of the way in time.

Rudy quickly drew a mirror similar to the one he used against Robot Rudy. Looking up in fear as the plesiosaurus started to shoot at him with its head gear, he held it in front of himself, doing his best to place it in the right spot. The laser hit against it. He could feel the force of the impact and he was pushed back a centimeter. The beam bounced off and hit against the plesiosaur's weapon, knocking the left off off. Rudy's eyes widened at this and as it shot again, he repositioned the mirror, hoping to copy the same result.

Well it didn't exactly copy it, but the result was still satisfying. The beam bounced off the mirror and hit against the right half. It didn't knock it off but it did destroy the front part of it, making that laser useless now. The beast was not yet defenseless; it still had those other lasers. Rudy had to take care of them and quickly. Redrawing his rocket shoes, he got up into the air and made his way towards the beast.

Thinking back to Skrawl, how he stopped his machine, Rudy went to work drawing. He had to avoid the larger lasers, some of which sliced against his skin a little, leaving faint but still noticeable marks. He winced at the pain, but he still pressed on. He flew around the back of the beast. The plesiosaurus, out of frustration, turned its head and tried to bite him. The cyborg tried desperately to seize Rudy in its jaws, but the boy managed to stay out of the way.

Drawing two corks, the right size for these lasers, Rudy dove down towards the cyborg plesiosaur's back. He pushed one cork into the left cannon, and then the second in the right. He moved out of the way and watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to shoot him, only to have the cannons explode on its back. It pulled its head back and let out pained screeches, smoke pillowing out. Rudy felt bad for hurting it, but he had to get rid of the cannons somehow. With the cannons destroyed, Rudy could now begin to restrain it.

He made his way towards the plesiosaurus again. As he got close, the beast, angry at what he did, lashed out at him. It grabbed the end of his pant leg and pulled him down. It started to shake him in the air. Rudy turned his rockets up higher. The flames pushed him further away from the plesiosaurus. The flames also irritated the plesiosaurus, and it ended up releasing him. That didn't stop it from trying to attack again, snapping its jaws just inches in front of Rudy's face.

Drawing long, thick rope, Rudy flew around the plesiosaurus's head, dodging the snapping jaws. He looped the rope around its mouth again and again. The creature kept trying to get at him, snapping its teeth shut near him. It twisted its head around as Rudy kept flying in circles around it. This caused the rope to tighten even more, and then Rudy pulled hard. The creature could barely manage a screech as its jaws were sealed shut. Rudy pulled a little tighter, securing the rope around the beast's head. Thinking that he was safe, Rudy turned to face Mint, only to have the plesiosaurus strike him with its head.

Rudy let out a cry as he was spun in the air. He shook his head when he stopped and looked over at the plesiosaurus. The rope was still wrapped tightly around its mouth. It was swinging its head from side to side, trying to get the ropes free. It was twisting its body in the ice and Rudy could see the ice was now starting to give way. Knowing that it could break free any second, Rudy drove down quickly. Bringing out his magic chalk again, he drew a large tank around the sea reptile. Thick, reinforced plastic and glass surrounded the beast, and, as it broke free of the ice, it was completely trapped.

Rudy watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to break free. It slammed its head against the wall, made of a mixture of plastic and glass. It did little more than smudge it. It tried to ram its body against it, but again it did not break or budge. Satisfied that the plesiosaurus was harmless now, Rudy turned his head towards Mint, glaring at the boy below.

Mint had his magic chalk in his hand. Rudy saw as he started to raise it in the air. He was about to draw something else. Rudy narrowed his eyes. Not this time. He quickly drew his own laser, this one a little smaller and of better quality than what Mint had drawn. Not wanting to hurt the kid but still wanting to stop him, Rudy took careful aim and fired.

The laser struck Mint in the hand, or rather, on the magic chalk. The laser was not as powerful as the one Mint used because Rudy had a better handle on it than he did. The laser he shot was not very damaging, so Mint wasn't badly hurt by it, if at all. What it did do instead was knock the magic chalk clean out of his hand. The white object rolled across the grass, headed straight towards the water surrounding Wiggie Island and the cyborg plesiosaurus, which kept banging at the glass. Narrowing his eyes, Mint raced towards the chalk.

Rudy raced towards Mint. He got in front of him and headed straight for him. Mint stopped in his tracks, his eyes widened as Rudy slammed against him, wrapping his arms around the boy as he pounced him. The two boys tumbled across the ground, wrestling with each other. Soon Rudy had Mint pinned on the ground, holding him down by his shoulders.

Mint growled and tried to punch Rudy. The ten year old moved his head to the side, dodging it. As Mint squirmed to get free, Rudy held on tighter. Turning his rocket shoes higher, he started to lift Mint up off the ground, holding him with his arms wrapped around the boy's chest and stomach, pinning his arms at his sides. Mint twisted and turned in his arms, trying to break free despite how high up they were going. Not wanting to let the boy fall and break his leg or arm, Rudy tightened his grip.

"Release me now!" Mint demanded as he squirmed against Rudy. He gave him a sideways glance. "Put me down!"

Rudy glared at him. "No. I am taking you back through the portal where you won't be able to do anymore harm."

"No! You can't do this to me!" Mint cried out, trying hard to get free.

As Rudy started to carry Mint over Wiggie Island, the boy's struggles increased and it became harder to hold him. And just as they were passing over the river, Mint managed to get one of his arms free. He struck at Rudy, hitting him against his head and causing Rudy to lose his grip. Rudy looked down and saw Mint plunge into the water below. The boy emerged, his wet hair plastered against his face and his clothes soaked all the way through. He coughed up the water as he swam towards the shore. Rudy's eyes widened as he saw that he was headed towards his magic chalk.

Determined not to lose this time, Rudy dove down towards the ground. With his feet on the grass, doing his best to ignore the pain, he rushed over to the river bank. As Mint started to crawl out of the water, Rudy stepped on the magic chalk before Mint could grab it. The boy froze there, and, slowly, he looked up at Rudy. His expression was of complete and utter shock. And, for a moment, the two just looked at each other. Rudy bent down and grabbed Mint's magic chalk and held it in his left hand. He stared down at Mint, his eyes narrowed. Mint looked up at him, still in shock, his head and front part of his body pressed low towards the ground almost in submission.

In that moment, Rudy felt a new feeling in his chest. Not one of despair or hopelessness, but of triumpth and victory. This time, it wasn't he who lost his magic chalk. It was Mint. He..he had taken Mint's chalk this time. He had rendered Mint defenseless, not the other way around. The feeling was...momentous. For once, Rudy wasn't boxed into a corner, forced to flee. No, this time, it was Mint who got to experience the taste of loss. It was he who had been defeated.

Rudy put the magic chalk into his pocket. He glared at Mint and folded his arms. "Mint Zandophen, you are coming with me. I am taking you back to the real world and you will not be able to come back here. I am putting a stop to you right now."

"Oh you wish..." Mint growled softly, a small smile on his face.

Before Rudy could say anything, he heard a shout to his left. He turned his head and he could see his friends rushing towards him. They were about to call out his name again when they stopped in their tracks. Penny and Snap stared at the scene before them, their eyes wide in shock. Then he could see them smiling in immense relief, clearly grateful that, this time, it wasn't Rudy who had been rendered chalkless.

Rudy turned his attention down to Mint. He lowered himself and grabbed Mint's arm. He dragged him up to his feet. Mint jerked back. Rudy tightened his grip on him. Without magic chalk to help him, it was going to be easier taking Mint back to the real world. He could see Penny and Snap rushing over to help him. With their help, Mint would not be able to get free.

Suddenly there was a loud screech and, with a rough jerk of the arm, Mint managed to break free of Rudy. The ten year old boy started to rush towards Mint, but was stopped when a fanged mouth slammed shut just inches in front of his hand. He pulled back and watched as Mint mounted his raptor creation, Ripclaw. The raptor stood straight up, glaring down at Rudy with those yellow eyes of hers.

Mint stared down at Rudy. A smile came onto his face. "Hmph... Maybe I was wrong about you, Rudy. Maybe you are tougher than I thought. I look forward to our next battle." With that, Mint rode away on Ripclaw, disappearing into the distance.

Rudy stared at him, his eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe he got away again. He had been so close...so close at getting rid of him as a threat. And, even chalkless, he still got away. He should have restrained Mint when he had the chance. He should have carried him to the portal faster. And now he missed his one chance he might have had at getting him out of ChalkZone.

Penny and Snap walked up to him. They looked at him with sympathetic smiles. They took position on either side of him.

"Looks like you finally beat that creepazoid, Bucko." Snap said, grinning at his friend. "Looks like the tides are starting to turn."

Rudy stared off into the distance where Mint had run off to. "Yeah, but he still got away."

"True, but you managed to defeat him this time, Rudy. You're getting better, and you'll keep getting better. You'll get him out soon enough. I know you will." Penny said reassuringly.

"Yeah, don't beat yourself up! He didn't get your magic chalk this time. You took his!" Snap said, agreeing with Penny.

Rudy took out the two pieces of chalk he now held. One of them was his. The other was the piece he took from Mint. He stared at them for a few seconds. He knew his friends were right. Even though Mint still got away, he did manage to beat him this time. Staring at the two pieces of chalk, rather than an empty hand like before, did fill him with a sense of accomplishment and hope. Now, more than ever, the situation no longer looked so hopeless. He had secured a victory this time. He had pushed Mint back. He had made him flee.

This time around, he had been the victor.


	16. Trouble

That battle with Rudy was a rush. Exciting, invigorating. Finally, the so-called protector of ChalkZone was starting to fight back more effectively. Mint was a little worried that Rudy's past efforts were the best that he had to offer. He was glad to see that he was wrong. There was more to this boy than he previously believed. He had a lot of determination; he can give him that.

It had looked like Mint was going to win again. He was pleasantly surprised that Rudy put up more of a fight this time, and had actually managed to take his chalk this time, instead of the usual way around. Now that he knows Rudy could be a worthy opponent, he looked forward to facing him again. He wanted to see what more this boy was a capable of doing. Who knows? Maybe Rudy will win another round against him if he tried hard enough.

It was annoying having to go all the way back to Skrawl's without magic chalk, though. He could see why Rudy would be upset with him taking his. It was so much easier going places when the ability to draw and create in the air was at hand. It took longer to get back to Skrawl's place than usual. But he wouldn't be chalkless for long; Skrawl had a huge sac full of the stuff. He would have a new piece when he got back.

Although it was frustrating to see how serious those two ten year olds were taking this game, he was starting to get a little used to it. There was nothing he could do to convince them it was a game, and it wasn't really of his concern. If they wanted to make fools out of themselves by pretending all of this was real, then he wasn't going to stop them. Besides, it could make them fight harder, if they really believed something was at stake here. Yes, their delusion might help this game become more challenging. He just needed to exploit it a little more, in the right way. Maybe he'll get even better results than he did today.

Who knows? Maybe Penny will eventually do something. It was true that he might have missed some stuff, that maybe Penny did do more than just run away. He did not pay too much attention to what Rudy says when he speaks to his friends. He was just focused on starting the round and waiting around for Rudy to finish saying what he does to those other two was a little infuriating at times. He just wanted to get the round started. But because he doesn't pay attention, he has no idea if Rudy is telling those two to run or if there was something he was missing.

But as it stands right now, he did not think too much of Penny. When he had called her 'worthless' in front of Rudy..he kind of meant it. He did not believe Penny should be playing this game if she was just going to run away and hide. All she manages to do, it seems, is slow Rudy down. With her there, Rudy can't just jump into battle. He had to stop and tell her to run before he could do anything. Mint was upset by this and attempted to correct it by more or less telling Penny to leave. She didn't belong in the game world. She was worthless, at least as a team member.

He was a little surprised, though not entirely shocked, that his words had angered Rudy and Snap. He had to admit, he may have gone a little too far. But he had to put his foot down. Penny's cowardice was getting on his nerves. He had hoped that she would show some guts and fight back. So far, though, she hadn't attempted to do that, leaving all the fighting to Rudy. Mint believed he'd be doing Rudy a favor by forcing Penny to leave.

Snap standing up to him the way he had was a little surprising. The game sprite reacted like a real person. Angered, offended, Mint was impressed with how real it was. The small amount of pain he felt was pretty neat. The simulation was quite accurate. It really did feel like the game sprite had hurt him. When Snap demanded he take back those words he said to Penny, Mint thought it was amusing. A game sprite, who wasn't capable of real emotions, telling him to take back an offensive term used against someone acting like she's his friend... How pitiful.

It was a close call, though, when Rudy attempted to take him out of the game world. He felt that was a pretty jerkish move. Not that he himself had been an angel to those two, but he would have thought Rudy would have behaved a little better. It was rude of him to try to drag him out of the world and keep the game all to himself. There were other people who would love to play a game like this. It wouldn't be fair if Rudy didn't allow anyone else in.

He didn't like how he was dropped in the water, though that was his fault. He had struggled against Rudy, forcing the boy to release him. It was either drop in the water or be taken out of the game permanently, and he had his doubts Rudy or Penny would give him magic chalk and be let back in again. For the chance to keep on playing, a little water didn't bother him that much.

He did lose his magic chalk. But again, that wasn't a problem considering how much Skrawl had at his disposal. And according to the jellybean, more could be taken from the Chalk Mine located somewhere in the virtual world. So it was all good.

When he had arrived at Skrawl's hideout, the jellybean looked pretty satisfied with himself. The game sprite had apparently collected half of the artifacts thanks to Mint's distractions. There were only six left to find, if Mint remembered right. Mint felt a little disappointed, but also excited. Disappointed that, after Skrawl wins, he isn't sure if the game would reset or if he would be kicked out because of the game still being in beta stage. But excited because he did want to see how this game would end if the bad guy won. He wanted to see what Skrawl was programmed to do with all those artifacts.

Mint had tried to ask Skrawl before what the artifacts did. The jellybean never gave him a straight answer. He would often just say 'you will see' with an evil smile. The way he'd say those words, Mint could tell the jellybean was excited. The game mimicked emotions very well, so when a sprite acted angry or sad or what, Mint believed it, almost thinking it was real until he reminded himself that it was not. He couldn't allow himself to be fooled. He did not want to end up like Rudy and Penny, who had gotten so far beyond the pale that there was no going back for them. No hope for those two. Sense of reality had left them completely.

Out of the artifacts Skrawl managed to collect, there was one that stood out to Mint. One that sent chills down his spine when he looked at it. It was a golden sword with a couple red jewels in it, matching the crown very well. The word had some silver linings on the blade itself, and the handle had some pointed, though not very sharp, edges to it. He didn't see a point to the handle being shaped like that, other than to be decorative. The sword was pretty long, about four feet long, and the metal of the blade was thick with a very sharp edge. Skrawl could hold it up with ease. It was amazing how strong the jellybean was.

Mint asked him about the sword. Skrawl said that the sword was made of very strong metal and was one of the hardest, sharpest swords in all of ChalkZone. Skrawl went on to gloat about how the blade is said to be so sharp, it could slice right through bone with a single strike. Mint flinched at this, unnerved about a sword being that sharp. Subconsciously, he grabbed his left left, imagining the blade cutting through it. Skrawl wanted to try the sword out sometime, but he would have to wait until he got the remaining artifacts.

Skrawl's happy exterior quickly faded when it was Mint's turn to explain what happened that day. This did not surprise Mint. Skrawl had been expecting him to say that his mission was a complete success and that he had defeated Rudy yet again. But today had been quite different. The tides had turned a little, and this time it was Rudy who had defeated him.

And Skrawl was not very happy to hear that.

"He defeated you?!" Skrawl growled, his mismatched eyes narrowed. "He's supposed to lose! You're supposed to fight him and defeat him! You can't lose to...to him!"

Mint raised an eyebrow. Looks like Rudy and Penny weren't the only ones taking this game too seriously. "Chill out, Skrawl. So he beat me once. Big deal. You still got the artifacts, didn't you?" Mint made a gesture towards the tanks where the artifacts were being kept. "So my mission was still a success."

"No no no!" Skrawl shook his head vigoursly. He pointed a claw in the kid's direction. "Listen, if Rudy keeps finding ways to defeat you, he'll do it faster, and faster, and faster! Soon he'll be able to stop you and come to me before I'm done grabbing the next precious artifact! It is imperative that you keep defeating him! Don't allow him to get an edge on you!"

Mint shook his head. "This is just a game, Skrawl. I know you're just my AI guide, but you are still aware this whole world is a game. You know that it is meaningless in the end if you win or lose. The game will just reset and you can try again...if I'm allowed to play again that is."

Skrawl growled at Mint. At first, Mint thought the jellybean was going to explode. That was going to be amusing to watch. Seeing this AI guide lose his temper would be fun to watch. But to his disappointment, Skrawl had quickly calmed himself down, and he started to smile again.

"Yeah, you're right. It is just a game." Skrawl said in a calm voice. "But..." He raised a finger in the air. "..it's also a competitive game. And it's not really competition if you don't take it seriously enough, and don't give it your all. You should know that, Mint."

"Yes, I know. And I've been having a blast playing this game." Mint said. He stretched himself and folded his arms behind his head. "But unlike Rudy and Penny, I still know this is just a game. Nothing here can be taken seriously. This game could come crashing down tomorrow and there would still be a sunrise."

"Regardless..." Skrawl said, his voice a little more stern. "You must keep defeating Rudy so I can get more artifacts. It's not just a matter of keeping him busy. Take his magic chalk each time. Leave him defenseless. He must not be allowed to start winning against you."

"I know this is a competitive game and all, but..." Mint said, folding his arms against his chest. "But you're still taking this a little too seriously. It wouldn't really be fair or competitive if I won all the time, right? Besides, Rudy is a determined kid. He was bound to win sooner or later. It would be even more unfair if I was pitted against Penny, who probably can't draw her way out of a paper bag. I'd end up defeating her ten times over before she has a chance to draw a single line."

At this, Skrawl narrowed his eyes and growled. "Do not underestimate her."

Mint was surprised at this. "Why?"

Skrawl shifted his head away, his teeth bared in anger. "I've had two brilliant plans of mine ruined because of her meddling..." He looked down at Mint, his face still contorted in anger. "Trust me, you do not want underestimate her. If you do, it will cost you a game round, and me, an artifact. And I cannot allow that to happen."

Mint stared at Skrawl for a few moments. He was confused by how upset the jellybean had gotten at the talk of Penny. The girl hardly did anything. What could she have possibly done that ruined any of Skrawl's plans? What did she do that made him this upset with her? He wasn't sure if he should take the jellybean's words seriously. After all, he was just an AI. He might be exaggerating about Penny.

But he also did not want to upset him. There was a fear he had that if he upset his AI guide too much, the game would boot him out. It was best to just go along with what he says and do what he was told. If Skrawl wanted him to take Penny a little more seriously, well he suppose he could try to do that. But it was going to be hard to take her seriously when all she ever does is run away. But maybe she would grow a spine later on and try to face him. Doubtful...but hey, it could still happen.

He gave a nod. "Well okay. Whatever you say, Skrawly."

At this, Skrawl shouted at him, "Do not call me Skrawly!"

Mint laughed and put his hands out in front of him. "Okay, sorry! I think the programmers did a little too good a job at the emotional simulations."

Skrawl ignored this comment. He started to pace back and forth in front of Mint. His angered expression was replaced by a thoughtful one. Mint wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but he decided to let the AI do whatever it was programmed to do. He took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. He watched as Skrawl continued to think about...whatever it was he was thinking.

Probably had something to do with the next assignment. Mint wondered where he was going to be sent to next. He hadn't been to too many places in ChalkZone yet, and already he was quite fascinated with the place and looked forward to seeing more. He wanted to see what other bizarre locations there were. He wished he could just hop on Ripclaw and spend the day running through the virtual world and seeing more of the detail put in this game. Each location definitely looked as though someone put a lot of thought into it. He couldn't wait to see more.

It was disappointing that Rudy and Penny wanted to hog the game all to themselves. He wished that they would wake up and see how selfish they were being. This was something that should be shared with more people. This game had a lot of potential and he could see it becoming very popular. The only thing keeping him from spreading the word is Skrawl's words on it being still a glitchy beta. If it weren't for that detail, he would have gotten more people to go into ChalkZone and try it out. Maybe his parents would be first.

The jellybean suddenly stopped pacing. His eyes brightened a little. Mint knew this meant that he had an idea. Skrawl turned and looked at him. That smile, the one he usually gives when scheming, appeared on his face. Then Skrawl gestured for Mint to come closer. Tilting his head to the side curiously, a slight frown on his face, Mint took a few steps towards his AI guide.

"Did you figure out my next assignment?" Mint asked.

"Oh did I ever..." Skrawl said, giving a chuckle. "Your next assignment..." Mint leaned in a bit, excited to hear what his next task was going to be. "...tomorrow, while you are at school, I want you to find Rudy Tabootie..and get him in trouble."

Mint's eyes widened in shock at this. He snapped his head back, staring at Skrawl in disbelief. "You want me to do what?!"

"You heard me. Get Rudy in trouble. Enough trouble that he can't come back into ChalkZone for a while. Even just two days would be fine." Skrawl said, his teeth exposed in a twisted smile. "That would buy me enough time to get more artifacts, and I won't have to worry about him possibly defeating you in time..."

Mint was in absolute shock. And for more than one reason.

The first one...he didn't think it was fair. Yeah, he played dirty in the game before, but only in the game. Doing something to keep Rudy from entering when he hadn't beaten him fair and square... Well he didn't see the fairness in that. It would be such a low blow. He wasn't sure if he could do such a thing. To go in the real world and do something so he couldn't enter... That couldn't be part of the game rules, could it? No.. It wasn't. He was certain of it.

And the other thing that came to his mind... Why was Skrawl giving him orders about the real world anyway? He was just an AI guide. He should only be concerned about the game world, this digital place. He shouldn't be able to give orders regarding the real world. Yet, he obviously was, which was pretty advanced. But Mint still felt like it was cheating. He would rather kick those two out playing within the game. It just didn't feel like a victory if he did something in the real world to keep them from entering. That was no different than winning some racing game by punching the opponent unconscious. It was dirty playing.

"Are...are you sure that's fair?" Mint asked, his eyes still widened.

"Fair? Who cares!" Skrawl said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll do whatever it takes to defeat Rudy, and if I have to have something done outside the game world, then I will!"

Mint shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think I can..."

Skrawl seized Mint roughly by his arm. Mint winced slightly as the pain simulation took hold. There wasn't that much pain, but it was enough to make him feel a little uncomfortable. "No! You listen to me! I am your AI guide and when I give an order, you follow it! If you don't, the game will kick you out! Do you want that to happen?"

"No." Mint said softly. "I don't.."

Skrawl released him and smiled. He took a step back from Mint to give him some room. "Good, then... Now, be a good little gamer..." He pointed in the direction outside of the hideout. "...and go get that wretched child in trouble!"

Seeing that he had no choice, Mint nodded his head quickly. He went over to Ripclaw, who stood idly by, waiting for him. He got on top of her, slinging his arms around her neck. He paused and he looked back down towards Skrawl.

"What should I do?" Mint asked.

"I don't care. Just something that would ensure he can't come into ChalkZone for a while." Skrawl replied.

Although Mint still felt it was unfair, he did as he was told. Riding on Ripclaw, he headed back towards the portal. And as he ran, thoughts ran through his mind on what he was going to do. A thought came to his head. It was nasty and devious... But if he wanted to keep access to the game, he didn't feel he had a choice.

Besides, it was just going to be for a few days. Rudy would be fine, and he could come back later. It wasn't like the world was going to end or something. Yeah, it wasn't going to be that bad.

sss

Mint stood in the hallway. He leaned against the wall, his arms folded against his chest. He looked left, and then right. So far, no one else was in the hallway. Classes had not yet been dismissed. In order to get here at this time, he had to tell his english teacher that he was feeling sick and wanted to go to the nurse. He was lying of course, but it was the only way he could get by one of hallways near the cafeteria. No one could see him anyway.

It wouldn't be too long now. Mr. Wilter's class was going to be dismissed to go to lunch soon. Rudy and Penny would be coming down the hallways in no time. He had to make the perfect timing. If he did this wrong, he was going to screw up big time, and it would be he who landed in trouble.

He had it all planned out. He replayed it over and over in his head. He had overheard Rudy say that he and Penny are staying a little longer before they go up to recess. That would mean, by the time they get up here, the other students would be in the cafeteria, eating lunch. That meant that he would be able to get the two alone. That was perfect. He didn't think he could do this if there were other students in the hallway. For this to work, he had to be alone with them.

He still felt guilty about doing this. He still felt it was a low blow and wasn't fair. He was going to feel like a real jerk doing this. But it wasn't like it was going to damage Rudy and Penny's view of him. They already thought of him as a jerk. So might as well go all the way, right? And besides, it was just a game. Some time away would do Rudy some good. He could use a bit of time to reflect on how irrationally he was behaving, and cool it a bit.

He quickly realized how hypocritical that made him sound. If it was just a game, then why was he so concerned about getting kicked out? Yeah it meant that he couldn't have fun anymore, but it wasn't life and death or anything. He spent time wondering why Rudy and Penny would care so much about the game and yet here was, doing something similiar, though different. He was so worried about being kicked out of the game, he was willing to resort to cheating, although not something he was proud of, just to keep access to it.

How could he get so obsessed with the game that he'd be willing to cheat just to keep access to it, but then turn around and act like Rudy and Penny were the ones taking it seriously. In the end, he was just as guilty as them. And he was a real hypocrite to believe that those two should be fine with staying out the game, but then freak out himself at the thought of the same thing happening to him.

Oh well. He was here now. There was no turning back. He had taken the time to plan this whole thing out, to get out of class at the right time and lay in wait. He might as well go all the way with it. He might as well get this over with.

He heard the sound of multiple footsteps. He watched as several students flooded the hallways. He pressed his back at the corner, keeping himself hidden. He did not look back until the chattering and stomping of feet had died down. He peered over, careful not to be seen. The other students had already gotten in the cafeteria. The door was further down, preventing the students from noticing him. The hallways were filled with the chitchatting of the fifth graders and sixth graders. He stayed where he was, waiting for Rudy and Penny to show up.

Then he saw them. They were walking side by side down the hallway, coming up to have lunch. Mint watched them carefully, keeping himself pressed against the wall to avoid letting them see him. He waited as they walked closer to the door to the cafeteria. They were talking amongst each other. About what, he didn't know, nor did he care. Narrowing his eyes, he waited until Rudy was in just the right spot for this to work. Then he made his move.

Mint rushed over, moving as fast as he could. Rudy and Penny saw him, their eyes widening in shock. They didn't have time to react. Mint pushed himsef against Rudy, grabbing his shoulders. He swung him around so he was facing him and slammed the younger boy against the wall. He made sure to push him in the right spot. He kept him pinned against the wall, smiling at the boy.

"What are you doing?!" Penny demanded. She grabbed Mint by his arm and pulled on him. "Let him go! Are you crazy?!"

Rudy pushed back against Mint. "What do you think you're doing?! Release me now!"

Grinning, Mint let go of Rudy and took a few steps back. He had pulled off his task. Now all he had to do was wait for Rudy to do the next. He folded his arms and smirked at the two younger students. He acted as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Oh me? I didn't do a thing." Mint said as innocently as he could. "It is you who did something."

"What are you talking about?" Penny asked, narrowing her eyes. "You were the one who attacked Rudy for no reason!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "And don't try to say that isn't true. We both saw you!"

Mint's grin widened.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Mint," Rudy started to say. He began to walk over. Mint's eyes brightened as his plan started to come into fruition. Rudy was so focused on him that he did not notice that his sleeve was caught on the fire alarm. And as he moved forward, he was tugging on it. "..but it's not going to..."

Then, when Rudy move close enough to him, the caught sleeve pulled the alarm all the way down. Loud ringing spread throughout the hallways in an instant. Crying out in surprise, the three students covered their ears, trying to block out the loud noise. The students in the cafeteria were panicking and they could hear the sound of students running around in the large room. It became noisier than usual and the clatter of footsteps echoed the hallways.

The ringing did soon die down, much to everyone's relief. Sighs were emitted from the previously startled students. Rudy and Penny slowly relaxed. They uncovered their ears and looked around. Mint took a step back, staring at them with the same smirk on his face. Yes, so far the plan was working very nicely. Now he just had to wait for one particular person to show up and it would be complete.

And speak of which, there she was. Principal Stringet was rushing down the hallways, heading in their direction. As she came, the hushed whispers of various students in the cafeteria gathered around the door. They looked at each other, making soft comments on what might have happened. They then watched Principal Stringet as she approached the three students standing outside the cafeteria, curiosity and some fear etched on their faces.

"Okay, who is responsible for this?" The principal demanded. She folded her arms and stared at Rudy, Penny, and Mint. She tapped her foot a few times. After a moment's silence, she said, "Well? Which one of you pulled that fire alarm?"

Mint did not hesitate to raise his arm and pointed directly at Rudy. "He did. I saw him grab it."

"What?" Rudy and Penny cried in unison, staring at Mint in shock.

"Yeah." Mint nodded his head. Any sign of a smile was gone, putting on a show that he hoped the principal would buy. "I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away."

"Is that so?" Principal Stringet turned to glare at Rudy. She took a step towards him and said, "Rudy Tabootie. Come into my office."

"But..." Rudy started to say.

"Now!" Principal Stringet seized Rudy by the arm and started to drag him down the hallway. "You're in a lot of trouble!"

As Rudy was being dragged away, Penny shot a glare at Mint. "That was really low, you know that...?"

Mint shrugged his shoulders, fighting off the feelings of guilt. "Yeah, I know. But whatever, he could use some time out of ChalkZone, don't you think, 'genius girl'? He said mockingly, prompting a snarl from the girl. "I'm going to have lunch now. See you later!" Penny glared at him as he walked away.


	17. Grounded

"Rudy Tabootie! Do you have any idea how serious pulling the fire alarm is?" Principal Stringent said sternly to the boy. "Did you have no idea what kind of trouble you would be in when you pulled it?"

Rudy cringed back in the seat. "But, Principal Stringent..I-I didn't..."

"Don't try to lie to me." The large woman waggled her finger disapprovingly.

Rudy held his hands out in front of him. "I'm serious! It wasn't me! It was Mint Zandophen! He..."

But Principal Stringent didn't give him a chance to finish. She pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "Trying to push the blame onto others..for shame, Rudy Tabootie! You should take responsibility for your own actions! You should count your lucky stars that no one got hurt in that ruckus you caused!"

Rudy couldn't believe the mess he had gotten into. It wasn't even his fault. It was Mint. He was the one who did this to him. He was the one who pushed him into the fire alarm. Yeah he kind of pulled it himself, but it was an accident. He didn't realize that his shirt got caught on the fire alarm, and when he took a step forward, he pulled it. But it was Mint who got him into that position. He had shoved him against the wall. So it was really Mint's fault the alarm was activated. But that kid was going to get off scott free. It made Rudy so angry.

He had tried to defend himself to the principal. He tried, on the way down, that he did not do it. He attempted to explain what really happened, but he couldn't get a word in edge wise. She kept going on and on about how much trouble he was in and how much ruckus he had caused with his little stunt. He had never seen her so worked up and angry before. Considering how strict she is, he couldn't really be surprised by her behavior.

He wished the principal had slowed down a little. He wished that she didn't start dragging him right away. Penny had seen what happened. She could have defended him. But the principal didn't let her say anything. She just grabbed him and took off. It wasn't like Penny could run after her, either. Principal Stringent might have done something to make sure she headed back into the cafeteria. Well at least she would have a second chance. Rudy trusted that Penny would try to explain to Principal Stringent what really happened. Maybe she'd be willing to listen to Penny.

Rudy rubbed his arm. The large woman had grabbed him a little too roughly. And when she was dragging him through the hallways, it wasn't a comfortable feeling. She was treating him like he had destroyed a part of the school or something. It was hard to keep up with her. She was moving so fast. He tried his best not to trip over his own feet. If this was how she treated students for simple felonies like pulling a fire alarm, he didn't want to know how she'd react to a student that did something more serious, like badly injure another student.

And now here was in the principal's office, getting chewed out for something he didn't even do, at least not purpose. The principal would not let him try to explain. She believed that he was lying to try to get out of trouble. He didn't know what would give her that idea, but what it did mean is that he wasn't going to get out of this unpunished. He knew the principal was going to lay down some form of punishment for him.

It was all because of that Mint kid. Rudy tried his best to hide his anger. He didn't want the principal to be suspicious of him. That was the last thing he needed. If she was given any reason to give him a harsher punishment, it was a given that she would. There was a reason why she was called 'stringent'.

Rudy didn't know why Mint pulled such a stunt. But it must have something to do with ChalkZone. The way Mint behaved, it was like he was deliberately waiting for him and Penny to show up. It was a planned move. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had purposely pushed him against the fire alarm so his sleeve would get caught on it. He was up to something, but what?

"As punishment for your childish behavior, Rudy," Principal Stringent said, narrowing her eyes further as she glared at the ten year old. "You will serve two recess detentions. Mr. Wilter will stay in the room to keep an eye on you."

"What?!" Rudy cried, his eyes wide.

"I would give you a harsher punishment, but seeing as this is the only time you pulled the fire alarm, I'll go a little easy on you." Principal Stringent folded her arms against herself. "If you try to argue with my decision, however, I'll increase it to five detentions! Do you understand me?"

Rudy let out a sigh of defeat. He nodded his head slowly. "Yes, Principal Stringent."

"Good." The woman said.

Rudy realized, with a chill in his blood, that this is what Mint had wanted to do. He was attempting to restrict his access to ChalkZone for a while. The thought filled his heart with dread. Without being able to get into ChalkZone during recess, that left a huge opening for Skrawl and Mint to attack ChalkZone. Even though it wasn't a huge window of opportunity, it was still there. A lot could be done in that amount of time. Penny could still defend ChalkZone, but it was going to be so much harder without him there. They worked better as a team.

At least she wouldn't have to fight alone for very long. Not being able to head into ChalkZone during recess was troublesome, but at least he had other opportunities to go in there. Waiting until he got home from school was going to be hard, especially with all long the school day lasted. But getting there at some point was better than nothing. If nothing else, he could at least repair the damage that Skrawl and Mint would inflict. And maybe, in the morning, he could get into ChalkZone and find some way to catch wind of their plans and react accordingly.

He could see that working out. If he could figure out where Mint was going to strike and where Skrawl was headed, he could inform Penny. She could head into ChalkZone during recess and try to stop them herself, or at least put a big kink in their plans. It would definitely help if she managed to get to the place Mint was going to strike before he did and lay in wait for him. And then after that, Rudy could come in whenever he was immediately available and try to help out in any way he possibly could.

Yeah, that could work out as a temporary solution. Maybe he could even have another chance at booting Mint out of ChalkZone. Mint might have restricted his access to ChalkZone, but he wasn't completely locked out. And when he would face him in ChalkZone later today, he was going to give him a few choice words for having him blamed for a crime that wasn't his fault.

Principal Stringent placed her arms on her desk, her fingers interlocking together. "I am also going to call your parents."

Rudy felt his heart skip a beat. "You're going to...call my parents...?"

Principal Stringent nodded her head. "Yes, I am. They need to know what you have done. I trust that they will give you an appropriate punishment when you get home."

Oh no, this wasn't good... Not good at all... Rudy had no idea what kind of punishment his parents would lay out, but it might cause even more problems with ChalkZone. His access might be even more restricted than he thought. His parents would not go easy on him. If they believed the story that he pulled the fire alarm, they were definitely going to punish him in some way. And they would give him a harsh enough punishment to 'teach him a lesson'.

He remembered how harshly they reacted when they found out he went to a concert when they told him he couldn't go. They were furious with him and they were going to ground him for a long time. He couldn't imagine how they'd react if they found out he pulled the fire alarm. No, not if, when. The principal was going to call them and tell them what he did. And when he got home, he was going to be greeted by two very angry parents.

He tried to think of some way to get out of this. He wished the principal would listen to reason. He wished that she would let him explain what really happened in the hallways. But when she was dead set on something, she would stay that way and nothing would change it. She had a stubborn mind. Once she decided something as fact, there was no way to make her change her mind.

Already, he could see her reaching for the phone. He bit his lip, his heart beating fast, as she began to search through the numbers to call his parents. He gripped the seat tightly, staring at the phone with great anxiet. As she seemingly found the right number, he was helpless to stop the woman as she reached over to begin dialing the number.

Then Principal Stringent stopped. Rudy thought maybe she decided against calling his parents, and a bit of hope started to rise in him. But that hope was shattered when the principal gave him a glare that caused a shiver to go up and down his spine. There was something about that glare that he didn't like. He cringed back further against the seat, staring at her like she was going to breathe fire on him. From the way she was looking at him, that wouldn't have come as a big surprise.

"Just so you are aware, Rudy, you have been suspicious to me for a while." The principal said. Rudy stared at her in shock. "I know you are, somehow, the one responsible for that strange water that flooded the quarry. The same water that made mature, responsible adults, even...me... act like a bunch of kids."

Rudy's heart rate quickened. She...she knew about that? How did the principal find out? Did Terry tell her? No...it couldn't have been Terry. She didn't see him anywhere near the chalk water. She couldn't have known. But then, if Terry didn't tell her...who did?

He wanted to say something, anything, in his defense. But all he could do was stare at the woman with an opened mouth. He stammered a little, but no coherent sentences would come out. The principal clearly took this as a confession. Her eyes narrowed deeper and he flinched, turning his head to the side. He tried to make himself say something, but he was in too much shock to effectively defend himself.

"If you are wondering how I know it was you, remember, I saw you and Penny head down to the quarry." Principal Stringent said sternly. "It was empty before you two headed down there. Then, only minutes after I sent the police officer after you, the weird water appeared." Her glare intensified slightly. "I do not think it was a coincidence. I don't know what you were trying to pull with that strange water, Rudy. But rest assured you won't get away with it. I have wanted to issue a punishment out to you before, but no one would believe me and I did not have evidence."

So that was how she had known. Rudy had almost forgotten that the principal had seen him and Penny run straight to the quarry. They hadn't thought that she would have gone down there a short while after the officer did, though. Rudy wanted to mentally slap himself in the face for not realizing this. He should have known that the principal would believe he and Penny were somehow involved in the chalk water that he accidentally let into the real world.

Then he realized something. If the principal believed he and Penny were both responsible, then she might not believe Penny when she would try to explain to her that Mint was the real reason the fire alarm was pulled. Principal Stringent might find a way to punish Penny if she felt that she is a 'co-conspirator' and had helped Rudy bring all that chalk water into the quarry, and she might blame Penny for 'helping him pull the fire alarm.

"So, since you were caught red-handed, I'll just use this as my chance to punish you for that, too." Principal Stringent said.

Rudy couldn't believe it. A realization had struck him hard. There was an ulterior motive here. The principal wasn't punishing him just for pulling the fire alarm. She wanted to get back at him for the chalk water that he accidentally let in. She had her suspicions that he was responsible, and she had been wanting to punish him for it. When she admitted that, and Rudy let it sink in, he realized the actual reason why she had believed Mint so quickly and why she did not let Penny try to defend him.

This was a case of being biased. She wanted to believe that he pulled the fire alarm, no matter how unlikely it was, just so she had a chance to punish him for the chalk water incident. She had been waiting for him to slip up, waiting for someone to point the finger at him, so she could jump onboard and punish him for 'filling the quarry with weird people', thus causing it to 'fill with weird people'.

That..that was low... He thought Mint was the only one who pulled a low stunt today. But Principal Stringent...she was just as sneaky and nasty. Was this even legal, what she was doing? Was it professional? No, it couldn't have been. He was certain it was against the rules to pull something like this just to punish a student for a 'crime' that there was no evidence for. Rudy knew that Principal Stringent was harsh and strict, but he..he never thought she would sink this low.

What makes it worse is...there was nothing he could do about it. Who was going to believe him when he said that Principal Stringent was abusing her power to get at him? She would simply deny it and say that the punishment was for the fire alarm only. She would deny any claims that she had been waiting for him to slip up just to seize this opportunity. He was just a ten year old boy. Who would believe him? The only thing he could do was sit back and take the punishment he did not deserve, just to avoid getting a harsher one.

As soon as he could, he would have a talk with Penny. She might have an idea of what to do. Principal Stringent may have made a mistake in voicing her intentions with him, and maybe he could use that to his advantage somehow. Penny might have an idea of how to expose the low deed she imposed on him in a way that she could not defend herself.

But for now, he would have to put that on hold. A more urgent matter was ChalkZone. He wondered what was going to happen once his access was restricted. And if his parents do something drastic, that was going to make things harder. His mind filled with dread as he thought about all the things that Skrawl and Mint were going to get away with. How many artifacts did Skrawl have now, anyway? The fact that he didn't know sent chills up his spine. He had to find out how many he got, and fast.

Rudy's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the clicking of the phone being dialed. He looked over, his eyes widened, as Principal Stringent dialed his parents' number. He could hear it ringing. He cringed when the principal gave him a devious smile, clearly satisfied with what she was doing.

"Hello? Mr. Tabootie. It's Principal Stringent. It seems your boy got into some trouble at school today." Principal Stringent said. The smile never left her face, and she kept her gaze locked on Rudy's.

Rudy gulped and lowered his head in submission. A nagging feeling in his gut told him that things were about to get bad. Really bad.

sss

Rudy had been right to worry. His parents reacted just like he though they would. They were absolutely furious with him. And just like the principal, they didn't believe a word he said about him not being responsible. This hurt more than the principal not believing him. They were his parents. They should trust him. But they were taking the word of the principal over their own son.

He stood in his room, his back against his bed. His parents were standing in front of him, glaring angrily at him. They were still scolding him on how stupid and reckless the stunt he had pulled was. He tried a few times to talk, but he could not get a word in edgewise. And now he was going to recieve another punishment. He was certain of that. And now, of all times, was the worst time for such a thing. He...he needed to be in ChalkZone to protect it, but instead he was stuck out here, being yelled at for something that wasn't his fault.

At least he got to talk to Penny before he went back home after school. He told her about how he was going to serve two recess detentions with Mr. Wilter in charge of keeping him in the room. He told Penny to use his portable chalkboard to tell Snap about what was going on. He had a feeling that his access to ChalkZone would become so strict for the next few days that he might not have a chance to explain to Snap in time. He gave Penny his magic chalk before he left. She promised she would check on ChalkZone as soon as possible.

"I can't believe you did that!" His dad said, rubbing his head in frustration. "I mean...garsh tootin' Rudy, what were you thinking?!"

"B-But I..." Rudy tried to say.

His mom wagged her finger back and forth disapprovingly. "Don't try to worm your way out of this, young man! You're in serious trouble! Do you have any idea the mess you could have caused?"

Rudy lowered his head. He wished his parents would listen to him. But he knew they wouldn't. The principal said some things to make sure they would not believe him when he said it wasn't his fault. She had made sure that they would be angry enough with him to dish out another punishment on top of the one he had already recieved from her.

"I would have expected better from you, Rudy!" His mom said. She shook her head in disappointment. "I thought we raised you better than that!"

His dad took a step towards Rudy. He pointed a finger at him. "You are hereby grounded until your two detentions are served. Once you come home from school, you will report to your room and stay there except for dinner and if you have to use the bathroom. Other than that, I expect you to stay in your room. You understand me, son?"

Rudy nodded his head. "Yes, dad..."

"And to teach you a lesson, we will be confiscating your chalkboard." His mom said, narrowing her eyes. "It, as well as all the chalk you have for it, will be locked up in our closet for the full duration of your two detentions. You will not be allowed to use it in that time frame."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. "What?!"

"Now, now son. It's not the end of the world." His dad said. "You will get it back after your two detentions are served."

Rudy shook his head. His heart beat quickly. No, they couldn't do that. If they took away his chalkboard, and if he had to serve recess detentions, how...how was he going to get into ChalkZone? No, this couldn't happen. They couldn't do this to him... Not now. Any time but now...

"No, you can't... Please don't do it." Rudy pleaded with his parents. "Not my chalkboard.."

His dad walked over and grabbed his chalkboard. He folded up its legs and hoisted it into the air. He held it against his side with one arm. He began to walk towards the door. Rudy rushed over, reaching out his hands in desperation. His dad glared down at him. "If you didn't want to lose your chalkboard for a few days, Rudy, you should have thought about that before you pulled that fire alarm." Rudy looked at him pleadingly. "Don't give me that look, son. You will have this back in a couple of days. You'll survive without it for a while."

Helpless to stop his parents, he watched as they carried out his chalkboard and towards their room. He could hear the sound of the closet door opening and he heard the chalkboard being tossed in. Then he heard a click sound and he knew it had been locked. As the realization sunk in, he slowly slumped to the ground, his heart filling with dread and fear.

This...this is what Mint had planned the whole time. He wasn't trying to simply restrict his access. He was cutting off all access completely for a few days. He must have known, somehow, that the principal was going to call his parents and that his parents were going to ground him. And now, because of Mint, Rudy was trapped out of ChalkZone for two days. And without a chalkboard, there was no way he could do something as simple as communicate with Snap. He couldn't use his own portable chalkboard; he gave it to Penny to use and if she tried to give it back, no doubt his parents would take that from him as well.

Rudy couldn't believe this was happening. He was locked out of ChalkZone and there was nothing he could do about it. Now trapped outside, there was nothing he could to do protect ChalkZone at all. He wouldn't be able to re-enter it for a few days. Who knows what kind of damage Skrawl and Mint would do while he was gone? Who knows how many artifacts Skrawl would try to get knowing that he couldn't enter ChalkZone? Things have gotten worse...

At least there was some hope. Mint may have locked him out of ChalkZone, but there was still another creator who could stand up to him. There was still someone who could go into ChalkZone and fight against Mint and Skrawl and try to protect ChalkZone. And that was his friend, Penny. She had the magic chalk right now. She had a chalkboard at home. She hadn't been punished. She could still get into ChalkZone. And as of now, for the next couple days, she was the only creator standing between Mint and Skrawl and ChalkZone itself.

sss

"So you pulled it off, didn't you?" Skrawl asked.

Mint nodded his head. "Yes, Skrawl. I did what you asked me to. And according to what I found out, Rudy is not going to be able to enter ChalkZone for at least two days."

Skrawl's grin widened. "Excellent. This is perfect!" He gave an evil laugh. "Now with him gone, you and I can begin to have a little...fun."

Skrawl was impressed with how well the boy had performed. He hadn't been happy with Mint when he said he lost to Rudy the other day. It was just one loss, sure, but it could have gotten worse. If Rudy learned how to beat Mint faster and faster, he could neutralize Mint fast enough to come and stop him. This plan, keeping Rudy outside of ChalkZone for a while, was the perfect way to ensure he could get more artifacts without possible interruption.

And Mint made up for his loss here quite well. Forcing Rudy to pull the fire alarm was a stroke of genius. He had to admit the boy was clever. That intelligence of his served him well in the fights against Rudy and Penny. And it worked for him really well then. Knowing when to charge him and what to say to get the principal to believe Rudy was responsible... It amused Skrawl just how well it had worked.

Now, with Master Tabootie gone for a few days, he had his own ideas of what he and Mint were going to do. He was still going to steal the artifacts, but Mint... Well he was going to do something a little different. Similar to what he was already doing, but on a larger scale. Something that, even if Rudy came back, would keep him busy for a long time. That would buy him even more time to get all of the remaining artifacts. Skrawl grinned. He was getting so close to victory, he could almost taste it.

Mint's intelligence was really helping him out. But he did realize that it could cause problems. If the boy was this smart, it would be a matter of time before he began to see through the video game lie. So far, the boy hadn't shown any suspicions, and Skrawl hoped it stayed that way. The minute the boy realized that this was all real, he would lose his allegience and gain another enemy. He had to keep Mint under control and under his command. And if, later on, he had to use force, he would.

"I still think it was a rotten trick." Mint said. He folded his arms and glared at Skrawl. "There is no thrill or joy at besting an opponent by cheating."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes at this. This was why he had to keep Mint under control. He did have morals and a conscience. He didn't like tricking the principal like that to keep Rudy out of ChalkZone. He had wanted to do it by the 'games' rules', which meant inside the game itself. Mint was only acting like a villain because he thinks this is a game. He couldn't let him find out the truth. He was not going to let him find out that all this was real.

Mint belonged to him. And he was going to keep his hold on the boy. He was not going to lose his grip on him.

"Who cares if it wasn't fair?" Skrawl hissed at the boy. He clenched a fist tightly and pointed a clawed finger at Mint. "Now listen up! I have a new assignment for you."

Mint sighed and said, "Is it more cheating?"

Skrawl rolled his eyes. Again with the cheating comment. He wished the boy would open his eyes and expand his view a little. This isn't cheating. It was just taking another road to victory. He got out a scroll and pulled it out, looking at the words written on it.

"This is a list of designated locations around ChalkZone I want you to destroy." Skrawl said. He stared intently at the boy. "I know how much you love destruction. Attack and destroy each target. I don't care what you do or how far you go. Just obliterate those places!"

Mint took the list and stared at it. He turned back to Skrawl. "Well...okay. If you say so."

"And if Penny tries to stop you..." Skrawl hissed in a low voice. "Stop her at all costs... I don't care what you do to her. Just get rid of her..."

Skrawl knew how much of a thorn Penny was. She had made a fool out of him when he tried to make her his chalk queen. He had hoped to use her creator skills to take over ChalkZone. But instead, he was taken a long for a ride, and he had fallen for it. And then she created a remote for Robot Rudy, forcing him and Craniac 4 to flee Future Dome. She had foiled two of his beautiful plans. He was going to be certain she couldn't stop this one. The little genius girl was not going to get the best of him this time...

He would see to that.


	18. Damages

As Rudy took his tray of food and headed towards the table where Penny was waiting for him, he couldn't help but overhear what the other students were saying about him. Some were pointing at him, making hushed whispered comments about him. They watched, Rudy feeling their eyes bore into his body, as he headed over to the table.

He hated this. He hated the fact the other students were talking about him, staring at him suspiciously like he was going to pull the fire alarm again or do something else crazy. And it wasn't like they would believe him if he tried to explain what really happened. They all believed Mint's story. He didn't know why...they just did. And now, because of Mint, he was having students giving him looks. Some were frowning at him, or looked at him disapprovingly. Others were smiling mischieviously, no doubt thinking Rudy did a good job at causing trouble.

He didn't want this kind of attention. He didn't want to be seen as the boy who pulled the fire alarm. He didn't want to be the usually good kid that turned bad. He didn't want any of this. But as he walked towards Penny, he had to accept reality. They weren't going to believe him. He couldn't prove his innocense. All he could do was take it and try to ignore what they were saying about him.

At least some of the students appeared to have some doubts he did anything. Both Reggie and Michelle were two such students. He didn't hear them say much. But what he did hear told him enough how they felt about the situation. Neither of them believed he would pull the fire alarm. Michelle thought he was too nice of a kid to do that, and Reggie, well he didn't believe Rudy would have the guts to pull such a stunt. But despite the fact that some students did have doubts, it wasn't enough to offset the large number who did think he was responsible. And it wasn't going to make Principal Stringent or his parents believe him to be innocent.

It still came as an unsettling shock that his parents refused to believe him. They still would rather believe the principal because she was the ultimate voice of authority in the school, whose job it was to keep the students in line. His parents would have little reason to think the principal was wrong or lying. Still, he wished that they would have listened to him. He had tried to tell his side of the story, but they didn't believe him.

And now he lost his chalkboard because of it. He hadn't been able to go into ChalkZone yesterday and he couldn't contact Penny either. Lunch time was the only time he had a chance to talk to her. He had to serve today's detention and then tomorrow. Then he would be able to go back into ChalkZone. Until then, he was stuck outside of it. He would have to inform Penny of this so she was aware he couldn't go into ChalkZone for a total of two days. At least she still had access.

He took his seat next to her, setting down his tray. Penny had chosen a spot away from the others, thank goodness. It would be easier talking to her this way. With all the students talking about him, he wouldn't doubt that some of them would try to eavesdrop and see if he was up to no good again.

"Hello, Penny." Rudy said softly.

Penny turned her head towards him. "Hey, Rudy." Her smile faded into a frown. "How...how did it go with your parents?"

Rudy sighed and shook his head. "Not good. They didn't believe me when I tried to say it was Mint's fault. So they grounded me until my detentions are served."

"That's too bad..." Penny said sadly. "But at least you can still..."

Rudy shook his head. He looked at her, noting her confused expression. He wished it were that simple. He wished he could still access ChalkZone despite being grounded and serving detentions. But he will have to deliver the bad news, and best do it now as he might not have a chance to later on.

Rudy took a small bite of the pasta the school was serving today. He swallowed and gave a soft sigh. He said, "My parents took away my chalkboard."

Penny's eyes widened. "They did what?"

He nodded his head in response. He looked down at his tray. He used his fork to push around his food, playing with it a bit. He wasn't too hungry right now. His gut was filled with intense feelings and it was hard for him to eat anything. He had to force himself to take some bites, almost worried that if he didn't, the students would find something else to say about him. He managed to force another bite, his gaze still down towards his tray.

"Yeah. They took it away in addition to me being grounded. They think it will teach me a lesson so I'll behave better in school." Rudy said sadly. He gave off another sigh, this one filled with disappointment and disbelief. He looked back at Penny. "That means, until the detentions are served, I will not have any access to ChalkZone."

"But..." Penny tried to think of something. Her voice stammered as she struggled to find an idea. "What about the portable chalkboard? The one you let me borrow?"

Shaking his head, Rudy replied, "No. They will take it away if they see I have it. They meant it when they said I couldn't use any chalkboards. They know how much I enjoy using chalkboards, so they're using that as punishment."

Penny looked at him worriedly. She looked down at her tray. Her eyes slowly widened as realization seemed to dawn on her. "So...that means..."

"I can't enter ChalkZone for two days." Rudy said, confirming the bad news. "So I can't do anything to stop Mint while he is in ChalkZone." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "And just when I was starting to get an edge over him too... He pulls crap like this and shifts the blame all on me. I know he did this on purpose. He wanted to keep me out of ChalkZone."

Penny nodded her head in agreement. Her eyes narrowed. "That was a low move..."

"Yeah, I know." Rudy said. He looked around the cafeteria, trying to locate Mint. But in the crowd, he couldn't see him. Plus the students that kept looking at him made him feel uneasy, so he turned his gaze back towards the table he was currently sitting in. "And I can't do anything about it. No one will believe me when I say that Mint pushed me into the fire alarm."

"And of course, why should they believe you?"

Rudy and Penny tensed up at that voice. They raised their heads and they saw Mint approaching them. They gritted their teeth and narrowed their eyes as Mint took a seat in front of them. He had no tray with him. He either was done eating or he had just arrived and he wanted to speak to them before he got a tray for himself. He sat right in front of them and crossed his arms on the desk. He stared at them with that same smile he gave to them when they first encountered him in the cafeteria. A somewhat friendly, though still unnerving, smile.

Rudy and Penny glared at him, their bodies tense and frozen. They did not make a move. They did not shift their gaze from the boy. They watched him carefully, wondering if he was going to pull another stunt like that. They kept their bodies still just in case Mint did something to cause them to trigger something else.

Rudy wondered what this boy wanted. He had sought them out for a reason. What more was he going to do? Was he going to try to get Penny in trouble? Was he going to do something to make his parents extend his 'chalkboard banishment' punishment? Or maybe he was going to taunt them on what he was able to accomplish without Rudy being there. Penny said she and Snap didn't notice anything, but that didn't mean that Mint didn't do something in secret.

"They have no reason to believe you." Mint said, a smirk on his face. "They did not see me anywhere near the fire alarm. You were the closest one to it. So they were more willing to believe me because that was all they saw. Many of the students here can't think enough for themselves to question situations like that." He let out a soft chuckle. "It is really quite amusing...but also frustrating. They don't think for themselves. They don't stand up for themselves."

Rudy narrowed his eyes at this. Who was Mint to insult a large group of people like that? Who was he to practically declare that he was the smartest student here? Who was he to mock the others for being tricked so easily? He was the reason they believed it. He was the reason he himself got into trouble. He was the reason he got grounded.

Mint took notice of Rudy's deepened frown. He just looked at him and his smile broadened. "You and Penny...you're among the few whom I noticed take things into your own hands. Congratulations..." He interlocked his fingers together. His smile darkend ever so slightly. "A shame that you haven't been able to use your intelligence to stop me when I destroyed Mondo Desert City."

Rudy and Penny gasped in horror. Mint had done what in ChalkZone?

"You...how...when..I..." Penny said, speechless. "I was there and I..."

Mint said, "I see you are confused. I am not surprised." He held up his hand in a gesture and turned his head to the side. His eyes closed. "Considering that you aren't a real creator..." At this, Rudy and Penny glared at him. Mint reopened his eyes and looked at them, still smiling. "Well of course you would fail to notice what was going on."

"Why you..." Rudy started to say.

Mint cut him off. "Relax, Rudy. I didn't delete any of your precious zoners. I had them chased out before I destroyed their buildings. And if you're wondering why Snap didn't say anything..."

Rudy's eyes widened, his heart filling with dread. Penny started to look horrified herself. Both of them were clearly thinking the same thing. Mint might have done something to Snap while they were away. Their shocked expressions were soon replaced with angry ones. Mint widened his eyes slightly, almost as if he were surprised by their reactions.

"If you hurt Snap, I'll..." Rudy snarled.

Mint laughed at him. "You really need to settle down and not jump to conclusions so easily. Of course I didn't hurt your...friend as you would call him." He shrugged his shoulders. "I just made sure to attack when I knew your friend would be sleeping." The way he said 'friend' was laced in sarcasm. "And besides, at least I'm generous enough to inform you two of what is going on. I could just keep it all a surprise. But that wouldn't be fair, would it?"

"Since when did you care about being fair?" Penny asked, gritting her teeth. "You never shown yourself a fan of being fair before."

"Whatever you say." Mint shrugged his shoulders, holding his hands out. "If that is what you think of me, hey, fine okay. But..." He narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger in their direction. "Keep in mind the only reason I even told you what I did is because I did not enjoy the fire alarm trick as much as you two think I did. I wanted to offset that unfairness a little bit by giving you two a warning. Skrawl wants me to destroy a few places in ChalkZone."

Rudy and Penny's eyes widened at that. How..how many places did Mint plan on to destroy? How many lives was he going to ruin or inadvertantly kill with all this destruction? What was the point in all of this?

Rudy felt his anger and hatred towards the boy rise even higher. He didn't believe the boy was the least bit sorry for what he did with the fire alarm. No, he was trying to get him out of ChalkZone just so he could do something like this. And now the boy had the audacity to flaunt his plans in front of them. The nerve... Rudy couldn't wait until Mint was defeated for good.

"So be prepared for a lot of destruction." Mint said. The smile returned and he got up from his seat. "I look forward to seeing how you will fix the problems, Rudy. It's going to be mighty boring without you there."

As he walked away, Penny spoke up. "I will stop you."

At this, Mint froze. He stood there, his eyes widened slightly. He looked over at Penny, staring at her in disbelief. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Mint scoffed, sneering at her. "Don't kid yourself..." With that, he walked away, leaving the two alone.

sss

Penny wasted no time. As soon as she got home from school, she rushed up into her bedroom, telling her mom she was going to be busy for a while. She didn't say why, but her mom didn't press her any further. Penny was grateful for that. She didn't wait much longer. Every second counted. She had to get into ChalkZone and fast.

Mint's words in the cafeteria were disturbing. He didn't bother telling her or Rudy just which places he was going to destroy. He only said that he was. True he could be lying, but why take the chance? They had already seen that he was willing to go through with it anyway. And without Rudy there, he would think he could get away with more. There could be many places that were already attacked and destroyed. Penny had to get there before the destruction spread too far.

She was not happy with what he said as he left. It was clear Mint did not look too fondly upon her as a 'fellow gamer' as he would put it. His words stung, no matter how hard she tried to fight it off. Despite the fact that he thinks this is all a game and he thinks he is just playing as the bad guy, the words still hurt. Probably because, on some level, it seemed he really did think lowly of her as an artist. He did not think that she stood a chance against him, and this clearly showed when he only got Rudy in trouble, but left her alone.

Well she was going to prove him wrong sooner or later. She would show him what she was capable of doing. He was going to regret underestimating her. She was just as much of a creator as Rudy. She would show Mint what she could accomplish. And after this, he wouldn't dare take her lightly again.

She got out her magic chalk and went up to her blackboard. Looking around to make sure her mother wasn't nearby, she drew a portal. Once it was opened, she climbed through. She hung there, grasping the edge of the portal, for a few seconds. She looked down, judging the distance. Then she let go. She landed on her feet, her knees bending a little. She then straightened herself up and looked around.

She barely stood there for a few seconds when she suddenly felt the ground around her shaking a little. It wasn't much. Just a little vibration, but she knew immediately something was wrong. Her heart started to squeeze. With how short the vibration was and how sudden it had come on, the first thing that came to her mind was that there was an explosion somewhere. A big one, enough to send some form of shockwaves out this far. She looked around the horizon, looking for the source. And soon she spotted it.

She gasped in horror, putting her hands to her mouth. In the direction she knew would lead to ChalkZone City, there was a large dark grey smoke pillowing out of the ground, similar to what they had seen with Wiggie Island. The smoke rose high in the air, intermixing with the white clouds high above. She was too far away to tell if it was ChalkZone City or not. And she couldn't see any other signs of damage except for the tower of smoke. But it was enough to tell her something was seriously wrong.

Mint was attacking that place. She was sure of it. Although it could just as easily be Skrawl, she had no doubt in her head that this was Mint's doing. She stared in shock at the smoke for a couple seconds, and then she narrowed her eyes in determination, clenching her fists tightly.

How dare Mint do such a thing... How dare he terrorize innocent zoners in this way... She would put a stop to it. As she clenched her magic chalk in her hand tightly, she declared mentally to herself that she would find a way to stop him. She was not going to allow him to get away with this.

She took a few steps forward. She then stopped when she heard someone calling out for her. She put a hand over her eyes, shielding them, as she saw Snap rushing in the opposite direction she was heading. He was coming straight for her. He was waving his arms up and down anxiously. His eyes were wide with dread and fear. Judging from a few small dark marks, she guessed hat he couldn't get far enough away from the explosion and got mildly injured.

When Snap got close enough, she could see the marks more clearly. There were a couple tiny burns. Not severe ones, but enough to be uncomfortable. She saw a couple small cuts too. Again, not too bad. Not really any bleeding. Maybe a little red speckling here or there. But he was otherwise fine.

This still made her shiver a little. The realization that Snap could have been hurt so much worse dawned on her, and filled her with horror. What would have happened if he hadn't gotten away fast enough? What if he had suffered more severe injuries? She stared, her teeth clenched tightly together, as Snap came up to her, standing a foot away. She wanted to say something to him, but her mouth remained shut. Her mind kept swimming with dreaded thoughts of what could have happened to her friend.

"Penny! You've got to..." Snap's voice trailed off. He looked around Penny as if he was expecting something else. Or someone else in this case. He looked back at her expectantly. "Where's Rudy? It's after school. I thought he'd be here with you."

Penny said, "Snap, Rudy can't come into ChalkZone for a couple of days."

Snap gasped at this. "What?! Why?!"

"I'll explain it to you later. I'll just say it was something Mint did." Penny said, narrowing her eyes. "He did something to make sure Rudy had no access to ChalkZone for a while..."

Snap shivered at this. His eyes grew big. "Well see that's not good..." He looked back behind him, looking at the large grey smoke still climbing into the air. "Because we could really use his help right about now!"

Penny noticed how worried and scared Snap looked. Judging from that, she deduced that the damage from the explosion was greater than she thought. Just what had happened down there? How many zoners were injured or even killed from this?

She wished she could say something to calm Snap down. But he doubted there was anything she could say that would help him feel better. Not when the danger was still present. She guessed that some of the fear was from Mint himself. She recalled the night Snap slept over at her house, how he had clung tightly to her the whole night, not letting her go. And now, with Rudy gone, half of his line of defense against Mint was gone. To make matters worse, that also meant ChalkZone had, for a while, less of a defense against Mint. So many zoners could be hurt or killed... No wonder Snap was so scared.

Penny took a step forward and placed her hand on Snap's shoulder and gently squeezed it. He looked up at her. Penny said, "Snap, what happened? What's going on over there?"

Snap took in a few quick breaths. Whatever happened over there, it still had him a little shook up. He did manage to find his voice. But when he spoke, it was a little more higher pitched than usual, panic clearly laced over his words. "It's..it's Mint! He just stormed ChalkZone City with some big dinosaur! And he's shooting his laser thing everywhere!"

Penny put a hand to her mouth. "What?!"

"Yeah! He's tearing the place apart!" Snap cried. "I was lucky to get away in time before that big explosion shattered through the middle of the town!"

Penny's eyes widened. So it had been an explosion that wracked the city. It was an explosion she had felt. Horror settled in her heart as she realized how massive of an explosion it had to be. She snapped her head in the direction of the rising smoke. She couldn't waste any more time. She grabbed Snap's hand and she started to rush in the direction of the smoke.

She could tell Snap was still scared. He was making some small noises strongly suggesting he didn't want to go back. She couldn't blame him. He did almost get badly hurt back there, and Mint was there as well. She was thankful that Snap was able to get away before Mint could target him. But despite his fears, Snap wasn't trying to pull away. He continued to run along side Penny, even when she let go of his hand. He was a selfless zoner and she admired that about him. Always willing to run headlong into danger even if it meant that he was putting himself in danger.

As they ran towards ChalkZone City, her mind swirled with thoughts of what the place was going to look like. She imagined toppled buildings, dead or injured zoners laying around, Mint standing there laughing as he road his large dinosaur through the city. She shook the thoughts from her head, not wanting to let her imagination scare her into slowing down. She continued running with Snap towards the big city.

When they got there, they both stood in frozen terror. The image before her was chilling. She hadn't expected it to be quite like this. Her body trembled as waves of emotion rushed through her. She rubbed her eyes to make sure what she seeing was reality.

A huge chunk of ChalkZone City was..destroyed. Gone, blackened, turned to dust. There was a large darkened hole, a crater in the ground that still had some smoke rising from it. The area of the explosion... It was massive. Penny looked at the scale of the thing and realized it had to have been twenty feet wide. She realized, with a pang in her chest, just how lucky Snap was to get out of the way. She hoped other zoners were just as lucky. So far, she spotted no signs of dead zoners, much to her relief.

The explosion wasn't the only damage. She could see many destroyed buildings. Broken pieces of debris laid everywhere. More smoke rose from them. There were a few flickers of fire, but none of them grew any larger and many were put out in a matter of seconds. Some buildings still stood, but there were chunks ripped out of them, like something big bit into them. And a few others, with very little support, could no longer stand and toppled over as she and Snap watched in horror.

The whole place felt very warm. The smell of dirt, smoke, and debris hung thickly and strongly in the air. Penny looked around slowly, her eyes widening as she took in more of the destruction in her head. It was unfathomable just how much Mint had managed to do in such a short amount of time. And as she heard the sounds of more buildings being torn apart, heavy stomping vibrating the ground, she knew that he was not yet finished.

She did see a few zoners at last. A handful of them were running down the streets. They didn't seem to notice Penny or Snap as they raced down the concrete sidewalk. They were screaming in fear and panic. Some of them were injured, some blood dripping from wounds they must have recieved from all the damage that was being done.

Penny couldn't stifle her gasp of horror when she she spotted another zoner laying on the ground, bleeding heavily from a wound to the stomach. There were a couple zoners surrounding him, trying to help him. She wanted to go help him. He was in immediate danger and needed medical assistance right away. But before she could even start to walk over in his direction, something large and dull brown stomped on the ground in front of her, knocking her and Snap away.

Snap helped her up to her feet. She brushed herself off and the two f them looked up. They jumped out of the way as the wall of brown moved past them. They were surprised when they weren't attacked. When the thing got far enough away, Penny could see what it was.

It was a large dinosaur all right. An apatosaurus if she remembered right. The huge creature was stomping its way through the city, crushing cars and any bits of debris that got in its way. Its huge tail struck against the buildings, scraping off bits of debris and letting them fall to the ground. A few pieces came tumbling down towards her and Snap. She grabbed Snap and threw herself and him out of the way as smaller chunks of solid concrete crashed into the ground behind them. The concrete pieces sliced into the ground at least a couple of inches, much to Penny's horror.

She and Snap watched with widened, fear-filled eyes as the apatosaurus opened its jaws and bit into another building. It yanked out a small portion, and it did this over and over until the building lost support and it started to fall down. Penny's body shook as she watched this, her mind racing with the thoughts of how many zoners were in that building.

That's when the scale of the destruction really began to sink down into her mind. Zoners were everywhere here. Every building had at least one zoner, though even one is hard to believe with how many zoners come here and how many zoners make a living here. So many buildings were torn down and toppled. And there was little chance that, if any zoners were in there, that they made it out alive. The city hadn't been evacuated; she still spotted a few injured zoners rushing to get away. That meant that there could be a death toll this time around. A massive one, uncomprehensible to her.

Even if it were indirect, it boiled Penny's blood. The realization that Mint was possibly indirectly killing zoners, even on a larger scale than on Wiggie Island, filled her with anger. She couldn't allow him to get away with doing this. He..he was a monster.. And he had to be stopped.

And speaking of Mint, there he was. He was sitting on one of the small undamaged buildings. He was smiling down at them, waving at them like this was just some sort of party or something. He acted like he had done nothing wrong. His smile wasn't evil in any sense, at least not by appearance. He looked almost genuinely happy to see Penny, like he had been waiting for her to show up.

"Greetings, Penny and..." Mint locked eyes on Snap. "...Snap."

Snap took a step back. Penny growled and put her arm out in front of Snap protectively. Mint looked amused by this.

Mint spread his arms out to indicate the vastness of what transpired here. "Do you like what I've done to the place?" Penny glared hatefully at him. "You know, I did like the way this place used to be...but a little remodeling wouldn't hurt, don't you think?"

"You...do you have any idea what you've done?!" Penny shouted at him. Mint raised an eyebrow and stared down at her curiously. She made a gesture towards the destruction the apatosaurus was currently causing. "You're hurting innocent zoners! Some of them could be dead...and it's all your fault!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't you even care?!"

Mint shook his head. "No I don't." Penny's eyes widened at this. Mint put his hand to his chest. "And why should I? They're all just data here. Nothing I do will actually hurt them. They can always be recreated and they will be fine." He turned his gaze to Snap for a second and turned back to Penny. "Which is why I don't see why you are worried if someting happens to your NPC guide there. He can be recreated. He's nothing but data. He's not really alive. He's just cleverly created to make you think he's alive."

"Hey...I'm real!" Snap snarled at him, showing some courage to the boy that had tormented him a few nights ago. He held up a fist challengingly at him. "Why don't you come here and face me? Maybe a punch or two will show you how real I am!"

Mint laughed coldly at this, causing Snap to shiver. "How amusing. An AI who thinks he is real. Well then..." Mint jumped off the building and landed on his feet without tripping. He straightened himself up. He stared intently at Snap. "Since you want to prove to me you are something more than data, and I want to see how the gibs works in this game..." He held up his laser pistol, a newly drawn one, staring at the tip intently before looking at Snap with an evil smile. "Maybe we can satisfy both needs today."

Penny kept herself positioned in front of Snap. She held out her arms, shielding him from Mint's sights. "I won't let you..." She growled lowly. Mint's eyes twinkled a little. "Mint, I challenge you!"

At this, Mint let out a cold laughter. Penny winced at how chilling it sounded. Mint stared at her, his eyes widened a little, an uncomfortable intense emotion radiating off of them. "Don't make me laugh! I'm not accepting a challenge against you!"

Penny narrowed her eyes, taking a step forward. "And why not? Are you scared that I'll win?"

At this, Mint scoffed, stifling more giggling. He put his hand to his face and rubbed it gently. "You really are something, aren't you, Penny? Honestly, I don't see why Skrawl is so worried about you." Mint pulled his hand away and stared at her. A sneer spread across his face. "I'm not accepting a duel with you not because I'm afraid you'll win...but because I'm afraid of how badly I might beat you."

"Who said you would win?" Snap asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Well of course I would win this duel!" Mint said, staring at Snap. "I've never seen her do anything except run away." He turned his attention to Penny. "So why don't you go ahead and do that, Penny... Run away like you always do. You stand no chance against me." He took a step forward, staring at her intently. "...because you are no artist. You are not a real creator. You are just an amateur. You're worthless, both as an ally and as an opponent. So why don't you..." His voice darkened. "..get lost."

Penny's eyes widened at this. She stared at Mint in shock. Then the initial shock gave way to anger. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She bared her teeth, clenching them together. An amateur eh? She would show him how wrong he was about that. She held out her magic chalk, still prepared to fight him even if he did not see her as a worthy opponent.

Snap was also visibly angered by Mint's harsh words. He took a step forward, taking a defensive stance. "That's not true! You take that back!"

Mint smirked at this. Then, without warning, he rushed towards the duo. Before Penny and Snap could react, Mint seized Snap in his hands and put distance between him and Penny. He quickly put the tip of the laser gun against Snap's head, prompting Snap to freeze and stare at the gun wide eyed.

"P-Penny!" Snap cried. He turned his eyes to Penny. "Help me!"

"Yes, Penny. Help him." Mint said mockingly. He tightened his grip on Snap, keeping him in a tight headlock. His finger rested on the trigger. "Show me how much of an amateur you really are. Show me how cowardly you are." Penny stared at him, then at Snap, her eyes filled with worry and horror. "Show me!"

Penny narrowed her eyes in determination. She raised her magic chalk, clutching it tightly in her hand. She stared at Mint for a few seconds, then at Snap. She saw how scared he was. She knew if she slipped up, he would be done for. Then she looked back at Mint. She growled. Without wasting more time, she rushed towards him, holding out her magic chalk and preparing to draw.


	19. Amateur

Penny raised up her hand to draw. She glared hatefully at Mint as she got closer. Her eyes soon locked onto Snap's. Her heart raced. She didn't have much leeway, very little margin for error. She had practically no time to decide what to draw. So she began to draw the first thing that came to her mind...

...only to be interrupted almost as soon as she started. Something large collided with her, forcing her into the ground.

"Penny!" Snap cried out to her.

Penny opened her eyes and saw that Mint's raptor, or utahraptor if she remembered right, was standing over her, snarling with teeth exposed. Her eyes widened in horror. Where does Ripclaw keep coming from? She seemed to always appear out of nowhere. This made her blood freeze. Did Ripclaw have some kind of cloaking mechanism? Could she camouflage herself? Or was she just that good at hiding? Either way, the thought sent chills down her spine.

She struggled to get back up, pushing against the utahraptor zoner's shoulders and chest. Ripclaw did not attempt to bite her and instead responded by applying more pressure. Penny winced as she felt the claws of her hand start to press against her skin. She was grateful it was not the foot. That sickle claw looked wickedly sharp.

She could hear Mint's cold laughter as she tried to get herself free. She did her best to ignore it, instead concentrating on getting herself free. She gritted her teeth and pushed against Ripclaw some more. The utahraptor, however, was not budging. She was too big to simply push away. Penny needed another plan. She glared up at Ripclaw. Her mind raced with thoughts of how she was going to get out of this.

She did recall how they got the tyrannosaurus to leave Mondo Desert City with the use of steak. Would it work on this dinosaur zoner? And what of the apatosaurus? Could she lure it away with food, too? Probably...though how simple it would be, she wasn't sure. Mint's creatures did seem to have the minds of animals, and food was a great motivator for them. But it was also dangerous and risky. The apatosaurus was huge and, despite it being a herbivore, it still had the potential of being vicious, if not even more so. After all, hippos and water buffalo were more dangerous than crocodiles and lions, and they are herbivores.

And Ripclaw was fast. Definitely faster than the tyrannosaurus, that was for certain. She could easily chase her down if she wasn't careful with her. If she were to go with the food plan, she would first have to get free. She would need a head start. If she started to run with food this close, Ripclaw would catch up to her in seconds. And she did not want to know what it would feel like when she clamped her jaws around her. She wasn't certain if Mint could stop that, or if he would even want to stop it.

Then she heard Mint give a command. And when he did, her eyes widened in horror.

"Perhaps we should give the amateur here a little reward for lasting this long." Mint said, his grin broadening. "Bite her in the shoulder. Not a big one. Just enough to slow her down."

Snap gasped at this. "No! Don't do that!"

Mint pushed the laser pistol further against Snap's head. He hissed into his ear, "You be quiet! Or I'll shoot you now!" Snap looked up at him in fear and gulped.

Upon Mint's command, Ripclaw pulled her head back. Her lips curling back into a snarl for a moment, she struck forward. Her mouth slit open wide. Penny let out a scream as she brought her hands up, the magic chalk dropping at her side. She gripped onto Ripclaw's jaws and started to push back. Drool dripped from the zoner's mouth and onto her chest, face, and arms, but she ignored it. She narrowed her eyes, baring her teeth, as she struggled to push Ripclaw back.

She didn't know how long it was going to last. Ripclaw was definitely a lot stronger than she was. She was managing to hold the dinosaur off for a little while. But as the seconds passed, Ripclaw's mouth was getting closer and closer to her left shoulder. She tried as best as she could to push her back, to get her mouth away from its intended target. Ripclaw let out low growls and hisses, looking annoyed that Penny was holding her mouth like this. But she did nothing to free herself. No attempt to jerk away or bite her hands instead. She did exactly what Mint told her to do and that was target her shoulder.

Penny's arms were starting to get tired. Once in a while, she'd loosen her grip for a second, allowing Ripclaw to get closer. She managed to push her back a little bit only twice, and both times, it wasn't enough. She could feel her grip starting to slip. As she realized she might not be able to get out of this, her eyes started to widen in fear. She started up at Ripclaw, those piercing yellow eyes boring into hers. She was intent on accomplishing her mission. She was not going to let go, and that determination shined in those golden eyes of hers.

Again, Mint's laughter swept through her mind, chilling her blood. She couldn't believe he thought this was funny. She couldn't believe that he was amused and entertained by this. She was about to get her shoulder ripped open by this beast, and he didn't even care. He doesn't understand just how real the injury was going to be. He has no idea what he had gotten himself into.

"What was that you were saying about stopping me, amateur?" Mint asked, a devious smile on his face. He watched with satisfaction as Penny struggled on the ground with Ripclaw. He tilted his head to the side slightly. "From what I am standing, it looks like you are already losing. You didn't even draw anything yet. How pitiful..."

Penny glared in his direction, though it was a little hard to see him with Ripclaw blocking most of her view. A large snarl from the utahraptor prompted her to look up. She realized, in horror, that her fanged snout was only inches away from her shoulder by now.

Mint took a few steps to the side, which allowed Penny a better view of him. Mint kept Snap caught in a tight headlock, the gun still placed against his head. "But this is what I had expected. I knew you didn't have it in you, Penny." His eyes narrowed slightly. "And now you know why I didn't accept the duel challenge with you. I would have beaten you quickly. Had this been a real duel, you would have lost already. In this short amount of time, I would have beaten you so many times. You never stood a chance against me."

Penny searched her mind some more, trying to think of some way out of this. Her eyes darted over to Snap. He looked frightened, trembling as he was being held by Mint. What would happen to him if she didn't get out of this? Would Mint let him go or would he shoot him?

Her heart raced at the thought. Snap was in big trouble, and so where the people in ChalkZone City. The apatosaurus was continuing its destruction. She could still hear the screams of the citizens as they were trying to run for cover. She had no idea how many were injured, or if any were killed. And Snap was still in the arms of the enemy. That gun was placed right at his head. Even if Mint slipped and shot something else, Snap was still going to get hurt, or even killed. And right now, she was the only one who could stand up to Mint.

That realization swept through her mind. Yes, she was the only one who could fight Mint. The zoners didn't stand much of a chance against a creator, especially one as psychotic as Mint here. Rudy was not around to help them. Unfortunately, he was not able to help them, and it was all because of that stupid stunt Mint pulled off. It was his fault Rudy was unable to come into ChalkZone for a little while. And now this guy thinks he can get away with anything just because Rudy isn't there to challenge him. Just when Rudy started to get the upper hand, this guy cheats and gets him locked out of ChalkZone...

But he failed to take her into consideration. It was clear he was underestimating her. He didn't know what she had been doing, or what she had done in the past. He didn't realize just how wrong he was about her. And she was going to show it to him. She was currently ChalkZone's only line of defense, and she wasn't about to let everyone down.

Tearing her eyes away from the menacing, grinning Mint, she looked up at Ripclaw, her eyes narrowed in determination. Her jaws were almost upon her shoulder now. As terrifying as this was for Penny to realize, there was something good that came out of it. Ripclaw's left eye was within reach.

A vulnerable spot.

Moving as fast as she could, Penny moved one of her hands away from Ripclaw's mouth. She formed a fist and, just before the dinosaur could bite her shoulder, she delivered a punch right into her eye. This caused the dinosaur to pull her head back and let out a screech of pain. With her grip on her loosed momentarily, Penny took this chance to wrench free. She grabbed her magic chalk, which still laid on the ground and moved back away.

She noticed Mint's eyes widening in surprise. She kept her attention mainly on the angry dinosaur that was approaching her now. Ripclaw snapped her jaws a few times at her, her pupils dilated in rage. She did not appreciate being hit in the eye like that. Penny gritted her teeth, holding up her magic chalk in preparation to draw.

What should she draw to stop Ripclaw? She had to think of something, and fast. Some way to disable her. She recalled what her mom does for a living. She was a vet, and she had to deal with animals on a regular basis, some of which weren't always that cooperative. Her mom always had some tranquilizers handy to calm down animals that were particularly uncooperative.

That could work in this situation...But the only problem was that she had no idea how much to give Ripclaw. Tranquilizing wasn't that easy or simple. It required knowing the size and weight of the animal and the right dosage. Too little would just piss her off. But too much would kill her... It had to be exactly the right amount, otherwise it would not work. But she had little time to figure out how much was the right amount, and she had to make an educated guess.

It was true she could end up really hurting Ripclaw, but she had little other options. Even though she did not want to kill the dinosaur, she would feel awful if she did, but it was either take that risk or let everyone in ChalkZone City, including Snap, die at the hands of this insane child standing not far from her. Yeah, the tranquilizer was the only thing she could think of that could effectively stop Ripclaw. After taking a few seconds to think about roughly how heavy the utahraptor was, she began to draw.

As she drew in the air, she heard Mint give out a soft chuckle. He said in a taunting voice, "Oh, so you do know how to use the magic chalk. Congratulations on that, Penny. But drawing is one thing... Let's see if you can utilize it well enough...amateur..."

Penny growled at being called an 'amateur' again, but she tried not to let it get to her. She focused on drawing what she needed. A large tranquilizer dart. She then drew a tranquilizer gun and pushed the dart inside of it. She pointed it at Ripclaw, taking careful aim.

But Ripclaw was not going to hold still for her. The dinosaur let out a roar and charged for her. Penny's eyes widened as the dinosaur closed the gap quickly. She jumped out of the way as the dinosaur zipped past her, almost striking her with her claws. The dinosaur turned around and came right back for her, mouth split wide open. Penny pointed the tranquilizer gun at her, again trying to take aim. But the dinosaur was too fast for her and she couldn't pull the trigger in time.

Penny moved to the side, feeling Ripclaw graze right by her, a rush of wind created from how fast she moved. Ripclaw, still so full of energy, turned around and came rushing at her again. Penny didn't waste anymore time. She held up her tranquilizer dart and pulled the trigger...just as Ripclaw pushed against her. Penny let out a scream as she was pushed into the ground, Ripclaw's hands pushing against her. Her claws poked against her skin again, causing the girl to wince.

"I thought so." Mint said, shaking his head. "You bit off more than you can chew, dear Penny. You should have just gone home and did your studying. You might be good at school..." He stared at Penny as she was being held on the ground again. "But that is of no use here. I tried to warn you that you didn't belong here. You should have heeded my advice and gotten out while you still could."

"I'm...not out yet..." Penny said as she pushed back against Ripclaw. "I...will stop you..."

Mint laughed at this. "And how? You're still pinned on the ground. You can't fight back. Your little plan failed. How do you propose you stop me?"

Penny gritted her teeth at him, then stared up at Ripclaw. She wasn't sure what she was going to do now. She was trapped again. And this time, Ripclaw was keeping her head back. She was smart enough to know that if she got too close, she would get hit in the eye again. She was not allowing the girl another chance at that move. Instead, the dinosaur was concentrating on just keeping her pinned down.

Penny struggled to get free. She pushed against the dinosaur, but she was not strong enough to push away the large dinosaur. She kept trying, though. She pushed harder and harder against her. It was no use. Ripclaw pushed her body against her, her talons gripping into her skin. Penny's look of determination was replaced with one of horror. She looked over at Snap. They locked eyes on each other, both very worried. Snap was silently pleading with her, begging her to help him. She wanted to help him so much...but she didn't know if she could even help herself.

She stared up at Ripclaw, her thoughts swimming. She felt defeated. She had tried to neutralize Ripclaw and she had failed. She was going to let everyone down. And there wasn't a thing she could do about it. She could practically hear Mint's cold laughter in her mind. His taunting words... As much as she knew he was wrong, it was hard not to be affected by what he said about her.

"This little game is over." Mint said, letting out a sigh of disappointment. "It was fun toying with you, Penny. But I think I'd like to move onto something..better..." Mint cast a quick glance down at Snap. "Especially since you failed to save your 'friend' here..."

Snap's eyes widened. "No..please don't..."

"I told you to shut up!" Mint snarled, tightening his grip to the point where Snap gagged. "One more word out of you and I will rip your body apart!"

At this, Penny's eyes snapped wide open. No...he couldn't do that... Snap... She had to help him. He was in trouble. She had to help him. With renewed determination, she started to push against Ripclaw. She still wasn't doing well, but she was at least holding her back a little better. She wasn't going to allow Mint to hurt her friend. She was going to save him. She was going to stop the apatosaurus.

She would win.

As she pushed back, she felt something laying down next to her. It was the tranquilizer dart. It must have been pushed out of the gun somehow. Perhaps she didn't secure it tightly enough. She glared at it with determination, looking back up at the dinosaur briefly before she let go and grabbed the tranquilizer dart. She felt the beast's weight suddenly press against her, forcing the air out of her lungs. As Ripclaw opened her jaws to screech at her, she pulled her hand back and struck the utahraptor in the base of her neck.

Ripclaw's eyes widened and she froze for a second. She then glared down at Penny, opening her mouth and letting out a menacing hiss. She raised her hand, claws poised to strike. Penny, realizing that the dart might not have contained enough drug to keep her down, closed her eyes and looked away. She waited for the claws to strike her.

But nothing happened. Confused, Penny opened her eyes and looked up.

Ripclaw still had her hand raised, but she looked...a little different. Her eyes were part way closed and she kept blinking, like she had trouble keeping them open. Her body was swaying back and forth. Her muscles were relaxing. Her hand lowered down. Then, seconds later, she fell to the ground. Penny grunted as the large dinosaur fell on top of her, almost crushing her under her weight. Penny managed to pull herself free. She took a few steps back and stared at what she was able to accomplish.

There laid Ripclaw. She was flat on the ground, on her stomach. Her legs stretched out behind her, her arms laid out at her sides. Her eyes were shut and her chin rested against the ground. She took in slow, somewhat ragged breaths. Penny reached over and gently pushed against her head to make sure she was out. When Ripclaw did not react, she moved a few steps away. She turned her attention to Mint.

To say Mint was surprised was an understatement. Words couldn't effectively described how surprised he looked that she managed to disable Ripclaw. She gave him a smirk and folded her arms against her chest. Mint narrowed his eyes at her show of triumph. But there was no denying it. She had shown him she was capable of wielding the magic chalk just as well as he or Rudy could.

Mint smiled again, giving a devious grin. "So you managed to best Ripclaw. Big deal. That was nothing more than beginner's luck."

Penny narrowed her eyes. So he was still going to act like she was an amateur, was he? He wasn't going to accept that he was wrong? Maybe he needed a little more motivation. She held p her magic chalk again. "It wasn't beginner's luck, Mint. It was skill."

Mint laughed. "No, it wasn't! Skill would mean that you are more knowledgeable about how to use the magic chalk. But no, you don't know. It was just a mere case of luck."

Penny growled. "You don't know anything about me..."

"No?" Mint asked, feigning suprise. He grinned wider. "Well then...why don't you prove that to me?" He smirked down at Snap. He gave her a sideways glance. "Can you save your little friend here before I pull the trigger?" This prompted a loud whimper of protest from Snap. Mint tightened his grip further and Penny could see he was having a hard time breathing. "Come on...try..."

Penny snarled at him, angry that he was threatening her friend. She wasn't going to let him get away with that. Recalling what she had attempted to create before Ripclaw interrupted her, she brought up her magic chalk and began to draw quickly. She did not waste any time, and now holding a whip in her hands, she took a step towards Mint.

She could see him start to pull the trigger. No, she wasn't going to allow it to happen. She pulled her hand back and struck the whip forward. The tip of the whip hit against Mint's hand, causing him to cry out in pain. He gripped his hand, releasing Snap, as the laser pistol dropped to the ground. Rushing forward, Penny took this chance to pull Snap back away from him. Keeping herself in front of her frightened friend, she glared at Mint.

She looked down, seeing his laser pistol on the ground. Before Mint had a chance to grab it, she used the whip to get it away from him. The thin line of the whip wrapped around the laser pistol. She yanked it back and pressed her foot against it. Mint stopped a few feet away from her, his eyes locked on his gun. He took in a few breaths as he slowly looked up and stared at Penny. Slowly, his eyes narrowed and he raised his magic chalk. Penny prepared herself, taking a fighting stance.

Mint suddenly turned his head to the side. Penny looked over to see what he was looking at. The apatosaurus that was rampaging through the city. "Hey you! Cease destroying! Head out of the city for now and wait outside..." He slowly turned his head towards Penny. "I have to teach this...amateur...a little lesson..."

Penny glared at him. "So do you know accept my challenge?"

Mint's narrowed eyes locked onto hers. He kept quiet for a few seconds. Then he took a fighting stance. "...yes."

"Good. Now you're learning." Penny said. She turned to glance at Snap. "You go and try to find if there's still citizens here! I know I saw some that were trapped. Find any that are still stuck here and get them out!"

Snap nodded his head. "Can do, Buckette!" He started to make his way down the city. He stopped and he looked back at her. "And can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?" Penny asked.

Snap grinned. "Kick the creepazoid's butt for me."

Penny chuckled a little at this. It was nice that Snap was able to give a little humor despite the predicament he was in just moments earlier. "Sure, Snap. Sure." She watched as her friend took off. She then turned her attention to Mint. "And as for you..."

"Oh spare me your pathetic little speech, amateur." Mint said. "I'm only doing this because Skrawl told me to get rid of you if you became a problem. I still don't think you'll be much of a challenge."

"I guess you still need a little lesson." Penny said, giving a bit of a devious smile herself. "I'm not as much of a pushover as you like to think. If Skrawl told you not to underestimate me...you should listen."

Growling, Mint said, "He's just a chunk of data. Nothing more. He doesn't understand the actual skill level of any player that enters here."

"Not like you?" Penny said sarcastically.

"Exactly!" Mint said, grinning evilly at her. "Now...let's get this over with. I can't wait until I send you crying back home."

Penny hissed, "Keep dreaming."

"Oh, but I'm not the dreamer here." Mint said. He raised his magic chalk and began to draw. Penny's eyes widened as she realized what he was drawing. "I think it's time we turned up the heat...don't you?" Now weilding a menacing-looking flamethrower, Mint pointed it in Penny's direction. "Come on, amateur. Dance with the flames!"

Penny let out a scream as Mint shot a torrent of fire in her direction. She jumped out of the way as the flames hit against the ground. She watched as the ground was briefly set on fire, only for the fire to die off quickly. She looked over in Mint's direction, her eyes still wide. He smiled evilly at her as he aimed the flamethrower at her again. She dodged a second time, but she knew she couldn't keep this up. She had to think of something, and fast.

She looked around the debris, hearing more screams of zoners as they were trying to get away. The whole place looked like an obstacle course. It looked like it would take some skill to navigate through the mess. Her eyes widened in realization. Seeing the twisted metal and broken concrete littered all over the place, that gave her an idea...

She jumped out of the way as Mint tried to shoot her with fire again. The flames cackled against the ground, the heat from the torrent almost burning to Penny. She got out her magic chalk and began to draw quickly. Although she still didn't get the hang of drawing rocket shoes, these crooked ones she drew would have to do. She turned them on and rose in the air, a little shaky. She then turned and began to fly away, hoping that Mint would take the bait. And fortunately, he did.

"Oh no, you aren't getting away from me, you cowardly amateur artist!" Mint shouted, laughing almost insanely. "You wanted to play with the big boys! And that is exactly what you are going to get!"

She looked behind her and saw that Mint had drawn himself a jetpack. Her eyes widened as she realized that it had more power and speed than the rocket shoes she drew. And it appeared to be in bit of better quality too. She turned her attention up front and concentrated on her plan.

Penny dove towards the mangled debris. The twisted loops and openings created by the destruction would be perfect for this. She moved down towards them, moving through the openings. Mint followed close behind her. The flamethrower nearly grazed her side a few times. Penny tried her best not to let fear grip her. She couldn't allow herself to give into it, not now. She made a few turns in the open parts of the rubble. She heard Mint shout in frustration as he nearly collided with walls. With a whoosh of rocket fuel, she knew when he turned direction to go after her.

Penny went through a twisted tunnel of debris. Bits fell everywhere. It was hard to dodge them, especially with Mint trying to shoot her with the flamethrower. Again and again, she had to move quickly. She could hear Mint dodging the debris himself, moving back and forth. The two of them let out screams as some chunks of rock nearly fell upon them. Penny sped up and moved faster through the tunnels, chunks falling down at a faster rate. She reached the bottom of the tunnel and she flew straight up, right towards an opening with sunlight shining out of it.

Mint let out a surprised cry as Penny made that sudden move. He quickly changed direction, nearly slamming himself against the ground. He went back up towards her and it didn't take him long to catch up with her. Again he shot the fire at her. Penny barely dodged in time. She winced as she felt a tiny bit of flame burn her leg. Not a small portion, no bigger than the burns Snap suffered. But this small moment of triumph for Mint was enough to make the kid laugh at her.

"I'm going to get you!" Mint shouted at her. "I am going to win!"

Penny hissed softly. "Overly confident... You should really watch that ego of yours, Mint. You could get in trouble."

"Speak for yourself! I'm not the one running away like a coward!" Mint said, a wide grin on his face, his eyes big with glee.

Penny chuckled softly. "Oh...? Is that what you think I've been doing?" She said in a teasing voice.

She was not surprised that Mint did not pay attention to what she had been doing the whole time. She wasn't surprised that he hadn't noticed that she had been using the magic chalk as she zipped around in circles in the debris. He had been so focused on getting her that he did not bother watching what she was drawing. And now it was too late for that.

"What? What are you talking about?!" Mint cried in confusion.

Penny didn't reply. She just giggled at him and made another dive towards the rubble, back through the tunnel they had come out of. Growling in frustration, Mint chased after her, just like she hoped he would. She navigated through the tunnel, dodging the shots of fire being thrown at her. She stared at a lower opening, where she had entered this twisted cavern of debris in the first place. Then, she got close enough, she fly upwards suddenly.

Mint, unable to change direction in time, flew past her, out of the opening. It took him seconds to realize that Penny had been drawing a trap for him, the reason why they had gone around in circles for a time before Penny attempted to get out. The trap was simple, yet effective. A net wrapped around him, tangling him in it as he fell towards the ground. The net gave off a quick burst of electricity. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to shor circuit his jet pack, making it lose power.

He made contact with the ground hard. Luckily he hadn't been that high up and the crash didn't hurt him as much. No scrapes or anything, but it still caused him some pain. He cried out as he felt his body smash into the ground and he rolled across the floor. He started to struggle against the net, but it had tangled up so tightly around him that he didn't have as much range of motion.

Penny flew down and managed to land pretty decently, although she still almost tripped. At least she managed to turn off the rocket shoes this time. She walked over towards Mint slowly and deliberatey. A playful smile was on her face, her hands folded back behind her. She stared down at the tangled Mint, his magic chalk having been tossed from his hand and out of reach. She bent down and picked it up. She held it in front of her, letting Mint take a nice long look at it.

"Not bad for an 'amateur', huh, Mint?" Penny said. "Now..what was that you were saying about sending me home crying...?"

Mint looked up at her in absolute shock. His eyes were wide, his mouth dropped open. She could see he was shaking too. Not from fear or pain, but from the intense shock he was feeling from being defeated by whom he believed was an amateur. He shook his head from side to side slowly, in utter disbelief. He managed to stand up, though his movemens were still restricted by the net.

"No...it's impossible... You can't win... You're...just an amateur..." Mint said in a low voice. His wide eyes continued to stare at Penny. He refused to look away. He took in a few shaky breaths, his body still trembling from the shock. "This..this isn't possible!"

"Face it, Mint. I won." Penny said, her arms folded. "You lost. I have your magic chalk now."

Mint stared at her with a disbelieving expression. He took a step back. "You...you..." He couldn't continue, his voice trailing off.

Penny narrowed her eyes. She started to advance on Mint slowly. The boy started to back away from her. Soon Penny had him boxed up against the wall. She grabbed him by his shirt collar and some of the rope and yanked him forward. She put her face close to his. His expression shifted to something more like fear, likely from how suprised he was that an 'amateur artist' beat him in the first round, while it took Rudy a few tries before he got the upperhand.

"Listen, Mint. This is not a game! It never was! Look at all this destruction you caused!" Penny hissed at him. Mint trembled a little harder. "It's all your fault! I am not going to allow you to cause anymore destruction! And when Rudy gets back, we will get you out of ChalkZone!"

Penny was no fool. She could already see Ripclaw start to move. She wouldn't have time to get Mint out herself. But she did have some time to give him a little warning. As Ripclaw started to walk over towards them, her hisses and snarls filling the air, Penny grabbed Mint with both her hands and pulled him even closer.

"And if you ever threaten Snap again..." Penny hissed. Mint winced and turned his head to the side, gritting his teeth. "...I will make you regret it." She tilted her head to the side. "Do you understand?" Mint opened his mouth to speak, but instead nodded his head quickly. "Good...now get out." Penny said in a low voice. She released Mint and took a step back.

Mint wasted no time. He immediately rushed over to Ripclaw. After she tore the net off of him, he climbed on her back, wrapping his hands around her neck. He turned to look back at Penny. Before he left, he said one thing to Penny.

"It seems I was wrong about you..." And with that, he disappeared.


	20. Return

Rudy was thankful to be back in ChalkZone. It had only been a few days, but it felt like he was gone longer. It felt so nice to be able to use his chalkboard again after his parents gave it back to him. He had immediately created a portal the first chance he got and went into ChalkZone to check how things were going.

He was able to catch up to Penny and Snap in no time. They weren't too far away. He ran up to them to greet them. They were happy to see him. Rudy gave Snap a hug. Even though it had only been a short time, he had missed Snap dearly. He had wanted to communicate with him while he was grounded, but he had no form of which to do so. Being grounded, he couldn't even leave the house to go see Penny, and she wasn't allowed to go see him after school. A part of the punishment and all. He asked his friends what had happened in ChalkZone while he was away, and they told him everything that they could.

Penny informed Rudy about Mint's attack on ChalkZone City. As she described the destruction, Rudy was absolutely horrified and disgusted by what Mint had done. All that destruction...and for what? Nothing. And when Penny told him about the injured, he felt a pang in his heart. He couldn't help but feel guilty, even though it wasn't his fault. He couldn't do anything about it. He was not able to get into ChalkZone. And it wasn't his fault that he couldn't. It was Mint's. That jerk pushed him into the fire alarm and got him in trouble. And he had the audacity to cause destruction while he was away.

She told him about how Mint had used an apatosaurus to destroy large portions of ChalkZone City and how he had grabbed Snap and threatened him. Both this angered Rudy. It angered up that Mint, most of the time, used other zoners to do the destroying for him. To him, it sounded like he saw his creations as nothing more than slaves. Obedient to him, his creations would do whatever he said, no matter how cruel it was. The apatosaurus only destroyed because Mint told it to. He couldn't be mad at it, or any of Mint's creations. They were all just intelligent animals; they don't choose what they do. Mint does. It was Mint he was mad at.

Mint threatening Snap yet again made Rudy's blood boil. What right did Mint have to treat his friend that way? What did Snap do to deserve being treated like that? Rudy was getting sick and tired of Mint treating Snap like he was a piece of dirt. He hoped that he would take Penny's warning to heart and leave Snap alone. But he had doubts Mint would listen. And when Penny told him how Mint had treated her, calling her 'worthless' and 'amateur', that just added to his already increasing anger. This kid had no right to insult her like that, and it pleased him that Penny was able to show him how wrong he was.

He was a little surprised Penny won in the first 'round', but it didn't bother him. Protecting ChalkZone wasn't a contest. It wasn't a game, despite what Mint thinks. He was happy she was able to protect ChalkZone in his absense. He knew he left the place in good hands. It got even better when she informed him she was able to stop him two more times when he had tried to attack, preventing too much further damage.

What did worry him, though, was the fact that Penny and Snap weren't able to locate Skrawl at any time. They had attempted to locate him a few times before and after Mint appeared, but to no avail. It would help if they knew the location of some of these artifacts. Penny had gone to the library to try to find information, but sadly they had nothing on these artifacts. But to Rudy's horror, it wasn't because they had no copies. It was because Skrawl had stolen the only copy there was. So only that deranged jellybean had access to such information.

It was worrying that there wasn't any reports of attacks anywhere. They would have thought that, when Skrawl would go for an artifact, that he would attack. Was he completely annihilating these places so no one would talk? Or maybe he wasn't causing too much destruction so he could avoid detection. Skrawl wasn't stupid. Rudy could see him being very careful and not damaging too much so that zoners outside the area, as well as inside, wouldn't report it.

Another thing that was just as worrying to Rudy is that Penny and Snap have no idea how many artifacts Skrawl has now. He could have nearly all of them by now. The only reason they knew that he didn't have all of them was that they were certain that he would use them right away as soon as he got all twelve of them. So there was still time to stop him.

But there was still the matter with Mint. What were they going to do with him? They needed to get him out of ChalkZone pronto. But how were they going to do that when all attempts before had failed? Penny said she tried to take him back in one of their confrontations, but he managed to get free of her grasp and he took off on Ripclaw. And Rudy had tried before he was grounded with no luck. Mint had to be taken care of, otherwise Skrawl would continue to have an edge. Mint could wreak havoc on a different part of ChalkZone and Rudy would be drawn to that location and try to help those zoners. That left an opening for Skrawl to dig for another artifact.

Rudy could go after Skrawl, but he would be searcing around forever. If Skrawl was being more stealthy about this and not outright attacking anyone, it wouldn't be reported. No one would come around screaming for help. And it wasn't like Snap could be everywhere at once. The odds of him spotting Skrawl at any time in ChalkZone was pretty slim. He could always get lucky and see him, but he hasn't been that fortunate yet.

Penny believed that Skrawl was going to be extra careful this time around because he knows that they can still split up and someone could go after him, or that Mint could be defeated before he could grab the artifact. They all agreed this made the most sense. Skrawl wasn't going to barge in on some place and demand them to give him the artifact. He would use a different method, perhaps asking where it is or using that book to find the exact spot and just take it, causing little destruction. He knows that attacking these places on a large scale could draw attention, and he wanted Mint's targets to attract Rudy to them so he wouldn't try to find him.

This was going to make things more difficult. They needed a way to find out where Skrawl was going to be. The only one who could possibly give them any information, however, was Mint. And there was no way he was going to tell them anything. Especially if he thinks this is all a game. He did tell them about targeting random locations in ChalkZone to make Rudy busy with cleaning them up, but that was more or less all he would tell them. He would consider it cheating to tell them what their plans were. They could strap him in a chair and interrogate him, but that would reflect badly on them. Mint could use that to get them in trouble yet again.

So what they needed is another way to locate where Skrawl is going to be. They needed a way to find out how many artifacts he has, what he has, and what is left. There was Biclops. He might have something that could help them. That was one option that they had. They could try other libraries and hope that one of them has a copy of that book. Maybe ask Barney if all else fails.

But finding Barney again would be a problem. He wasn't even sure if he was back in his Impenetrable Forest anymore. He might have moved elsewhere. He wasn't happy when all those zoners, after the Balloonemia plague was stopped, started looking through his databases without his permission. Apparently this had happend to him many times before. Zoners constantly harrassing him, looking through his data without his permission. It was no wonder he got frustrated and hid. And Rudy couldn't blame him for taking off like he had.

Penny admitted to feeling some guilt after Barney took off. She was one of the ones who had begun to search through him without asking him. She had joined in with the other zoners. She had been part of that crowd that pestered him. She had helped chase him away. Rudy didn't think she should blame herself. After all, the access to vast knowledge can be tempting. Still, Penny wished she could apologize to Barney for that, especially since she had come to understand his side of the story.

None of them had seen Barney since he took off. Not even Mumbo Jumbo knew where he was. Or perhaps he did know and he is just refusing to tell them. They wouldn't doubt that Barney would ask his friend to keep quiet about his whereabouts, even from Rudy himself.

So Barney might be out of the question. At this point, he did seem like the only one who would definitely have the information needed to know where the artifacts were, as well as other information, such as what they do, how dangerous they were, even why they were scattered all over the place. The only other zoner with knowledge of ChalkZone history was Biclops, but he was more recent compared to Barney, and he only had knowledge about what he himself had seen. Barney, on the other hand, had information even about things he never saw or encountered himself.

Whatever they decided to do, they had to do it fast. There wasn't a lot of time left. Skrawl had who knows how many artifacts at his disposal, and Mint was going around causing destruction. Even if Penny managed to stop the worse of it, Mint was still a threat. They had to get him out of ChalkZone. They had to stop Skrawl somehow, someway. They needed some kind of plan. Yet, so far, they couldn't think of a surefire way to go. They had never felt this lost before on what to do. They had never been so unsure of what to do before. They knew there had to be something they could do, an answer they weren't seeing, but when it would come to them, they weren't sure.

Rudy felt so frustrated. He was supposed to be the protector of ChalkZone. He was supposed to protect the zoners from threats such as this. He was supposed to be able to keep everyone safe. But now there's a looming danger that has been going on for days and he hasn't yet been able to stop it. He was worried he was going to end up being a failure, that Skrawl was going to win this time. He was worried that Mint would find a way to permanently kick him out of ChalkZone. Mint had already declared he was going to try to do that if he had lost the fourth round against him. If Rudy lost the magic chalk and was thrown out of the portal and that portal was erased...

He shuddered as he thought about it. It would be terrible if he and Penny were trapped out of ChalkZone while Mint and Skrawl did all sorts of terrible things in ChalkZone. The only way to get back in would be to go to Mint's place and sneak into his room somehow. But that would require breaking in and they could get into worse trouble. He hoped it would never come to that. As long as he and Penny remained alert, they probably would never have to worry about that.

He wished he could get Mint out of ChalkZone, though. He had been trying to for days to do this, and he always failed. Even when he got the upperhand in their last fight, the boy still escaped. Rudy had the chance and it slipped right from his fingers. If he had just held onto Mint tighter, he could have gotten him out of ChalkZone. Then Skrawl would not have been as big of a threat. They could then focus entirely on him, finding him, and stopping him before he stole another artifact. They could even try to find his current hideout and get the artifacts back.

But instead, Mint was still at large. He always manages to get away. They never once got him close to any portal. And the portal thing was a problem. They couldn't push him through just any portal. They could send the kid to Antarctica or something. As big of a jerk he was, they couldn't do that to him. They couldn't send him somewhere where he could get lost, injured, or even killed. They had to send him through a portal that at least had him end up in Plainsville, or better yet, near or in his house. A place where he would be both safe and harmless.

Rudy was briefly worried that he might erase dangerous things into ChalkZone, but Penny assured him that wasn't likely. That was one benefit of him believing this is a game. He does not understand that things erased on a chalkboard would end up in ChalkZone. So there was no way Mint could retaliate by drawing something dangerous to try to convince Rudy and Penny to let him back in.

It was still dangerous for this kid to believe this world was a game, though. In some ways, it was worse than knowing that ChalkZone was populated by erased chalkboard drawings. He thinks he can get away with anything. He thinks that zoners can't feel real pain, that it's all just simulation. He doesn't think they have emotions or real lives. He just views them as data. As a result, his actions towards them and ChalkZone in general were reckless. He was a real menace, one of the biggest threats ChalkZone has had. And he thinks it is all a game.

They had been able to repair as much damage as they could in ChalkZone City. Some places were still torn down. But at least most of the damage was repaired, or at least functional again. It took Rudy and Penny a while to clean things up and make those parts of ChalkZone City at least walkable again.

They had also taken the injured zoners to a hospital. Luckily no one was killed. At least, not from what they had found. There were no reports of casualties. No zoner came forth and told them anyone had died. And the injured, even the worst of them, had a good prognosis and had a strong chance of making it. The trio was glad to hear that. It was at least not as bad as it could have been. No casualties was a good thing. Rudy wasn't sure how he would have reacted if Mint had killed a zoner.

The apatosaurus had disappeared. Penny said that she went to take care of it after Mint fled, but the beast had disappeared. She had no idea where it had gone off to in such a hurry. It was hard to miss something that big. Yet she was not able to find it anywhere. Her only guess is that it got hungry and it went over to one of the nearby forests to feed. That didn't explain why she couldn't find it, though. As bizarre as it was that the beast just disappeared, Rudy was glad that it stopped destroying ChalkZone City.

The three friends gathered at Snap's place again to try to decide what to do next. They had already decided Mint was a bigger priority due to the higher level of danger he posed to ChalkZone. They had been here for a while, pitching ideas. So far, nothing seemed solid enough to try. Rudy knew it was going to be hard deciding how to deal with Mint. He just didn't know it was going to be this hard.

"We have to find a way to get Mint out of here." Penny said.

"Yeah, but the big question is...how?" Rudy asked. He let out a soft sigh as he turned his gaze downwards. "Even when you and I managed to take his magic chalk, he got away."

"It's because Ripclaw is always there!" Snap said, pointing a hand in Rudy's direction. "He never has her far behind him!"

Penny nodded her head. "And we never know when she'll arrive. It's like she lays in wait, just biding her time until she realizes she is needed. I don't know how she manages to hide so well, though. Camouflage maybe."

Snap said, "And that poses a problem. With that dino around, Mint will still be hard to catch. That raptor thing can just grab him and run."

It was true. Ripclaw did pose a bit of a pickle. She was almost always near where Mint was, and she acted as his mount and, to an extent, rescuer. When Mint had no magic chalk left, she would rush in and get him out of the situation, even when she was recovering from the tranquilizer dart Penny managed to get into her. The raptor showing up when they were trying to get Mint out of ChalkZone made it hard for them to complete their mission.

They could try to go after Mint and Ripclaw, but there was a problem with that. Penny had managed to notice it during one of her fights with Mint. She had taken off after Mint, but the chase wasn't a success. It wasn't that she couldn't keep up. Ripclaw kept turning in unexpected directions and she would eventually lose her. Penny guessed that Ripclaw deliberately took longer, more winding paths rather than run straight back to the hideout or towards the portal so that she and Rudy could not follow them so easily.

"We have to find some way to get rid of her." Penny said. "Some way to keep her from getting to Mint."

"But that won't do us much good until we get the magic chalk from Mint." Rudy pointed out. "Remember, he can still defend himself without Ripclaw by his side. I almost defeated him once, but he was able to draw a bunch of tiny dinosaurs, even with his arms tied."

Penny nodded in agreement. "So what we need is a carefully thought out plan. Something that would simultaenously take care of Ripclaw and Mint." She narrowed her eyes. "Unfortunately, it may take us some time to come up with such a plan..."

"Yeah..." Rudy replied sadly. He shook his head slowly. "And we would need to think it out thoroughly, and be careful not to make the plan too obvious. If Mint catches on, he would make sure that we couldn't pull it off a second time."

"I hope it doesn't take us long to figure something out. If we wait too long, all of ChalkZone will be in danger." Snap said solemnly.

Rudy and Penny nodded in response. Snap was right. They didn't have a lot of time to think this stuff through. Time was running out. At any day now, Skrawl could get the final artifact and they would all be in trouble. They had no idea, still, what these artifacts did. Rudy didn't know if his creator skills could help them if Skrawl got all the artifacts. He didn't know what Skrawl would be able to accomplish. It was a scary thing, not knowing.

They had to think of something, and fast. Somehow, someway, they had to get Mint out of ChalkZone. And if they couldn't manage that quickly enough, then there was always trying to find a way to get information out of him. Rudy still wasn't sure if interrogating him would work. But it might be a viable option if they thought it through some. They had so little options right now, so little time to think about all of this.

"We...we could always try getting the information from him, somehow..." Penny said.

Rudy lifted his head up towards her. He was a little surprised that she was thinking the same thing he was. "Yeah, but..how could we get him to tell us anything?"

"Yeah. I don't think think he'll just willingly hand over any knowledge we ask for." Snap said.

"Well...what else can we do? We don't have that many options here." Penny sighed softly.

Rudy frowned slightly, turning his head to the side. "Yeah, I know Penny. I was thinking the same thing, too. We really don't have many viable options. In fact, the only things we have are talking to Mint, trying to find Barney, and going to Biclops. We have a fourth and fifth one, but one will take us a while to fully figure out, and the other is a one in a million shot."

Snap held out a hand in a gesture. "I think our best bet is going to Biclops first. He might know something about these artifacts." Rudy and Penny nodded in understanding. "I don't think Mint will tell us anything. And even if he does, it could be false information."

"That's what I was thinking, too." Rudy told him. He straighted himself up a little, turning his head towards the ceiling. "I was thinking that, even if we got Mint to say something, well..." He lowered his head a little. "He thinks this is all a game, a virtual world. And because of that, he would believe it would be cheating telling us anything. He would likely give us false information, lead us away somewhere else in an attempt to aide Skrawl."

So interrogating Mint wasn't going to work out that well. Their best option now, after Rudy thought about it for a few moments, was going back to Biclops. The giant wouldn't lie to them. If he knew anything about the artifacts, he would tell them.

But then..what would they do if the giant didn't know anything? Their only options left after that would be to talk to Mint or find Barney. And both weren't going to be easy. They could either try to get Mint to tell them what they want to know, which the best place they could do that was in the real world during lunchtime, or they could look all over ChalkZone for elusive Barney. And both plans weren't likely to work any time soon.

Out of the two, talking to Mint was the better option. Looking for Barney would take much longer. Mint showed up in ChalkZone everyday at least once. That gave them multiple chances to speak to him. Barney, on the other hand, they didn't know where that centipede zoner was. They could waste days and weeks, even months, trying to find him, and by the time they did locate him, it would be too late to stop Mint and Skrawl.

Rudy made a decision. He got up from his seat. He looked down at his friends. They looked at him expectantly. He looked out the window and narrowed his eyes. At this moment, there was really only one thing they could do.

"Let's go talk to Biclops." Rudy said. His friends nodded in agreement. "And hopefully...he'll have some kind of answer for us."

sss

Mint was still in shock at being defeated by Penny. More than once at that. She had managed to hold her own against him. He had not been able to get the best of her, and he couldn't understand why. She was just an amateur...wasn't she? He didn't see her do much before. How could she have gotten so skillful? He didn't have a problem with besting Rudy. But Penny was a different story. He never thought that she would be the one to give him the most problems.

He started to have second thoughts about her. He had admitted to her that maybe he was wrong about her. Maybe he had misjudged her. He thought that her intelligence didn't help her much in a video game. Yeah, she could defeat him in a battle of wits in the real world. But video games require more skill than just reading a book or citing some complex formula. It wasn't like there was anything taught in school that would really help in a game like this...was there?

Perhaps he was wrong about that, too. Maybe he should have been more careful with Penny because of her intelligence. Rudy was smart, he didn't doubt that. But Penny was smarter. She was able to trick him easily in their first fight, causing him to get tangled up in that net trap of hers. But he had to admit, part of it was his own fault. She had been right. He should have watched his ego more. He might have won if he had just paid more attention to what she was doing than being obsessed with 'taking down an amateur'.

Hmm..amateur...he could definitely see where he was wrong on that, after some thinking of course. When he had told Skrawl of his defeat, the jellybean wasn't happy. He had told Mint that he should never underestimate Penny. Before he would have scoffed at it. But now he was taking the order more seriously. Penny had shown him what she could do, and he felt like a fool for doubting her capabilities. And his refusal to acknowledge she was a competent creator cost him the round.

After that defeat, he had spoken to Skrawl about what Penny had done in the past. He relayed to him some information that he knew that Penny was capable of doing. It was during these tellings that Mint realized the actual reason Penny had run away. She wasn't fleeing the battle because she was a coward. She had been helping the zoners, getting them to safety. And she would, if she could, aid Rudy and Snap.

This realization did make Mint feel bad about what he had said about her. He had accused her of something she didn't even do. He had jumped to conclusions about her even though he hadn't been in this game world as long as she had. He had passed judgment on her, as if he were somehow master of this game world. And there was no excuse for that. He didn't like underestimating his opponents, and he had done that on so many levels with Penny.

He would be sure not to let it happen again.

And there was something else that happened. Something he didn't bother telling Skrawl. It involved Snap. He had threatened him again during his first real clash with Penny in ChalkZone City. He had him in a headlock. He had his laser pistol pointed at his head. And he was going to shoot. He really wanted to shoot him, but to be fair, gave Penny a fighting chance to save him.

Before, this wouldn't have been a big deal to him. It wasn't like he hadn't threatened or tried to hurt Snap before. Heck, he did succeed in attacking him in their first encounter. He kicked the zoner aside and he didn't really care then. After all, Snap was just a bunch of data cobbled together to look like and act like a sentient being. He wasn't real, and he thought it was foolish how Rudy and Penny treated him like he was a living, breathing person. They were taking this game's realism a bit too far. It was just a game after all.

But this time, something different had happened. He didn't show it. He hid it very well. But as he held Snap, as he threatened him, he did feel a pang in his chest. There was something about how Snap was behaving, the determination Penny had, that made him start to have some second thoughts. Something that was telling him...maybe shooting Snap was not a good idea.

He had tried to shoot him before Penny reached him. The delay was not intentional. He had tried to shoot him well before Penny hit him with that whip. But something in his brain was stopping him. That nagging feeling wouldn't go away. He was hesitating to shoot, and he didn't know why. Snap was just data...why couldn't he just shoot the thing? It wasn't like he was going to be gone forever. Rudy could always reconstruct him and it would be like nothing happened. So why was it so hard for him to shoot Snap? What had changed?

He started to realize that maybe he had been in this game world long enough and interacted with those three enough that maybe he started to see Snap as something more than data. And the idea frightened him. No, he couldn't allow himself to become delusional like Rudy and Penny. No, he would prove to himself that he's stronger than they are. He was not going to get an attachment to something that isn't even alive. And in their next encounter, he would prove it.

When they meet again, he was going to finish off Snap for good. He was going to take him away from the two and make sure they can't get to him. Then he would shoot Snap and get it over with. He would prove to them that this was just a game. He would prove to himself that he was not going to fall for the same delusional trap that Rudy and Penny fell into.

Maybe seeing their friend burst into data or simply vanish would open Rudy and Penny's eyes. Maybe then they would realize how wrong they were to treat this world like it was real. Maybe they would stop taking it so seriously and they could have some real competitive fun. He genuinely wanted to have fun with them. Harmless fun, but it was hard to do that when they took the game so seriously. He hoped that, by shooting Snap, he could snap them out of their delusion.

"Mint!" Skrawl called from across the room. Mint got up and walked over to his NPC guide. "New orders!"

"Okay. What are they?" Mint asked.

"You are to go to the Future Dome and..." Skrawl started to say. He stopped when Mint raised his hand. "What?"

Mint had another idea. There was something he had wanted to try. He wanted to pick the location for himself, and he wanted to issue a challenge to Rudy and Penny. He wanted to meet up with them in one particular location he had picked out for the battle. He had heard about it from some zoners, and he felt it would be the perfect place to set up the fight and be able to get Snap away from them so he can delete him.

"I was wondering...could I pick the location this time?" Mint asked.

Skrawl narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "You? Pick a location?" Mint nodded his head. "Why?"

"Because I thought of the perfect one to ambush those three." Mint said, a dark smile spreading across his face. "I took the liberty of reading up on this place, too. I know exactly what spot would be perfect to trap them in and fight them."

Skrawl blinked at the boy. Then he smiled evilly. "Usually I do not allow my allies to pick and choose their own plans, but in your case, I will make an exception. Under one command."

"And that is?" Mint asked.

"Show them no mercy." Skrawl said, letting out a dark chuckle.

Mint blinked at this. Show them no mercy? What was this jellybean talking about? What did he mean by 'show them no mercy'? What exactly did he expect him to do? What was the goal of this mission? He wasn't out to completely crush Rudy and Penny. The whole point of the trap was to get at Snap. He could defeat Rudy and Penny, if that's what Skrawl was talking about.

But there was something about his voice, the way he said it. It just felt...off. Almost menacing. Skrawl made it sound like he wanted him to really hurt those two. But why? That didn't sound like something the creators of the game would program their NPCs to do. They would lose a lot of potential marketing. It...It almost sounded like Skrawl had some real animosity towards those two... No, not just those two. Snap, too. The whole trio.

Well with Snap, he could see, since Snap was a fellow AI as well. He could see Skrawl being programmed to want to delete other NPC guides as a way of winning the game. But it seemed off that he wanted him to not just fight Rudy and Penny but to...seriously hurt them...

Or maybe he was reading too much into it. Yeah...that was probably it. Maybe he was just reading too much in what Skrawl was saying. It could just be his imagination. Maybe Skrawl didn't really mean to make it sound like he wanted him to really hurt Rudy and Penny. He just wanted him to make sure he defeated them, to not allow them to escape and stop him from stealing an artifact. After getting this close to winning the game, he could see why Skrawl would be determined to keep his lead.

Mint did his best to hide his surprise, and he nodded his head. "I understand, Skrawl. I'll...do my best." He kept the smile on his face. "They won't beat me this time."

Skrawl folded his arms and stared at him. "Make sure that they don't. Do what you can to achieve victory! I don't care what you do. Do not allow them to get an edge over you." Mint still didn't understand how this could be a truly competitive game if Skrawl would not allow Rudy and Penny a few chances to win, but he said nothing. "I know Rudy and his two trouble making friends know I am collecting the artifacts. I'm sure they are well aware that you are just a distraction, but because of your creator powers and their willingness to go save innocent civilians, they will always come after you."

Mint nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm aware of that. As you recall, that was part of the plan."

Skrawl replied, "But if they manage to best you, they could find me. I don't doubt they will find someway to find me, and stop me from getting the rest of the artifacts. I'm so close!" The jellybean clutched his hands into tight fists. "I will not allow them that edge..." He turned to Mint. "That is why I want you to do your best, your worst if you will, against them in that forest. I want you to make sure they never try to stop me again."

Mint's eyes widened at this. Okay now it was getting a little creepy now. Just how advanced was this AI? How could a simple program hate two players that much, to the point of...wanting to hurt them that badly...even kill them..? How would the creators find this marketable. There would be so many parents complaining about this. He hoped, after this game got out of beta, they removed this, or at least toned it down. He could see defeating or trapping the two. But actually really hurting them? No, he couldn't do that.

But then he recalled the times where he had hurt or tried to hurt Rudy and Penny on purpose. He recalled how realistic they reacted to being hurt. He knew it was just a simulation, but...what would happen if he did seriously hurt them in the game? How far did the realism go? Would they be able to exit the game? Did they have to leave through a portal, or gateway, whatever it was called, or would they be transferred out?

"Hey Skrawl?" Mint asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "Just...how advanced is the pain simulation? What would happen if I..."

Skrawl waved a hand in front of him. "Oh, don't worry about it. You can't really hurt anyone in this game, zoner or player. You could stick a sword through Rudy or Penny and they'd be fine. And with zoners, well we can put on a realistic show, with the way our coding is. We can give proper responses. But we don't really feel pain. So don't worry about what you do to any zoners around here. Don't worry about what you do to Snap. He'll be fine." A smirk spread across his face. "It's all just an illusion."

Mint let this sink in. He took in a few breaths. "It's all just an illusion..." He told himself. He turned his head and looked towards the exit of the hideout. "It's all just an illusion." He repeated in a low voice, as if he was trying to allow the information to click with him.

Skrawl nodded, that dark smile coming back. He tapped his fingers together. "Yes...you are getting it, Mint. Now..." He pointed a finger towards the exit. "Get going. And remember..." He paused for a moment, giving time for Mint to look back at him. "...no mercy..." He said in a low, growly voice.


	21. Mercy

"Hey look! It's the kid that pulled that fire alarm!" One of the students cried.

"Maybe he'll pull it again!" Another said. "Come on, kid. Why don't you pull it? Scared?"

Another shouted, "Maybe his 'girlfriend' is keeping him on a leash this time!"

A few of the students started to laugh. Others simply smiled, some with big grins on their faces. Others stared with blank expressions. Only a small handful weren't paying any attention and were too busy eating to really care what was going on.

Rudy narrowed his eyes as he and Penny walked along the cafeteria food line, getting their food. As they went, Rudy flinched as he saw a lot of students looking at him again. And this time, he could make out some of the things they were saying about him. They were speaking louder because they clearly wanted him to hear. He tried his best to ignore them. But it was kind of hard to do, especially when some students passed by spoke directly into his ear, calling him things like 'troublemaker' and 'delinquent'.

To make it worse, even the lunch ladies were giving him weird looks. They never said anything or behaved differently towards him. But those looks...their narrowed eyes and spreading frowns. It was clear that they weren't very happy with 'his' stunt a few days ago. And Mr. Wilter had been more cautious around him lately. He could tell the teacher was trying to keep more of an eye on him lately, which made it harder to speak to Penny while in class.

Rudy hated being treated this way. Everytime he walked down the halls, the cafeteria, anywhere in the school, he couldn't escape the feeling of being watched. Students would look at him and make comments about him. They would sometimes wonder out loud what would make a usually well behaved kid like him cause so much trouble out of the blue. Others were making comments about how he'll do it again, or he'll do something much worse.

It was hard coming to school lately. With the students and even teachers treating him differently, he sometimes wanted to call in sick just so he didn't have to deal with it. But he knew he couldn't keep playing sick or his parents would try to take him to the hospital, and there they'll find that he was lying. And in addition to that, he would get a lot of make up work to do. It wouldn't be worth it to use the 'I'm sick' excuse too many times. So as much as he hated it, he would have to put up with it.

He had never hated Principal Stringent before. She usually didn't cause much of a problem. She was usually in her office or in her house that was somewhat secluded, so it wasn't like they had to run into her often.

But that had changed lately. Ever since the day Mint made him pull the fire alarm, he had started to develop a hatred for the large woman. Stringent had purposely gotten him into more trouble with his parents, telling them things that he didn't do, such as saying he was being defiant and deliberately trying to 'evade punishment' by running away. She blamed him for the chalk water incident, which yeah she was right. It was him. But no one else knew that. There was no evidence. Everyone else thought it was just a leakage somewhere. Using that as a reason to give him a harsher punishment...that was just cruel.

Everytime he saw her in the hallways, she would give him a triumphant smirk, and at least once, she told him how she would do worse if he gave her a reason to. She said she would not tolerate any students causing trouble and she would do what it takes to keep him in line, to keep him under control. Yeah, Rudy could definitely say he hated her now.

And it wasn't just her that he hated. He was really hating Mint now. It wasn't just because of the fire alarm incident either, although that did play a role. It was because Mint was getting more and more dangerous and wreckless lately. He had destroyed parts of ChalkZone City. Though Rudy and Penny began to repair those places, due to the excessive damage, it would take them a while to fix up everything. A week perhaps, if they're lucky, due to Mint's presence in the chalk world. That boy was lucky he didn't end up killing any innocent civilians...

Rudy didn't doubt that, one day, unless that boy is stopped, he would end up killing someone, whether it be accidental or not. And the day that happens...he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Rudy had a feeling that he would become so enraged with the boy, he wouldn't be able to control his actions as well. He might end up hurting him if he didn't control himself. He would have to be careful with his temper. He did not want to be the bad guy.

Talking to Mint in the real world yieled no results. He and Penny had tried again earlier, but the chat did not last very long. They only got a few words in before Mint got tired of them and walked away into a larger crowd. He was clearly tired of them trying to talk him into leaving ChalkZone, and he knew exactly how to get them to be quiet, too.

This was a reason why he wasn't sure if the idea of getting information from Mint was going to work. He does believe ChalkZone is a game, and telling them information would, to him, be considered 'cheating'. The only reason he gave some information to them before, when he was attacking ChalkZone City, was because he admitted the fire alarm trick was really low. Rudy was still mad at him for it, though. After all, the kid never really properly apologized for it. So he wasn't sure if he really felt bad about the fire alarm thing, or if he was just saying that to lower their guards a little.

Probably just to lower their guards..yeah that's probably what it was. Rudy had seen what the kid was capable of doing. Acting or not, he was just plain cruel, a big jerk. He was reminding him more and more of Reggie Bullnerd. He recalled the small amount of havoc that bully wreaked on ChalkZone. And now here was Mint, who was just, more or less, an upgraded Reggie. Rudy was starting to believe that Mint really was just a jerk and that a lot of the things he did wasn't acting. After all, he still treated them poorly in the real world.

He and Penny sat down at a mostly empty table in the cafeteria, away from the other students. He didn't feel like listening in on what they were saying about him. He had heard enough gossip and he just wanted to have his lunch. He also wanted to talk to Penny a little more about what they were going to do the next time they went into ChalkZone. The plan was to head over to meet with Biclops as soon as they were able.

But there was Mint, who, chances are, would be causing some kind of danger. And that could draw all their attention to him, giving them no time, or very little time, to talk to the giant. So he thought maybe they should split up. He would deal with Mint while he would send her to go to Biclops and talk to him. That seemed to be the best move he could make. They could also reverse it and he could go to Biclops while she dealt with Mint.

He wanted to talk to Penny about it and ask her which way she thinks would be best, or if she had another plan on what to do. Neither of them doubted that Mint would be causing some kind of trouble when they go into ChalkZone. He always, somehow, got there before they did. They don't know how he was pulling this off, but there was no doubt in their minds that it was going to be a problem.

He didn't get a chance to say a word to Penny before he caught a glimpse of someone coming towards them. He narrowed his eyes as he realized who it was. It was Mint. The sixth grader was approaching them, just like he had before, this time with a tray full of food. He must have just gotten it. He came right over to them and he sat down. Rudy and Penny glared at him, their bodies tense. They did not feel comfortable with their enemy sitting so close to them.

Mint sat across from Rudy, staring straight into his eyes. That dark smile of his became quite visible. There was some sort of twinkle in his eyes. It was a similiar look he gave Rudy when he did that fire alarm trick. It was clear that Mint was up to something. Rudy tensed up even more, waiting for Mint to do something else to get him in trouble. But so far, as the minutes passed, all he did was stare at them. He hadn't even started to touch his food yet. It was almost like Mint just came over to see how quickly he could freak him and Penny out.

Not able to take the silence much longer, Rudy said, "What do you want, Mint?"

Mint's smile slightly softened up, an attempt to look a little more innocent. He tilted his head to the side, hand his chest, and he said, "Oh me? Nothing... Nothing...that big anyway. I just wanted to say hello.."

The way Mint tried to sound so innocent as he spoke grated on Rudy's nerves. He clenched his teeth as he glared at the boy. Here, sitting so close to them, was that menace that has been wreaking havoc across ChalkZone. Here is the Enemy Creator who had been terrorizing that chalk world and scaring their friend, Snap, even trying to 'delete' him. Rudy and Penny did not let their guard down around him. And Mint just smiled at them like it was nothing more than a casual conversation.

Penny glared at Mint. "Don't lie to us. We know you're up to something." She said, her voice laced in anger. "So what are you up to this time, Mint? Going to attack ChalkZone City again with your 'disappearing apatosaurus'?"

Mint laughed at this. The laugh was cold but quiet, not drawing attention from the other students. "You still haven't gotten over that, have you? Calm down." He picked up his fork and pointed it in her direction. "You are still taking this time way too seriously."

Growling, Penny leaned forward and spoke in a hushed whisper. "And you are not taking it seriously enough! Do you know how many zoners you could have..."

Mint reached forward and clamped his hand over Penny's mouth, silencing her. "Enough with that. I'm getting tired of you trying to guilt me over something that isn't a big deal." He tightened his grip on Penny. "So I am going to prove to you two that I am right."

Penny pulled Mint's hand away, glaring at him. Rudy was not happy with what Mint did, either. It was disrespectful what he had done. He had deliberately tried to silence Penny when all she was doing was making a good point. How dare Mint try to shut her up like that.

"Don't you dare touch her again..." Rudy said, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Mint just smiled at him and shrugged his shoulders. Again, he was acting like this was no big deal. He just sat there, eating his lunch like it was nothing more than a casual meeting. While Rudy and Penny ate as well, they didn't take their eyes off the boy. There was a reason he came over here, and it wasn't just to sit down and chit chat. There was a motivation here. Rudy truly believed that it was either Mint wanted to land him in more trouble, or he was targeting Penny this time.

Whatever Mint was planning, he was not going to allow him to succeed. He wasn't going to give Mint the chance to pull off this plan. He would keep an eye on him and prevent him from making such a move. There was no way Mint was going to get him into more trouble, and he certainly wasn't going to allow Penny to get blame pinned on her as well.

The silence after that, while they ate, was eerie to them. The way Mint looked at them the entire time... Even when he picked up his drink, or got another piece of chicken steak, he still refused to look away from them. His eyes felt like they were drilling right through them. It made Rudy and Penny very uncomfortable. They don't know what Mint was trying to accomplish. If he wanted to freak them out, he was succeeding in that.

It wasn't until the three of them were halfway done that Mint decided to speak again. He sat the fork on the table and leaned back, staring at the two intently. He folded his arms against his chest. That arrogance that he has shown in the past few days really shined here. Despite being defeated, he was still clearly confident he was going to win.

"If you two are wondering why I came over..." Mint said, the smile never leaving his face. Rudy and Penny's glares intensified. "..It's because I wanted to..." He held out his hand, making a gesture to indicate the two students sitting in front of him. "...issue a challenge with you two."

"Challenge?" Rudy hissed at him. "You...want to challenge us?"

Mint nodded his head. "Yes. I have chosen the perfect location, too. Skrawl said I could choose my target this time." He rested his elbows on the desk, his chin against his hands. He leaned forward a little. "I have chosen the Impenetrable Forest as the location." He smirked as Rudy and Penny's eyes widened at this. "I am aware there is a way in to that place. I know how...and I know you two do as well. I know you have been there before."

Rudy couldn't believe it. How...how did this kid know about the Impenetrable Forest? He had just recently started coming into ChalkZone. The Impenetrable Forest wasn't a place spoken by many. Even less so is how to get in it. Rudy was one of the very few that managed to get in. How did Mint figure out how to get it himself? And how did he learn of the place to start with? Did Skrawl mention something about it to him?

Issuing a challenge there..was that really a smart thing to do? Did Mint have no inkling of the dangers that lurked in the Impenetrable Forest? Rudy knew there would be gola monsters there. His friends were almost swallowed up by one. It was hard enough dealing with just one, but the fact that there were more, according to what he was told, was a frightening thought. Mint's fighting style was surely going to attract those beasts and they would all be in trouble. Or maybe the added danger was the reason why Mint chose the place. Maybe he was on an ill-guided quest to increase the challenge of 'the game'.

Rudy said, "And what if we don't accept?"

Mint stared at him. He gave a light chuckle. "I guess I could just entertain myself by causing some destruction there." He said nonchalantly. "Who knows? Maybe I'll find that information bug and toy with him for a bit." Rudy and Penny's eyes widened in horror at this. "Maybe I'll infect him with a virus. I'm sure that's possible."

Infecting Barney with a virus..? That was plain cruel... Rudy couldn't believe Mint would do such a thing. Even if there was a chance he wouldn't know how to do it, he couldn't let him have that opportunity. Barney's entire intelligence and behavior derived from all his body parts being attached. As he loses them, he gets dumber and dumber. When he had all of them gone, he was, as Snap put it, a babbling moron. A virus would wreak havoc on him... Mint could warp Barney's entire intelligence.

But then Rudy realized something that gave him some hope for Barney's safety. He was not in the Impenetrable Forest anymore. No one there had seen him. Then again, he might still be there... Rudy realized he couldn't be cocky about this. He had to assume that, somewhere, Barney might still be in the Impenetrable Forest. He could just be in a new hiding spot. He hoped that King Mumbo Jumbo was with him. If Mint did try to get at the centipede zoner, having some backup would help.

"You better not..." Penny said in a low voice, pointing a finger in Mint's direction. "If you do, I'll..."

"Yeah I know. You'll make me sorry." Mint said, waving his hand dismissively. "I think we've had this song and dance before." Penny growled at this, her eyes narrowed. Mint turned his attention to Rudy. "So...what do you say? Meet me in the Impenetrable Forest for our next duel. Don't show up and I'll find that centipede friend of yours and have my way with him."

"You..." Rudy started to say.

"Oh and before I forget!" Mint said, interrupting Rudy. He leaned a little closer. His sneer broadened. "Bring Snap with. If you don't, I'll set fire to the Impenetrable Forest."

"You wouldn't..." Rudy's eyes widened.

"If...if you do that..the fire would have little place to escape. It would..." Penny said, her voice shaky. "The pressure would build up...and..." She couldn't finish. She shook her head in denial. "You couldn't possibly be crazy enough to...not while you're in there..."

Mint chuckled at this. "Do you want to take that risk?"

Rudy and Penny were horrified that Mint would do such a thing. He was blackmailing them, forcing them to do what he wants. He really wanted to fight them in this forest, and he was going whatever it took to make sure they accept his challenge. It could very well be a trap they'd be walking into. But with the threats...there was no way they could back out of it.

They couldn't let the forest get destroyed. They couldn't allow Barney to be hurt by this crazy boy. Even if he was lying and he was trying to trap them...what choice did they have? None... It was either take the chance and go face this guy, or risk more zoners getting hurt and letting another place get utterly demolished.

Rudy's eyes narrowed, clenching his teeth hard. He leaned forward on the table, jabbing a finger towards Mint. He spoke in a low voice, his breath escaping through his teeth. "We'll be there..."

Mint smiled. "Excellent... I'll see you then.."

After Mint was finished, he got up from his seat. He took his plate with him. Rudy and Penny watched, their eyes narrowed, as the boy disappeared from their sights. Rudy realized they might have made a big mistake accepting the challenge. But there was no way around it. They were forced into it. They would just have to be on their guard when they get there. They couldn't allow to succeed in whatever plan he was unleashing.

It was worrying to them that Mint wanted them to bring Snap along. He usually came with them anyway, but the fact that Mint specifically requested that they bring him with...something about this whole challenge did not feel right. Rudy had a feeling that something unpleasant was going to happen.

sss

Mint was pleased when he saw that Rudy, Penny, and Snap had accepted his challenge and were all in the Impenetrable Forest. He watched as they moved along, looking all around, waiting for him to strike. He was amused when he saw Snap walking between Rudy and Penny for protection. The NPC guide must be programmed to show fear in a situation like this, and recognize when he was the target. This meant pulling off the attack would be harder, but he was ready for the challenge.

Mint had done some reading on this place during his attack on ChalkZone City. And it was there, after interrogating a zoner at gun point, that he learned how Rudy had managed to get through. Using the boy's same method, he had gotten in. He took a look around the place and decided on a good ambush spot. He wanted the trio to know he was in the forest, but not when or where he would strike. That would give him some element of surprise.

The whole thing with tormenting the 'information bug' was largely a bluff. He really didn't know if that AI was still around, if it had been deleted or even relocated. The fire was also a bluff. He wasn't stupid enough to start a fire in an enclosed area. He wasn't suicidal. He just needed a motivator for those two to come into this place. There was the chance that they would know it was a trap and avoid it. So it was necessary to use a little...incentive...to make them come here.

He picked one particular location, which he felt was perfect for an ambush. It was a large, circular area in a deep part of the forest. There was a tall mountainous section in the middle, covered in thick foliage and moss, with plenty of jetting rocks to stop on. Tall trees and grass covered the corners, pressing against the thick, hard trees that made up the 'outer shell' of the forest, so to speak. The place had only one entrance, and that was a small opening, somewhat narrow. If the hard trees were pressed close enough, this would be an enclosed area of the Impenetrable Forest.

It was a decent size, too. He imagined that, if closed off, this area could still support some forms of life with no problem. It even had its own water source. There was some water dripping in steadily from above. It was hard to tell what the source was being on the inside, but oh well. The water formed a small creak that went along the back of the tall structure. There was also a large, raised mount of hard rock and foliage sitting in the corner.

Overall, it was a nice place. And a good spot to launch an ambush from. He had Ripclaw ready to block the entrance once they got in here. And then it was just a matter of getting Snap away from Rudy and Penny. That shouldn't be too hard if he played his cards right.

Since Rudy, Penny, and Snap weren't going to arrive right away, he took this time to lay out his trap. It was difficult setting everything up, forcing him to draw things he was not as good at as dinosaurs. But he knew he had to branch out a little more if he wanted to remain a competent fighter in this game. Once the trap was set up, he waited for the trio to arrive.

Mint lay low to the ground, keeping his body covered by the foliage. He waited until those three would come to this spot. Sooner or later, they'd have to show up here. He didn't care how long it took. Even if it cut into time at school, he paid no mind. He just wanted to get this over with. He wanted to capture Snap and delete him. He would do that today. Finally, he was going to find out how the gibs works...he was going to prove to himself he isn't crazy, and he would prove to Rudy and Penny how wrong they had been this whole time.

It felt like he was hiding here for a long time, but soon, he heard footsteps. Ah there they were. Rudy, Penny, and Snap... they were walking right in. They were moving slowly, deliberately. They looked all around, trying to find any sign of him. Snap was keeping himself behind Penny, pressing up against her in an attempt to feel safer. As he watched, he could hear a bit of their conversation.

"I don't like this..." Penny said softly, her eyes looking around. "This place feels off.."

Rudy nodded. "Yeah. I...I don't think we should be here..."

Snap looked over towards the other side of the nearly enclosed area. "There's no other way out of here. Let's turn back.."

Rudy said, "Good idea. If Mint caught us in here, he'd..."

Mint took that as his cue. He snapped his fingers and, from her hiding spot, emerged Ripclaw. The trio jumped back in absolute shock as the dinosaur jumped in front of the narrow passageway that let him into this place. She let out a screech and raised her clawed hands threateningly at them.

Rudy and Penny put themselves in front of Snap. They raised their magic chalk in preparation for a fight. Ripclaw narrowed her eyes and snarled at them. She started to advance on them, her sickle claws tapping the ground in anticipation. She lunged at them, landing a few feet in front of them. She snapped at the air wildly, drool flying everywhere. The trio moved back, with Rudy and Penny keeping their fighting stances.

Mint walked out of his hiding spot. He smirked at the trio was they were being harrassed by his utahraptor. He ignored their glares as he went over to the entrance. Instead of drawing, he lifted up a hand and put two fingers in his mouth. He whistled, and seconds later, the pteranodon he had drawn before, the same one that nearly caused the trio to crash in the Mondo Desert City, flew in, having hid well among the foliage despite not being the best camouflaged. It landed on the ground in front of him, staring at him intently, waiting orders.

Mint could see the look of shock on the trio's faces. They weren't expecting to see this pteranodon again. There was some sign of fear from them. At first, he didn't understand way, but then he remembered that this pteranodon nearly caused them to crash. Although it was just a game, he could see how they could shake them up a little.

Turning his attention on the pteranodon, Mint pointed towards the narrow opening. "Guard that spot. Make sure those three don't get out." The pteranodon immediately moved towards the opening and placed its body at the entrance. Mint then looked over at the three. "I see you accepted my invitation."

"I don't know how you expect to win, Mint." Rudy said. He raised up his magic chalk. "There are two creators now. You are outnumbered."

"Yeah. We'll be able to take care of your...pet. And then we will beat you!" Penny said.

Mint smirked at them. They had so much confidence. They believed they would win. They had no idea what they were in for. They don't have an inkling of what he was about to do. If they had a clue of what was going to happen, they wouldn't be so cocky. They wouldn't be so certain that they would win.

He watched as Rudy and Penny both drew lassoes. They tossed them at Ripclaw, and the ropes looped around her neck. They pulled hard, trying to keep her still. He could see that Penny was attempting to draw another tranquilizer dart. He narrowed his eyes. It wasn't going to work this time. And sure enough, as Penny tried to complete the drawing, Ripclaw took notice and raised her head and body in the air swiftly, yanking the two off the ground. Thrusting her head from side to side, she sent the two flying through the air and crashing into the ground.

No surprise, the two didn't give up. He was glad they didn't. It would have been boring if they did. Rudy and Penny moved on different sides of the orange utahraptor. This time, Rudy kept the dinosaur's attention on him. He made noises and made sure Ripclaw's head was turned towards him. Penny moved behind and started to draw the tranquilizar dart again. This time, she managed to finish. She was about to jab it into Ripcalw when the dinosaur knocked her aside with her long time.

Mint laughed at this. "You two will have to try harder than that to stop Ripclaw!"

"Oh don't worry. We will!" Rudy said, narrowing his eyes in determination.

Rudy and Penny backed up away from Ripclaw. They never took their eyes off of her. Their magic chalk was never lowered. Rudy said something to Penny that Mint couldn't quite hear. He raised an eyebrow when Penny moved back and looked at the ground. She seemed to be testing it for something. Snap went over towards her and...it was hard to tell what he was saying. Oh well, Mint didn't really care, just as long as his plan came into full circle.

Penny drew something on the ground. Something large and circular. Mint couldn't tell what it was at first. He turned his eyes towards Rudy. He had drawn what appeared to be a steak of some kind. He was waving it in front of Ripclaw. He was waving it back and forth. And he was heading straight towards whatever Penny was drawing. It was only when Penny finished drawing it that Mint could finally tell what it was.

A tar pit... Likely not a very deep one. These two seemed determined not to bring harm to any zoners, even ones that he himself had created. He made the connection in a second and he knew that Rudy was going to lead Ripclaw straight towards the tar pit. If he was successful, that would disable Ripclaw for a time. She could get out. She was strong enough. But it would, momentarily, put him at a disadvantage. He would need to do something to turn the tides in his favor again.

And he knew exactly how he was going to do that. It was time to spring the trap.

Taking out his magic chalk in his left hand, he rushed towards a spot in the enclosed area, now standing far behind Snap and Penny. Snap did take notice of him and his eyes widened. Mint smirked at him but said nothing. He turned his attention to drawing. In the corner of his eye, he could see that Snap tugged at Penny's arm and was showing her what was going on. Penny did rush forward to try to stop him, but by then, it was too late.

The lines had already taken shape and filled with solid color. And standing beside him was a therizinosaurus, a massive plant-eating dinosaur with huge claws. The large beast, colored white with black stripes, let out a screech at the trio. Rudy stopped momentarily to look. The distraction was enough to allow Ripclaw to snag the steak from him and swallow it hole. It also caused his magic chalk to drop from his hand. Mint didn't bother going to get it this time, instead keeping his eyes on his newest creation.

Mint took a moment to admire his handiwork. Then he pointed a finger towards one part of the wall, near where Rudy, Penny, and Snap were. Letting out a screech, the beast stomped over, each footstep shaking the ground. It raised its hand in the air, the claws glinting in the light. Penny raised her magic chalk to start to draw as Snap backed away. The therizinosaurus struck a portion behind the foliage and there was a loud scraping sound, like something was being pushed in. Mint grinned. The trap has been activated.

Seemingly out of nowhere, large spikes shot through the air. The whistling sound as they sailed sliced the air filled their ears. They crashed into the ground, cutting in deeply. The trio let out a scream as they tried to dodge the spikes. They attempted to run away, but spikes would land just inches in front of them, forcing them to turn around, only for another spike to make them change direction.

Mint folded his arms and watched in amusement as that area of the place was being sprayed by spikes. A line was starting to form. A wall of spikes was being created. Some still landed by the trio, forcing them to jump in different directions. Mint climbed on top of the tall structure to get a better view of what was going on. And when he got on top and smiled down, he was satisfied to see that the spike trap worked. The therizinosaurus moved a few steps back, its purpose served.

A ring of spikes now engulged Rudy, Penny, and Snap, and a few spikes still came. One landed mere centimeters away from the two, causing them to jump back and right into their own tar trap. Mint laughed at this. How fitting they would get stuck in the trap that they tried to reserve for Ripclaw. The utahraptor was already by his side. He stared down at the trio and folded his arms. He watched as Rudy and Penny tried to get out. Snap tried to help them, but it was no use. The tar was too thick and sticky.

"Looks like I win this round." Mint said. He chuckled when the two kids glared up at him. He closed his eyes for a moment. "I won't be taking your magic chalk this time." He reopened his eyes and saw that Rudy and Penny were confused by this. A nasty smile appeared on Mint's face. "I am going to take something else from you... Something a little more..." He raised his hand and snapped his finger. "...important."

With that, Ripclaw jumped down towards the enclosed trap. She laned in front of Snap, forcing him on the ground. Snap let out a scream and started to back up from the dinosaur. She advanced on him, flexing her claws in anticipation.

"No!" Rudy cried out in horror. "Leave him alone!"

"Don't hurt him!" Penny shouted, her voice laced in panic.

Snap couldn't speak. He was too afraid to speak, or at least he acted like he was. The NPC guide was so convincing... Mint watched in satisfaction as Ripclaw snagged Snap in her jaws. Snap let out a cry as Ripclaw lifted him up off the ground. She jumped up towards the top and landed next to Mint. Snap started to struggle in her jaws. Ripclaw just tightened him, prompting another cry for him as her teeth pressed against him.

Mint took a few steps towards the trapped Snap. When the zoner saw him, he let out a panicked scream and struggled harder. Mint took out a newly drawn laser pistol, this one with a shining red dot so he could see where he was aiming. He kept the dot in the middle of Snap's head, watching as the zoner stared at the dot the best he could before looking back at him. He shook his head in protest. Mint ignored this and reached out with his hand. He grabbed Snap's chin tightly and held it in place.

He made sure that he and Ripclaw were standing in a spot where Rudy and Penny can clearly see what's going on with their NPC guide, or 'friend' as they liked to refer to him as. Mint smiled down at them, enjoying the look of shock and horror in their eyes. Oh how deluded they were..oh how serious they were... It will be most amusing to see how they would react when Snap is finally shot and deleted.

"This whole thing was a trap, as you can tell. You see..." Mint said as he stared down at the two kids below him. "...I am getting a little tired of this run around. I'm tired of seeing you treat a piece of data as if it were a person. And since your parents don't care enough to break you of this habit..." He smiled evilly at Snap. "..I will..."

Snap whimpered, his eyes wide. "No..don't do it..please..."

Mint ignored Snap. He pressed the tip of his laser pistol right between Snap's eyes. He put his finger on the trigger. He gave the NPC guide a nasty grin and then he started to appy pressure to the trigger.

"No!" Rudy shouted. He struggled harder against the tar. Mint could tell he was crying from the way his voice sounded. "Snap! No! Please!"

Penny pulled as hard as she could against the tar, trying her hardest to free herself. "Mint, let him go! I thought you weren't going to threaten him again!"

Mint turned to her. "I'm not threatening him. I'm going to delete him..."

Rudy and Penny's eyes widened in horror at this. Penny shook her head frantically. "No! Don't do it! You're making a huge mistake! Let our friend go, please!"

Rudy cried out, "Please don't hurt him! Let him go, Mint! Put Snap down! Please!"

Mint laughed coldly at them. He turned his eyes to Snap. He watched as the NPC guide whimpered as he pushed the trigger harder against him. He gripped his chin even tighter, making sure that Snap couldn't move his head free. He pushed on the trigger harder. He stared intently in Snap's eyes, amused by the tears escaping the zoner's eyes. Soon, he would be deleted. Soon, he would show Rudy and Penny that he was right.

But then something happened. Something that Mint had hoped wouldn't happen, but it did. He hesitated again. Just like before... He hesitated. He still smiled evilly at Snap. His hand was still tight around the laser pistol, the finger still pressed against the trigger. And yet he could not move. He continued to stare at Snap, trying to get himself to pull the trigger and get it over with.

That pang was returning, this time stronger than before. He could feel a slight shiver in his body. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Snap. There was something about how he was looking at him.. The fear in his eyes, it felt so real. Rudy and Penny's cries for him to stop. That felt genuine, too... No...no it wasn't real. It was just an illusion. He narrowed his eyes deeper and attempted to pull the trigger, gritting his teeth. Yet he still couldn't do it. He couldn't get himself to apply the extra pressure required to delete Snap. It was so simple...it was so easy...why couldn't he do it?

Slowly, as that pang increased, he felt his expression soften up. His frown disappeared as well as his evil smile. He soon stared at Snap with an expression that was more shock and bewilderment than anything else. Snap still looked at him in fear, his body trembling. Despite knowing Snap wasn't real, there was a sense of..guilt rising inside of Mint. That part of him that told him shooting him wasn't a good idea, it had gotten stronger now. Mint tried to fight off this feeling, but he was unable to.

"I..." Mint said in a low whisper. Rudy and Penny couldn't hear, but Snap could. "I-I...can't do it..." Mint lowered his laser pistol a little bit. "I just can't do it..." Mint pulled the laser pistol away completely. He turned his head to the side, his eyes closed. He raised a dismissing hand at Ripclaw. "Release him."

With that, Ripclaw dropped Snap on the ground. The zoner stared up at Mint in confusion. Mint looked down at Snap. A look that could only be described as guilt was on his face. Mint only looked at Snap for a few seconds before looking away again. Rudy and Penny were also confused by Mint's actions. He could hear them try to say something, but he wasn't paying any attention.

Just then, there was a loud roar and something shook the ground. Mint's eyes snapped wide open. That didn't sound like any of his creations. He looked over and he saw the ground was starting to rise up. Something big, reptilian, and rocky emerged from the ground. Mint's eyes widened in shock. What...what was this thing? It was huge...about as large as the therizinosaurus he had drawn. No...it looked almost bigger.

The shaking of the ground caused the needles to pop out of place, knocking some of them doing and creating an opening for Rudy and Penny to see. The two of them screamed in horror at the sight of the thing. Judging from their reaction, Mint guessed they knew what this thing was.

"A gola monster!" Rudy cried. He tried to get himself free. "You have to get out of here! Run! Get away!"

Mint couldn't tell if that warning was for them both or just Snap. Either way, he was going to take that advice. The beast slammed against the structure he, Ripclaw, and Snap were on. The whole thing shook violently. Mint looked at the thing with a sense of dread rising in his chest. Despite not being real, this gola monster thing was terrifying. It opened up his gapin maw and snapped at them. It raised his stone paw and struck towards them.

The beast tore out a chunk of the side, causing rocks to crumble downward. The ledge started to break off. Ripclaw let out a surprised screech and took a several steps back. The ground below Snap broke loose and he started to slide downwards, right towards the gaping creature's mouth. For reasons he couldn't understand, Mint looked on in horror and tried to reach out towards Snap, but he was too far. He didn't know why he cared if something happened to him. He was just data, right?

"Snap!" Rudy and Penny cried in fear and horror.

Watching Snap slide down towards the gola monster's open mouth, Mint turned his attention to Ripclaw. He made a motion with his hands, pointing downwards to where Snap was. "Ripclaw!"

The utahraptor wasted no time. She rushed forward and ran down the side of the cliff. She spread out her arms and flapped up and down to keep her balance. She rushed down, gaining speed fast. She made a turn and rushed towards Snap. She snagged him in her jaws again and jumped out of the way just as the gola monster struck against the side of the cliff. The utahraptor, following Mint's hand gestures, jumped back into the trap and dropped Snap there.

Snap looked up at Ripclaw in absolute shock. "You...you just..."

Ripclaw moved towards his trapped friends. She lowered her head and grabbed them by their shirts. She lifted them out one and a time. After they were out, she jumped back up towards Mint, staring at him and awaiting his command. "I have to get going." The smile was back on his face, though a little more faltered than before. "Skrawl needs me back at the hideout right about now. So I'll leave you three to play with your...friend there."

As Mint started to leave, he noticed the trio taking a defensive stance as they stared at the gola monster. The one thing he didn't notice was that someone was watching him. Hiding in the corner, propeller spinning around, was a Beanie Boy. A shocked expression on his face, the Beanie Boy immediately took off, unseen by anyone.

sss

"Mint did what?!" Skrawl cried out, smashing some glass cups off the shelf and onto the ground. The startled Beanie Boy moved back away from him. "Are you sure?!"

"I-It's true, boss..." The Beanie Boy said. He shielded his face like he was expecting to get hit. "I saw it with my own eyes! I swear it's true!"

Skrawl let out an angry roar, his arms stretched out at his sides. The Beanie Boy took off, getting far away from the enraged jellybean. Skrawl smashed another glass object against the ground, not caring how much of a mess he was making.

Things had been going smoothly. He had gotten almost all the artifacts now. Only three left. And then he could proceed to take over ChalkZone with them. And Mint had been doing a great job of distracting. He was looking forward to his report on today's battle. The boy was so eager to face them. He was always excited to face off against those three. And Skrawl had always enjoyed hearing how he managed to defeat them, how he made a fool of Rudy.

But now...the unforgiveable happened. In direct violation of his orders, Mint had...shown mercy. One of his Beanie Boys he sent to spy on Mint to see how this battle would play out informed him of what had happened. Mint had the chance to kill Snap, but he let him go. And not only did he let him go, but he had Ripclaw save Snap from a gola monster and freed Rudy and Penny from the trap he had sprung.

Sure, he still abandoned them to deal with the gola monster themselves, but the fact that he had shown them mercy at all...That was unacceptable. He couldn't allow this to happen again. He couldn't allow Mint to get all buddy buddy with them. If he kept this show of mercy up, he might end up liking Rudy and Penny as more than just fellow gamers. He might become...friends with them..They might sway him to their side. They might get him to betray him.

No, he wasn't going to allow that. He was not going to let Mint go unpunished. He was going to pay for his show of mercy. He was going to get what he deserved. As soon as Mint came back, he was going to give him a better reason to follow his orders.

Skrawl stared at his hand, flexing his long, sharp claws. Oh yes, after this..Mint would never disobey him again. He was not going to lose his hold on the boy. Mint was his. Mint belonged to him. Mint was a tool that he wielded. And he was not going to slip away from his control. Skrawl glared at the wall in front of him and struck at it. A loud scraping sound and there were three claw mark indentions in it.

Mint will not betray him.


	22. Punishment

Why had he done that? Why had he turned away the opportunity? He had him...He had him right where he wanted him...and he still...chickened out. He still couldn't bring himself to pull that blasted trigger.

Mint had been thinking about this ever since he got back to Skrawl's hideout. He paced around in one of the small hallways. He went back and forth, from one wall to the other. His mind filled with thoughts of what happened earlier that day. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, and why it had happened. It wasn't something he had expected to happen. And it wasn't like it was just one thing. It was a few things that he had done... He didn't know why exactly he had done them.

The biggest thing that concerned him was Snap. Why couldn't he delete him? He was right in his grasp. Rudy and Penny weren't able to save him. He was trapped in Ripclaw's jaws. The little blue runt couldn't get away and he wasn't programmed with any kind of weaponry or special powers. At least not from what he had noticed. He should have been easy to delete. All he had to do was pull that darn trigger.

But he had hesitated. He hadn't been able to pull the trigger, no matter how hard he had tried. He kept attempting to put more pressure on the trigger. But something was holding him back. He didn't know what it was... There was something that was keeping him from shooting the NPC guide.

What was it? Was it pity? Guilt? He didn't want to believe that he actually felt sorry for Snap. Why should he feel bad about something that was just data? After all, all of it was just an act. An illusion. It wasn't like Snap was in any real danger, right? He could shoot him and he'd come back later, just fine like nothing had happened to him. Yet..what else could describe that feeling he felt when he looked into his terrified eyes? There was something about the way Snap looked at him..that made him hesitate. Something in them that made him question whether or not he should shoot him...

And that scared Mint. If he was starting to feel bad about data, then he was going to end up as deluded as Rudy and Penny. He couldn't allow himself to become like that. He didn't want to become deranged, a lunatic, acting like all of this was a real place. He had to fight back these feelings next time, these doubts. He had to remind himself it was nothing more than a game. The next time he got a chance to shoot Snap, he would take it. He...he had to... He couldn't allow himself to become delusional...he just couldn't...

He had done more than just show Snap mercy, despite Skrawl's orders not to. He had also saved him. When he saw him fall towards that gola monster, something inside of him sparked. He couldn't describe the feeling. Something inside of him...wanted to save Snap. That was why he had sent Ripclaw to get him away from the gola monster. For some reason, he didn't have the heart to just let Snap fall into the beast. This added to his fear of becoming a lunatic like Rudy and Penny were. He should have just let Snap fall and let the beast delete him. Why couldn't he do that?

And why did he have Ripclaw pull Rudy and Penny out of their own tar trap? Why had he done that? He could have just let them stay trapped and left them like that. Nothing bad would have happened. They would have just lost the game and be teleported back home, or at the starting line, whichever. It wasn't like their lives were on the line.

Yet, despite knowing that, he still had Ripclaw save them. There was a part of him that just couldn't allow them to remain trapped and helpless like that. The gola monster was terrifying. Something about it sent off an alarm in his head, a sense of dread. The very presence of that beast made his mind believe, for a moment, that the danger was real. It was one convincing monster to do something like that. It was enough to make him save Rudy and Penny instead of just leaving them trapped in the tar. He had let them go...and he couldn't fully understand why.

There was only one thing he could think of. There was one thing that could explain why he behaved like that, why he felt sorry. It wasn't the best explanation and he had doubts about it himself. But...he was willing to believe it. He was willing to go along with it because it made him sound less crazy, less irrational.

The reason why he couldn't shoot Snap wasn't really because he felt sorry for him. Perhaps that guilt he felt for him was actually towards Rudy and Penny. He had thought to himself before that he would feel bad about kicking them out of the game. There was a time when he could care less if they were unable to play anymore. But lately they had been becoming more of a challenge, and both secured a victory against him. They were playing smarter at this game, and he wanted them to stick around. They were fun to fight against. If he had deleted Snap, he may have risked losing two potential equals at this game, and that wasn't something he really wanted to lose.

And kicking them out of the game..it would have made him feel bad for another reason. ChalkZone, this virtual world, was a fun place to be in. He could see why those two loved coming here so much. He didn't want to deprive them of that fun, especially since he experienced it himself. They might be trying to kick him out of this game, but he didn't want to do the same to them. He knows what it feels like being excluded from something fun and exciting. That's happened to him before.

Yeah, that had to be the real reason he let the little guy go. He just didn't want Rudy and Penny to be sad about being kicked out of the game. He didn't want them to lose access to such a great virtual simulation. And for that reason, he made a mental note to himself. He wouldn't try to shoot Snap again. He might attack him, but he no longer had the desire to shoot him. There were other zoners he could go to if he really wanted to see the gibs effects that badly. He could go after them instead. As for Snap, he won't try to delete him anymore.

His thoughts shifted to Skrawl. He did learn a little more about the artifacts. Not much. What he did hear, from what he overheard the Beanie Boys say, is that each artifact had its own special power that required the crown to activate. He didn't know what these powers were, though. And he didn't know exactly what Skrawl had planned to do with them. Probably take over ChalkZone, since he was the designated villain of this video game. He still wondered what would happen if the bad guy won this game, how the ending would be like.

He assumed Skrawl got another artifact, and that meant, if he remembered right, there were two more left. Or was it three? He wasn't sure. He rarely spoke to Skrawl about that as he was more focused on going out and facing Rudy and Penny. He didn't even know how Skrawl was acquiring these artifacts without drawing attention. One thought he had was that one of the artifacts had the power of invisibility, and Skrawl was using it to get the artifact. Another was that he was simply asking for the artifacts...no that wouldn't make sense if Skrawl was supposed to be the villain here.

Skrawl wouldn't tell him where he was getting the artifacts. He guessed it was because that knowledge wasn't really required. He didn't really need to know any of that. He had his role in this game. He was Skrawl's assistant, and his job was to keep Rudy and Penny too busy to try to look for Skrawl. Even if they searched around and figured out where Skrawl had been striking, the trio won't be able to do much about it. Mint would just target another place and keep their attention on him. And Skrawl would be sure to take the artifact with him even if one of those three manages to find him.

So far, Skrawl was winning the game. He had gotten almost all the artifacts now. Once they get the final few that remained, Skrawl would win...or so he thought. A recent conversation with the jellybean revealed that he wouldn't be able to win the game just yet. Mint would need to allow time for Skrawl to learn how to use the artifacts, and once he did, then Mint would truly win the game. Skrawl promised him that he was going to love the ending and that it would be worth all the trouble he went through. Mint couldn't wait.

Mint stopped pacing around. He put his back to the wall and leaned against it. He folded his arms to his chest. He wasn't sure what to do now. He had already rationalized his behavior earlier, at least he hoped he had. So far, Skrawl hadn't given him another assignment. He did think it was a little odd when the jellybean hadn't spoken to him when he got back. He didn't even see him. He saw some Beanie Boys, but they more or less ignored him, like they always did. He sometimes even forgot they were there. In fact, one of the only times he interacted with them was when they took him to some of the designated locations, then they'd leave.

Getting into ChalkZone before Rudy and Penny was tough. He had thought about getting himself in trouble every day and being sent down to Principal Stringent's office, but that would become too suspicious. The school would give him a harsher punishment if he kept it up. His parents wouldn't be happy with him either. They would do something as well, and knowing them, it would be something that would make it hard to come into ChalkZone again for a while. He would be in the same situation as Rudy was in before...and he couldn't allow that.

So instead, what he did do was talk to his guidance counselor about changing the times of his classes. He managed to come up with some of convincing excuse for why they had to be changed. By rearranging his classes just right, he managed to get a recess a little earlier than Rudy and Penny did. This gave him the chance to get into ChalkZone earlier. The counselor warned him that she won't be able to change it again, but he was fine with it. He didn't mind going to new classrooms, although he was still stuck with the same art teacher, albeit at a different time.

It was a little complicated and he was surprised he pulled it off. He was glad he did, though. If that didn't work, he had no idea what else he could have done. He couldn't keep sending himself to Principal Stringent's... She would take notice eventually, especially if his teacher brought it up to her and she realizes he never been into her office. After seeing the way she treated Rudy, Mint could see why not many students really liked her that much.

Mint did still feel bad about what he did. He acknowledged that it was a rotten trick, and he still went along with it anyway. He had been so worried about being kicked out of the game that he had pulled something like that on Rudy. Yeah, time away from the game was probably good for the kid, but still...he could have done something else.

He felt the principal was being too hard on Rudy. The way she just dragged him off like that without letting him explain, that was definitely out of line. It wasn't something he felt a principal should do. They were supposed to be professional and let the accused explain their side of the story. But from what he overheard from Rudy, Stringent did anything but. He wasn't sure of the entire story, but he did hear something about how she 'used a past incident to punish him for this incident' or something, which was wrong.

And the way the other students treated Rudy was apalling. Mint did feel bad about causing all of this. He knew it was his fault Rudy was being treated like that. And he couldn't do a darn thing about it. Most of the students don't believe him when he said it wasn't his fault. Most of them believed he had pulled it on purpose. And now, thanks to Mint, Rudy was being teased and harrassed at school, prompting him to stick closer to Penny, one of the few who knows he's innocent.

Mint decided that, when the game was finally over, he would talk to Principal Stringent and tell her the truth. He wasn't sure if she would believe him or if she would even do anything about it. But at least it was something. As delusional as Rudy was, he didn't deserve what he was getting in school.

His thoughts were interrupted when something echoed off the walls of the hideout.

"Mint!"

It was Skrawl...and he didn't sound very happy. Mint usually didn't hear him that upset, and especially not at him. At his Beanie Boys, maybe. But not at him. He felt himself tense up a little. He didn't know why. Skrawl was his NPC guide. The worst he would do was yell at him. Still, hearing him that angry, seemingly at him, did not settle well in his mind.

Or maybe he wasn't mad at him at all. Maybe he was angry with something else and that just reflected in his voice. Yeah, maybe one of the Beanie Boys broke something when Skrawl was figuring out a plan. Or maybe his recent plan of stealing an artifact had been foiled..somehow... Yeah that was probably all it was. Taking in a deep breath, relaxing himself, Mint began to head down the hallways towards Skrawl's office.

Mint made his way down the halls. He kept up a steady pace. There were still places here he wasn't familiar with, but he knew which paths to take to get to Skrawl's office. He didn't waste time. He knew that Skrawl was going to be angry if he didn't get there in a hurry. As he made his way down the halls, he couldn't help but notice a few Beanie Boys floating around. When they looked at them, they carried blank expressions. The sight was...unsettling to say the least, especially with them usually smiling dopily all the time.

And then they started to follow him... That made him a little more at unease. All the Beanie Boys he encountered on the way to Skrawl's office were following him now. They stayed close behind. Not one said a word, not even that catchphrase of theirs, about working for Skrawl. They just...followed him. No matter which way he turned, they all followed him. Soon there were about seven Beanie Boys floating behind him. And he knew there was going to be more when he reached Skrawl's office.

When he finally reached the office, he stopped. He stared at the tall door, noting how it almost touched the ceiling. The Beanie Boys hung back a little as Mint walked over. He grabbed the door knocker that was attached to the door knob. He pulled it back and slammed it hard a few times. He took a step back and waited.

"Come on in."

Skrawl sounded a little calmer this time. Mint felt himself relax more. Whatever was bothering Skrawl must have passed already. That meant that he was right. The jellybean wasn't really angry with him. He wondered what did actually upset his NPC guide. Maybe he would tell him if he asked. Might be a good idea to wait, though, just in case he accidentally triggered his previous anger.

Mint opened up the door. It was a little heavy, but he managed it just fine. He opened it just enough to allow himself to squeeze through. He heard the door open up more and he heard propellers twirling. The Beanie Boys that followed him came into the room with him. He guessed that they might be the ones to take him to the next location, so their presence didn't really bother him anymore.

Mint liked how large this office was. A nice tall ceiling, plenty of space, tall windows to look out of.. Overall it was well designed room. Simple, but effective. It gave the overwhelming sense of power as he walked in. The whole place had this strong aura hanging in it, making it very clear what kind of threat Skrawl posed to his enemies and just how powerful he was. There wasn't a whole lot in this room, but Mint felt that was for the better. The shere immenseness of this room was enough to make Skrawl really feel like he was in charge. Too many items placed in here would make it feel too cluttered.

He looked around and he found Skrawl. He was sitting in his desk placed in the far back middle of the room. He was leaning back in his chair, those sharp fingers tapping against each other's tips. Mint took a few steps forward and then he stopped. He took notice of just how Skrawl was looking at him. Those mismatched eyes were narrowed, and he was keeping his gaze on him. Even from this distance, Mint could tell that Skrawl was still not in a very good mood. Mint hesitated to take another step forward, uncertain of what to do or how to feel.

Skrawl pointed a hand in his direction. He used his finger to motion towards himself. "Come here, Mint..." His voice was low and growly. "I want to speak to you..."

When he said that, Mint nearly jumped at the sound of slamming. He looked behind him and saw that the Beanie Boys that came in with him had shut the door behind him and were now blocking it. At that moment, Mint realized that Skrawl really was upset with him about something. Even though this wasn't real, he couldn't stop his heart from clenching up in fear. He felt..trapped, with nowhere to go. He looked back at Skrawl, his eyes widening very slightly at the sight of the jellybean. Not wanting to anger him further, Mint started to make his way towards his desk.

He approached Skrawl warily, keeping his head a little low like he expected to get yelled at. Game or not, this was intense. He never felt this afraid of approaching Skrawl before, except when he first arrived and didn't know what he was. Each step he took forward felt like it took an hour to make. And with each step, the sense of dread rose in his heart and mind. He tried his best not to look visibly afraid. It was just a game... It was just a game...

He soon reached Skrawl's desk. He managed to fight off most of the fear, chalking it up to irrationality. Skrawl was his NPC guide. It wasn't like he was going to do anything major to him. Maybe yell at him, maybe take away his magic chalk for a short time. But he wouldn't hurt him. He wouldn't be programmed to do that. It wouldn't make much sense.

Skrawl glared at him, and Mint felt his heart tighten again. It was brief, but it was still there. He could see the jellybean start to shiver a little. Not from cold or fear or guilt, but from anger. He could see the jellybean clench his teeth a little. He saw his hand tighten into a fist. Mint took in a few quick breaths, uncertain of what to expect next.

Then, without warning, Skrawl slammed the fist against the desk hard. The loud sound caused Mint to let out a cry of suprise and he jumped back. He stared at Skrawl in shock. Though he wasn't real, Mint still found himself taking a slightly defensive stance. He held up his arms a little and turned himself slightly to the side. Then, seconds after Skrawl struck the desk, he leaned forward in his chair a little bit and he began to speak in the angriest voice he ever heard him speak in.

"Why did you do it?!" Skrawl snarled at him. Mint looked at him in confusion. Skrawl narrowed his eyes more deeply. "Why did you let Snap go?! Why did you help those two brats when they were trapped?! You had the chance to defeat them, and you let them go!"

Mint started to shake a little from the jellybean's temper. He really was scary when he was angry. No wonder the Beanie Boys didn't like being around when he was yelling at someone or about something. He took another step back. "W-Well I..." Mint said, trying his best not to let his fear show. He struggled to find something to say. "I didn't see the point... This game would be boring without them...and..."

Skrawl growled deeply at this. Mint winced as he heard his claws scrape across the desk's surface. He flinched as he saw the shallow indentions on the desk. He gulped, looking at Skrawl nervously. Despite just being data, Skrawl was scaring him, making him feel afraid. Still, he continued.

"You probably already had the artifact anyway...so there was no point in continuing.." Mint said, his voice a little shaky. He looked left and right, frantically trying to think of something else he could add, something that would calm Skrawl down. "A-And besides... w-we're still winning...so what's the big deal if I..."

Another slam on the desk forced Mint to shut his mouth. He looked at Skrawl in the eyes. He shuddered as he saw the intense anger practically glowing off those eyes. Skrawl leaned forward, pressing his stomach against his desk. He pointed a finger in Mint's direction. "I told you not to show mercy to those three! I told you to be merciless! And when I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it! This I am not going to let slide, Mint! I am going to give you an incentive to follow my orders exactly in the future!"

Mint trembled as Skrawl got out of his chair. He started to advance towards him. Mint took several steps back. His heart started to race. He tried to rationalize that Skrawl wasn't going to hurt him, but the rising fear inside made him try to get away. The very thought of being harmed was enough to make him try to flee. He turned and ran towards the door, only to realize that it was still blocked by those Beanie Boys. Mint turned and saw Skrawl getting closer to him.

Before Mint could move in a different location, four of the Beanie Boys that had followed him dove towards him. They grabbed his arms and legs and hung on tightly. Mint let out a panicked cry and he tried to free himself. The Beanie Boys were too strong for him. Just like the first time, he was not able to free himself. They tightened their grip and looked over as their boss came up towards him. Mint shook harder as Skrawl came upon him. He looked up at him in fear, wondeirng what he was going to do with him.

He watched as Skrawl snarled at him, his lips pulling back, exposing more of his crooked teeth. When he was close enough, he stood on one leg. One hand was clutched into a tight fist. He could see it shaking as anger swept through the jellybean like a tidal wave. The other hand, at first, just laid at his side limply. Then it was raised. Mint watched, his eyes widening, as the hand was raised above him. He realized, in horror, how the light glinted off the sharp tips of those claws. It took him only a second to realize what Skrawl was going to do.

"N-No! Please! Don't!" Mint cried out fearfully. He didn't know why he was reacting like this. It wasn't like it was real...was it? Yet he couldn't help but beg with Skrawl not to hit him. "Please don't hit me! I'll listen next time! I swear!"

"Too late!" Skrawl growled at him.

Mint shuddered as he watched Skrawl tense up his arm for the strike. He closed his eyes and looked away, waiting for the blow. Seconds later, the hand struck down.

Mint's eyes shot open as he felt pain erupt from his chest as something solid struck against it. He was pushed back. The only reason he didn't fall down was because of the Beanie Boys holding him up. He let out a cry of pain as he felt the claws strike him. Even if it lasted only for a second, the pain lingered, making it feel like the attack took longer.

Mint took in a few quick breaths as he looked down. His shirt was a little torn. And he swore he could see something red... Blood.. His blood... He trembled harder as he looked up at Skrawl. His mind swirled with all sorts of thoughts. His NPC guide had...hurt him. He actually hurt him. He had drawn blood. This realization sent cold shiveres down his spine. How could he be programmed to do this? Where was the benefit of this? What kind of programmer would think it was a good idea to put this in the game? NPC guides were supposed to help...not injure...

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the angry jellybean. He was too afraid to. He wanted to speak, yet fear kept his mouth from moving. He continued to tremble as the jellybean glared down at him angrily. He was never this afraid of Skrawl before. Not even when they first met. He was..terrifying. Those eyes...he couldn't look away from those eyes... He struggled as Skrawl reached out for him again. He let out a whimper and turned his head away, expecting to be hit again. Instead of hitting him, Skrawl pushed a claw tip against his chin, forcing him to look up at him.

"I want to make it very clear, Mint. When I tell you to do something, you do it. If I tell you not to show mercy, you better not." Skrawl said in a quiet, but menacing voice. Every word was laced heavily in anger. "I am close to victory and I will not allow those three annoyances get in my way... If you ever have the chance to get rid of them, take it. Be merciless. Do not allow them to escape..."

"B-But...this is just a game..." Mint said in a meek voice. "Why should it matter if they win?"

Skrawl raised up his hand again as if to strike him. Mint let out a terror-filled cry and looked away. Skrawl almost struck him, but appeared to have second thoughts. Mint looked up at him with one eye clenched shut and the other looking at him warily. His teeth were bared as his body trembled.

Skrawl lowered his hand. He then pressed it against Mint's face. "Oh Mint, Mint, Mint... You really don't understand, do you?" He shook his head in disappointment. "I didn't think you would anyway. You see, it is important that I win this round... Very important..." He started to drag his three claws across Mint's face. Not enough to cut him, but Mint winced as he felt the claws scratch him. "Failure is not an option... You see, there's a glitch I recently hurt about where this game will freeze up entirely if I lose...then you'll never be able to play again..."

Mint stared at him in disbelief. "Th-There is...?"

The jellybean nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Yes there is... So if you wish to keep playing..." He pointed at him, his eyes narrowing again. "Do not let me lose!" He took a step closer and put his face close to Mint's. He watched as the boy trembled. "And don't give me another reason to hurt you..."

Again the claw was pressed up against his chin. A little harder this time. Mint moved his head up, trying to get away from the pressure. But Skrawl continued to push hard so that he would feel the pain of the claw being there. Mint let out a few low whimpers and he tried again to get away. No luck. The Beanie Boys wouldn't let go of him.

"This might be just a game, Mint. But don't underestimate what I can do to you... Believe me, I can make you sorry for any time you disobey my direct orders." With that, Skrawl leaned a little closer. He whispered to Mint, "You are the best addition I made to my team, Mint. I am not about to lose my hold on you..." He clutched his chin tightly, pressing his claw tips against his skin. "You belong to me..." He said in a low voice. "Understand?"

Shaking like a leaf, Mint nodded his head. Skrawl smiled at him and moved back.

"Good...let this be a lesson to you, Mint." Skrawl snapped his fingers. The Beanie Boys released Mint. "Do not defy me..." Then Skrawl turned and walked away. He waved a dismissing hand at Mint. "You may leave. I will give you orders later." He turned his head and looked at Mint with his blue eye. "And I expect you to follow them..."

Mint stood there, trembling, unable to stop. He stared in fear at Skrawl, not sure how to comprehend what had just taken place. Terror filled up inside of his heart. His breaths came in quickly. His heart was racing. He could feel a few tears of fear escape his eyes. He had been terrified...outright terrified...of his NPC guide. Even if the anger stemmed from this supposed glitch...it was still a scary experience.

For the first time, he started to really question everything. Was this really a game? How real was everything? Was Skrawl telling him the truth? Were Rudy and Penny right about him? Were they right about everything?

He tried to shake off the feeling. He tried to dismiss it as himself being irrational. He told himself this was all a game, all an illusion. He told himself that Skrawl was not a threat to him, that he was only angry at possibly ruining the entire game. But then why couldn't he shake off these feelings? Why wouldn't they leave his mind? As much as he didn't want to admit it, doubt had been seeded into his head, and it wasn't going to go away. All he could do was deny it... And maybe eventually he will realize how delusional he was being.

He looked down at his chest, where Skrawl hit him. It felt so real...looked so real...and it had drawn blood... The horror that the attack drew blood finally dawned on him. He lifted his shirt collar outwards so he could see the damage. The claws didn't hit him that deeply. The marks were shallow, but they still stung. He reached under his shirt and pressed against one of the three red lines that now adorned his chest. He winced at the pain and pulled his hand back.

He trembled when he saw a bit of blood clinging to his finger. So it was true... Skrawl really had drawn blood from him. He tasted it, and he realized it was real. Actual blood... There...there was no way this was fake...a simulation. He could see simulated marks, but there was no way a game could be advanced enough to draw blood like this. The blood was from a real wound. Skrawl, his NPC guide and a cobble of data, had injured him. Really, truly injured him.

His mind thought back to how Rudy had limped during one of their confrontations. He had dismissed it as him overreacting. Then he thought about how he seemed to get worse every time he shot him with the laser. His heart clenched in dread. Had..had he injured Rudy? For real? As he stared at his own blood, and then back at Skrawl, the realization he had actually injured another human being settled heavily on his mind.

He had to wonder something. A thought entered his mind, and it would not leave. A thought that he was afraid to find the answer to.

Just...just how real was this game...? And was it even a game at all...?


	23. Confusion

"What?" Penny asked, her voice soft. "Are you sure he said that?"

Rudy shook his head in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like something he would say."

Snap looked at his two friends and gave an affirmative nod. "Yeah, it's true!" He raised his hands out at his sides. "He let me go! He said he couldn't shoot me, so he told Ripclaw to drop me!"

Penny tilted her head a little. She gave Rudy a perplexed expression before turning back to Snap. "That's really strange. Why...after all those times he threatened you...would Mint suddenly change his mind?"

"I'm just as confused about as you, Buckette." Snap said. "And the way he saved me... The way he helped you two out..."

"It might be a trick." Rudy said, narrowing his eyes. "I don't trust him."

Silence fell upon Snap's house. The three friends sat down next to each other, staring out straight ahead. No one said a word for the next several minutes. The silence was uncomfortable, almost daunting. This time, the silence wasn't from something particularly terrible, but from shere and utter confusion. They hadn't been this torn about something before. They hadn't been this unsure about anything. And yet here they were.

They had come to Snap's house after they took care of the gola monster. It was pretty easy to take care of considering Rudy knew its weakness, being very ticklish. So it was hardly a threat. The only time it was of any danger to them was when they were stuck in the tar pit and weren't able to use their magic chalk. They were glad that Mint didn't take them when he had the chance and had run off instead. Leaving them alone to fight the gola monster was a bit low, but at least he left the magic chalk for them.

Mint's actions in that encounter filled them all with confusion. None of them could completely comprehend what happened. It just seemed to come out of the blue. They never would have expected Mint to do something like that. They started to wonder why he did it, if he had an ulterior motive, if there was some other meaning behind what he did, or what.

Mint had them all trapped. He had them at his mercy. He could have done away with them if he wanted to. He had knocked the magic chalk out of Rudy and Penny's hands. He had trapped the two in tar. He had three of his creations in an enclosed area, the pterosaur blocking their escape route. He soon had Snap in Ripclaw's jaws. There was nothing Rudy and Penny could have done to save Snap. Mint had the opportunity to kill Snap right then and there.

But he didn't...

For whatever reason, he didn't... And they didn't know why.

Rudy remembered how confused he and Penny were when Ripclaw just dropped Snap like that. He thought that maybe Mint wanted to shoot him in a nonvital area instead, maybe in the leg. But no, he didn't shoot him at all. He had moved away from Snap and lowered his laser pistol. He looked almost guilty, although Rudy wasn't sure if he bought that. He wasn't sure if Mint was really sorry or if he was merely putting on a show.

And when he had saved Snap, that confused him even more. He had been trying so hard to 'delete' Snap, as he'd put it, that it didn't make much sense for him to turn around and rescue Snap, especially with the same zoner that he used to hurt him with just moments ago. The whole thing was very confusing.

When Ripclaw grabbed Snap in her jaws, he had thought that Mint was going to have her quickly crush him in her jaws before going. But they were in for another surprise. Instead of killing him, Ripclaw instead dropped Snap in front of them. Then she went over and actually pulled them out of the tar pit. And not roughly either. Those strong, sharp jaws of hers were surprisingly gentle as she lifted them out. She then moved back and returned to her creator's side.

After that, Mint and Ripclaw just left. The two other creations he left behind just went off and did their own thing. They didn't bother attacking or going after the three. It was only the gola monster they had to take care of. It was very unhappy at being woken up and was stomping in their direction. Luckily, taking care of it was pretty easy considering they knew its weakness. And after it had its laughing fit, it sunk back in the ground, its temper tamed.

Rudy wasn't sure of the motivation behind saving them, but he didn't think it was anything good. He felt there had to be an ulterior motive hidden somewhere in those actions. He replayed the events over and over in his head, trying to see what he had missed. So far, nothing popped in his head, but he was certain, if he kept thinking about it, he could locate something that would give him a clue was to what Mint's motivations were.

He had his doubts that Mint spared Snap, and then them, out of selflessness. He had shown he was anything but. Mint had never done anything that painted himself as anything more than a jerk, a bully. He was similar to Reggie, only he felt Mint was worse. Reggie didn't pretend to be friendly on the same level as Mint, and it wasn't like Reggie had access to ChalkZone anymore. No, Mint must be up to something. What, he wasn't sure yet. Maybe he was trying to lower their guard or something. Make them fight less hard so he could finish off Snap more easily. Or maybe try to lead them into the real trap. Maybe the one they walked into before was nothing more than a decoy.

"Maybe Mint isn't as bad as we thought." Penny said, breaking the silence. Rudy and Snap stared at her. She bit her lip and she looked towards the ground. "Yeah, I know that sounds crazy... But..." She let out a soft sigh. "There is a chance that we misjudged him. He might not be as bad of a person as he's making himself out to be."

Rudy couldn't believe it. How could Penny think such a thing? Had she forgotten all that Mint had done? Had it slipped her mind the times when Mint had tried to kill their best friend? Exactly what had Mint done to make her think that he might not be so bad?

"That makes no sense, Penny. We've seen what that kid is capable of doing." Rudy said. His voice was raised a little lower than he meant to. "He's destroyed so much! Exactly what has he done to make him seem like he isn't so bad? What good has he done for us before? For ChalkZone?" Penny didn't answer him. "I thought so." Rudy shook his head. "Mint isn't to be trusted. He's just a bully. And bullies have to be stopped."

"Yeah, but..." Penny said. She paused for a moment. She thought about what she was going to say. She continued, "You have to remember, Rudy, that he thinks this is all just a video game. And I wouldn't doubt that Skrawl is feeding him that lie."

"So you're saying it excuses his actions?" Rudy asked, sounding betrayed.

Penny shook her head. "No, not at all. Game or not, the things he does are horrible. But..." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Because of that game lie Skrawl is likely having him believe, Mint will continue on doing dangerous things because he thinks there's no consequences for his actions. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. That's something we all had agreed on before."

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah. Definitely."

Penny continued. "Well maybe him letting Snap go is a sign that maybe he's starting to realize he's being lied to. Maybe Mint isn't really so bad, at least when he's not playing the 'bad guy'. That doesn't excuse the way he treats us, but it does offer some hope of...well...change..."

"Change?" Rudy said incredulously. He stared at Penny, his eyes blinking. "You honestly think he can change? After what he's done?"

"As crazy as it sounds...yes." Penny said affirmatively. "If we can get him to see just how real ChalkZone is, maybe he will start to feel bad and he would start to be more careful around zoners. Maybe he will start to listen to us. He might become more cooperative. I mean..." She looked at Snap. "If he released Snap because he felt bad..." He looked back at Rudy. "...then that means that if he realizes that he's been hurting real people, maybe he'll stop."

Rudy wasn't sure how to react to this. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh bitterly, if he wanted be angry, or sad, or what. It was upsetting to him that Penny seemed to be thinking this way about Mint. He had shown himself to be nothing but a jerk. He had caused so much problems in ChalkZone. He had nearly killed Snap more than once. He had destroyed Mondo Desert City, which took a while to redraw even remotely decently, and fixing Happy Face Valley and ChalkZone City wasn't easy, and they also still had areas that were damaged.

He wasn't sure what made Penny think this way. He wasn't sure how she was able to reach this conclusion. He didn't know why she hadn't drawn the same conclusion as him. Mint sparing Snap had to be some kind of trick. There was no way he would have done such an action for selfless reasons. He didn't do it because he genuinely cared about Snap. He had shown in the past that he views Snap as nothing more than a mindless program, autonomously carrying out orders, and not some real living being. Why would he care if Snap got swallowed up by the gola monster?

Rudy shook his head furiously. "No, no no!" He said, his voice raised even more. "That's not true!" He clutched his head tightly, digging his fingernails into his scalp. "Mint doesn't care about Snap! He doesn't care about anyone but himself! He's just a bully! He's no different than any other jerk we dealt with in the past! He only cares about 'having a great time'! He doesn't care about who he hurts! No, he didn't spare Snap's life because he felt generous! I don't see how you could think that, Penny!"

Penny and Snap stared at Rudy in shock. In truth, Rudy himself was surprised at his own outburst as well. He hadn't meant to snap like that. He didn't mean to yell. He had no idea that he would almost lose his temper like that. His angered expression quickly softened. He looked at the ground, feeling bad for yelling like that.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to shout." Rudy said. His voice was back at its regular speaking volume. "I-It's just that...I just don't know what to think. I find it hard to believe that Mint would spare Snap like that without having some..motivation behind it."

"I understand, Rudy." Penny said, giving him a small smile of understanding. "It's hard for me to grasp as well. But I don't think we should jump to conclusions about Mint. There might be a reason why he let Snap go that had nothing to do with some scheme he came up with. I mean...I don't think that makes much sense. He had Snap in his grasp. He had us at his mercy." She shrugged her shoulders. "Why he would forego that...It doesn't add up to me. Why go through all that trouble?"

"Maybe to make us lower our guards." Rudy suggested.

Penny nodded. "Perhaps...but he could have done that without taking us to the Impenetrable Forest. Why waste all that energy on that?"

Rudy opened his mouth to speak. He tried to think of some way to debunk Penny's idea. He didn't want to believe that Mint would suddenly change his mind like that. It didn't make any sense to him. He tried to think of something, anything, to say to counter Penny's point. He tried to think of an explanation for why Mint would go through all that trouble for this scheme of his.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe Penny had a point there. Maybe Mint wasn't up to anything when he released Snap. Maybe his conscience did start to kick in and he realized that he was hurting someone, for real and not just a simulation, and he couldn't go through with it. Maybe there was a chance that Skrawl's hold on Mint, this 'video game delusion' that has a hold over Mint has finally started to falter.

And if that's the case, then they could get Mint to listen to them. They could get him to see how wrong he was, maybe get him to leave ChalkZone willingly or at least not draw anything dangerous anymore. Maybe he'll stop being a problem. Maybe he will stop with all the destruction and antagonizing them.

Rudy shook his head. He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. No, he couldn't fall for it. Mint was nothing but trouble. He couldn't be trusted. He was a menace. He was a bully. He was a jerk. He wouldn't listen to them when they warned him that this wasn't a game. He just went about doing whatever he wanted with the place. Saving Snap was nothing more than a trick. Saving them just the icing on the cake. He wants them to lower their guard. He planned on striking them when they least expected it. He wanted to tear them down. That's all that kid ever wanted to do.

Rudy is aware that he might be taking this a little too far, but at the moment, he didn't care. He was determined to keep ChalkZone safe from this kid. He couldn't afford to falter. He couldn't afford allowing the kid to get an edge over him and Penny. They had to get him out of ChalkZone. He was too dangerous to be around. He must be dealt with, and fast.

Rudy grumbled under his breath. "I'm sure he has a reason..."

Penny sighed. "Perhaps, Rudy. You might be right and this could be a trick." She reached over and touched his shoulder. "Just try not to jump to conclusions. Mint did that about me, about you. You don't want to act like him, do you?"

Relaxing his shoulders, Rudy shook his head. "No..I don't..."

"I have to agree with Penny on this, Bucko." Snap spoke up after remaining quiet for a bit. Rudy looked at him in shock. "Yeah, I know it seems odd, but hear me out." Snap made gestures with his hands as he explained. "You weren't close enough to hear what he said to me."

"He said something to you?" Penny asked. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I'm sorry." Snap said. He bit his lip. "I'm..not sure why I didn't say anything. Maybe because I was just too confused to really fully grasp what happened. Mint threw all of us for a loop." He rubbed the back of his head or a bit. He lowered his gaze for a moment before fixating them on his friends. "Well anyway, when he had the laser pistol pointed at me, it looked like he was struggling. I could see his hand shaking a bit. It didn't look like acting to me. It really did seem like he was having a hard time bringing himself to shoot me. And then, when he lowered his laser pistol, he said how he couldn't do it."

Penny hesitated. Then she spoke. "He said he couldn't shoot you?"

Snap nodded his head. "Yeah."

Still uncertain, Rudy gave a small frown and said, "Are you absolutely certain?"

"It's true." Snap said. He raised his hands into the air. "That's what he said. I swear it's true!"

Rudy and Penny looked at each other, then back at Snap. They grew silent again. They reflected on what Snap said for a time. Rudy let it sink in. Snap wasn't one to lie. If he said that Mint said he couldn't shoot him, then he would believe him. The fact that Mint did say that had Rudy rethinking his whole accusation. Maybe Penny was right and maybe Mint was starting to realize he was wrong.

Still, he couldn't lower his guard around him. Mint might still do some terrible things, whether from being in denial or being forced into it or what. He couldn't allow himself to falter around this kid. It wasn't like if he faced off against Skrawl or Craniac 4. Mint could create, just like him. That made him a bigger menace that even those two combined. It would be too much of a risk to give him any leeway.

He understood that isn't what Penny and Snap were suggesting. None of them were trying to excuse Mint's behavior. And Penny had admitted that the things he was doing were still terrible regardless if he thinks he's in a game world or not. Still, he wasn't sure if he could agree with them. He just...had very little reason to believe Mint would change that fast. He had little reason to believe that saving Snap was anything other than a form of trickery, even if he really had said that he couldn't shoot Snap.

"I still have my doubts." Rudy admitted. He leaned back against the seat. "I still it has to be a trick somehow...I just..don't trust him."

"This isn't about trust, Rudy." Penny said. "Snap and I don't trust him anymore than you. We just...think we should at least consider the idea that maybe he's beginning to see this video game hoax for what it is."

"We understand why you have a hard time agreeing with us, Bucko." Snap said, giving a small smile. "Don't feel bad. We understand."

Rudy noticed his two friends smiling at him. He smiled back. It was nice to know that, even though they might not agree with this one thing regarding Mint, that his friends were still supportive and understanding of him. And they both were still cautious of Mint as well. Although he didn't say it outloud, a part of him hoped that he was wrong and that maybe Mint could change. Time would tell, he was sure.

He looked towards the window and a thought crossed his mind. He realized that he hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Biclops yet about those artifacts, and he and his friends were so busy talking they had lost track of time. He and Penny would have to leave soon. He wanted to kick himself for forgetting to talk to the giant. But there was nothing he could do about it now. He would have to rememer to speak to the giant tomorrow. Hopefully Mint won't be causing any problems when they arrive in the morning to talk to the giant quickly.

He hoped that Biclops would be able to tell them something about the artifacts. Anything that would give them a clue as to what to do next. They needed more information to formulate an effective plan. Any information at all that Biclops could give them would be great.

sss

After saying goodbye to his friends, Rudy picked up the eraser and got rid of the portal. He didn't worry about Penny. She had her own magic chalk and she was going to go straight to her place. It was a little later than usual and Rudy's parents would have thought it was strange that Penny showed up in his bedroom. They would wonder how she got there without them noticing. It was dark out, after all.

Rudy dropped the eraser on the ground and headed towards his door, which remained shut. It wasn't like his parents had walked in. They were busy in the kitchen making dinner at this time. And they would usually wait for him to come downstairs to eat. The only time he imagined they'd come up to his room was if they wanted to talk to him about something or if he was gone too long. Despite how dark it was outside, it wasn't completely unusual for him to stay up in his room for this long.

He felt his stomach growling. He was getting hungry. He wondered what his mother was going to make tonight. As he exited his room and headed towards the stairs, he could smell the aroma of spaghetti, making his mouth water. He hurried down the stairs, hoping that his mother was almost finished.

As he came into the kitchen, he was a little surprised by what he saw.

His mom did finish cooking the food and was setting it out, but there was something a little..off about how she was moving. A little slower, a little less...enthusiastic. He wondered what was bothering her. It looked like she was upset. Her expression was a little forelorn. Not entirely depressed, but it was clear something was on her mind. And his dad...he looked troubled as well. He was looking at the newspaper, but it didn't look like he was actually reading it. He had an almost blank stare.

Rudy wondered what was going on. What was bothering his parents? He wondered if something terrible happened. Oh no...did they lose their jobs? Did someone die...? What terrible thing could have happened to make them act like this...?

Then they saw him. They turned their heads and looked at him. The way they stared at him, it was unsettling. It wasn't...accusatory like before. It was more...sadness than anything. They didn't look at him too long. They turned their heads, almost like they had a hard time looking at him. Rudy, confused, walked into the kitchen slowly. His parents hadn't said a word to him yet and already felt a little anxious. The fact that his parents looked at him that way and seem a little depressed...it had him worried. Something must have happened. But what?

Rudy pulled up a chair and sat down. He looked over at his dad. The man still held the newspaper in front of him. But he could tell that his dad wasn't actually reading it. Or if he was, he was looking at the same thing over and over again. It was strange that his dad hadn't spoken a word to him yet, or his mom. They weren't usually this quiet. Especially not around at dinner time.

His mom came over and gave him and his dad their plates and she got one for herself. Some spaghetti and garlic bread with glasses of water to drink. Rudy started to eat. As he ate his food, he noticed his parents barely touching theirs. Yeah, something was definitely wrong with them. They weren't sick. Or at least, he didn't think they were. They didn't look sick. No pale faces or runny noses or anything. Yet they were acting like they didn't have much of an appetite. What was wrong?

Finally, after what felt like an hour, the uneasy silence that engulfed the room was broken. He heard his dad put down his fork after hardly eating a small portion of his food. He looked over at Rudy. He looked a little nervous.

"Rudy...we..." His dad said. He looked like he was having a hard time keeping eye contact with Rudy. He clasped his hands together and rested them on the table. "There's something we'd like to talk to you about..."

Rudy looked at him, confused. He turned to his mother. She looked at him, but just like his dad, it looked like it took all her strength to do so. This made his heart clench a little. Horrible thoughts buzzed around his head.

His mom sucked in her breath and she said, "While you were upstairs, we...got a phone call."

Rudy's eyes widened slightly. "A..phone call? From who?"

"From someone at your school. Mint Zandophen I believe his name was." His mother replied.

This caused a gasp to escape Rudy's mouth. Mint had called his parents? Why? He felt anger start to build up inside. He probably called to tell them about something else terrible Rudy did and have his parents yell at him for it. That was just like Mint. He knew he couldn't be trusted.

"Mint? I know him." Rudy said in a low voice. He tried to hide the fact that he hated the kid. "What did he want?"

At this, his parents grew nervous. They opened their mouths to speak, but then they'd shut them. Whatever Mint had told them, it must have shaken up his parents. He couldn't tell if it was something he claimed Rudy did, or if he said something else to make them upset. Either way, Rudy was not happy that Mint called his folks like that. Why couldn't he just leave him alone?

The more his parents didn't answer, the uneasier Rudy felt. Was it really that hard for his parents to just come right out and say it? Was what Mint said that shocking or devastating that they couldn't tell their own son? The silence went on for a little longer, making Rudy clench his teeth a little. Why won't they tell him? Why bring it up at all if they won't speak to him?

Finally, his mother spoke.

"Rudy, he...he told us about the fire alarm incident." His mom said, sadness laced on her voice. Rudy stared at her, bewildered. She bit her lip, sucking on it, and she said, "He told us that he pushed you into the fire alarm. He said it wasn't your fault."

Rudy couldn't believe it. "He said that?"

His dad nodded his head. "Yeah." Rudy looked over at his father. "He said that...you didn't pull the fire alarm. He said it was his fault, not yours, that it got pulled."

As Rudy looked at his parents, as he let this information sink in, he realized now what emotion his parents were displaying earlier. Not talking, being a little slower, not eating much... They were feeling guilty. Mint, for whatever reason, had told them the truth about the fire alarm incident. And now they were feeling bad about not believing him earlier.

At first, he was happy. Though he couldn't understand why Mint would confess to them, he was glad that his parents finally believed him about it. For the past few days, he had been treated differently at school because almost everyone there thinks he pulled the fire alarm. And despite Penny, Michelle, and Reggie speaking up for him, no one believed he was innocent. So it was nice that at least his parents finally realize he wasn't guilty.

But then he started to feel angry. He was mad because his parents should have believed him in the first place. Or at the very least, they should have let him explain. But they didn't allow him a word in edgewise. They didn't let him speak his side of the story. They refused to listen. And the fact that it took Mint, of all people, to make them see that they were wrong...it made him so angry. They shouldn't have needed Mint to tell them anything. They should have let him explain. They should have listened.

Slowly, he narrowed his eyes. He glanced at his parents, watching their guilty expressions, and then he looked back down at his food. He took another bite, moving a little slower than usual. After he swallowed, he muttered, "Oh, so now you believe me..."

"Why didn't you tell us?" His mom asked. "If you said something, we could have avoided the punishment."

"Yeah. You could have told us when you came back from school that day. We would have understood." His dad said.

Rudy didn't answer. He stared at his plate. Hearing those words just made his blood boil. He usually never got that angry at his parents before. He wasn't just mad. He was furious. His parents, who had refused to let him speak when they were scolding him, had the audacity to ask him why he didn't explain himself. It was like they forgot how they treated them that day.

He felt his body shake a little from the anger as his parents continued to talk to him. Their words did little to comfort him. They only served to make him angrier. He gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes focused on his plate.

"I...wish you had spoken up, Rudy." His dad said softly. "We punished you for no reason... We could have avoided that."

"Why didn't you speak up before? Why didn't you try to tell us what happened?" His mom asked.

Rudy couldn't take it anymore. His anger almost boiling over, he pounded his hands against the table hard, shaking it a little. His parents became silent, looking at him in shock. Rudy shot them both a glare, making them cringe back.

"Oh you wonder why I didn't say anything? I'll tell you why!" He pointed accusatory fingers at both his parents. "It was because you two wouldn't let me get a word in! You didn't let me defend myself! You wouldn't listen to me! I tried to tell you! Oh how I tried... But you never allowed me to explain! You were too busy scolding me, telling me how I should have known better, how you raised me better than this...!"

At that, he noticed his mother flinching visibly. Guilt was written all over her face. His dad was no better. Still, he went on, not yet finished letting out his anger.

"Do you have any idea how people are treating me in school? Huh? Do you?!" Rudy spread his hands in the air. "They all think I'm guilty! They're all picking on me! They all think I'm going to pull off another scandal like that! But you know what...?" He lowered his hands, putting them on the table. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little. Yet anger still flowed through his blood. "I could live with that. I could handle it. But you two..." He glared angrily at his parents. "...I thought you two, of all people, would believe me. The fact that my own parents wouldn't listen to me, that even you two thought I was guilty..."

His parents looked at each other nervously. They looked back at Rudy. They looked visibly upset.

"Rudy..." His mother whispered softly, her voice shaky. "We're..."

Rudy cut her off. "And you want to know the real 'pleasure' of this is? You two wouldn't believe anything I said! It took Mint to tell you! A student from school! Instead of your own son! I thought you two trusted me! I thought you would at least give me the benefit of the doubt, a chance to explain!" He took in few quick breaths, his eyes narrowed deeply. "I see I was wrong about that..."

"Rudy..please..." His dad tried to say.

"You should have listened to me..." Rudy growled harshly. "You should have let me explain. But you didn't... You never allowed me to share my side of the story. And you punished me for something that wasn't my fault. You were so willing to listen to what the principal said, so convinced she was right, that you did not let your own son tell his side of the story." He looked away from them. "Now how fair was that..?"

Rudy couldn't believe that he had spoken to his parents like that. He couldn't believe he said those things. He couldn't believe that he let his anger take control of him. He hadn't meant to yell at them like that. He didn't mean to react like that. He should have calmed himself. He should have been more understanding as he spoke.

He just had so much anger built up inside regarding this whole fire alarm issue. He had been treated poorly in school. Everyone save for very few thought he was the culprit. It was worse considering his parents hadn't believed him. The fact that Mint had to tell them what really happened to make them understand that he was innocent made Rudy really angry. It boiled his blood that his parents wouldn't believe their own son, but they'd believe a testimony from a student they themselves have never met.

His parents looked shocked by his outburst. Shocked and guilty. They looked at him with wide eyes. He thought he could see a hint of a tear in his mom's eyes. His dad looked nervous and appeared to be trying to speak. Yet no words would come out. They both did look sorry for what they did. But at the moment, Rudy was too angry to really fully acknowledge it.

Rudy looked down at his plate. Even though he was not finished, he didn't have much of an appetite now. He got up from his seat. Not sparing his parents another glance, he said in a somewhat blank tone, "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going back to my room." He headed towards the stairs.

"Son..." His dad called out. Rudy stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn his head. "We're...we're sorry we didn't listen to you. Please stay. Let's talk about this."

He heard his mom take in a shaky breath. He thought he heard the faintest hint of a sniffle. "We're so...so very sorry we never gave you a chance to explain, Rudy. Please don't walk away. Talk to us..."

Rudy's expression softened a little. He wanted to stay and talk to his parents more. He wanted to make this all better. But anger still ruled his mind. He was still too bitter to really talk to them. He let out a soft, disgruntled growl, turning to his parents. He glared at them, his eyes filled with anger.

Before he went upstairs, he said something to his parents. Something that he hadn't meant to say. He wished he didn't say it. He wished that he controlled his anger more. He should have known better than to let it slip out. And yet, he still spoke it.

"I hate you..."

He had never seen his parents so shocked and hurt in his life. He realized what a mistake it was to say that. His expression softened up a little more. He wished he hadn't said that. How could he have done that...? Rather than stay and talk, he just bolted up into his bedroom, leaving his parents alone in the kitchen.


	24. Worth

Those dreadful words... Those horrible words... 'I hate you'... They buzzed around Rudy's head, refusing to leave him alone. Their full impact was crashing in all around him as he sat alone in his dark room. Their sting... It was so horrible. Intense, sharp emotion clung to his chest, making him feel a little shaky.

How could he say such a thing to his parents...? How could he let his anger rule his mind like that...? How could he not control himself more...? All his parents wanted to do was try to make things right, to fix what had happened. And what did he do? He told them that he hated them... He hadn't meant to say that. He didn't mean it at all. It slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. And he hadn't stopped beating himself up over it since he accidentally said it.

He was laying down on his bed, on his side. He faced the wall, unwilling to look in the other direction. Dread and shame filled his heart. He tried to go to sleep, but everytime he closed his eyes, those awful words he said to his parents would bounce off his head. His mind would constantly replay the hurt and shocked expressions his parents gave him before he ran up the stairs. He began to wonder, in a panic, how his parents would react tomorrow morning. Would he be able to face them? Would he be able to look at them in the eyes anymore after he said such a horrible thing to them?

Sooner or later, he would have to confront them. He had to face them about this. It won't get any better if he sat around doing nothing. It was going to be hard, though. He never said anything that mean and nasty to his parents before. There was no excuse for him to say it. He should have controlled himself more. He should have stifled himself and just walk up the stairs. He didn't have to say longer and say that horrid phrase to them. If he had just ran up the stairs to start with...

Running away was not the best idea. He knew that talking to them was the only way to make this right. But he wished he had done that instead of talking so harshly to them. He should have tried to be more understandable. He should have tried to let them talk more. They really wanted to sit down and speak to him about the incident. And he just...didn't give them a chance.

Just like they didn't give him a chance... A sharp pang in his chest made Rudy realize that he behaved a little like his parents did on that day. Not one hundred percent, but there were similarities. One of the biggest differences was that it was him who was doing the yelling and his parents trying to explain. He...he didn't want that... He didn't want to be the bully... He didn't want to be the bad guy... Oh, why didn't he stay and talk with them like they asked? Why didn't he return to his seat and allow them to say what they wanted to say? Why did he have to walk off like that?

Rudy had tried to go to sleep, but it was impossible. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to get comfortable. He just wasn't sleepy. He couldn't keep his eyes closed for more than a few seconds. He ended up just staring at the wall blankly.

How could he sleep with this overwhelming guilt taking him over? He felt so bad about what he said to his parents. He felt horrible for saying 'I hate you'... He didn't mean it... He wished he could go back in time and prevent himself from saying it. Now he hurt his parents' feelings and they were probably beside themself, crying, and it's all because of him. He...never meant for this to happen...

The weight of the negative emotions swimming in his head pushed down further into his mind. He felt like he was being trapped from all sides. As the full impact of what he said finally, completely dawned on him, he felt tears form in his eyes. Sniffling, he allowed the emotion to flow through his head. Unable to keep it in anymore, he started to cry. Sobs wracked through his body as he wrapped the blanket tightly around him and pressed his face against his pillow. It became soaked in his tears and mucous as he wept.

He continued to sob for what felt like an hour. He just let it all out. His pillow as soaked in tears by now. His eyes were red and puffy. His cheeks stung a little from the tears that kept flowing. His throat was hurting him and soon it was hard to continue crying without feeling physical pain. Soon, his weeps began to lose strength and intensity, and he quieted down into low whimpers. After a few minutes of that, he became quiet and still on the bed, his eyes opened and staring up at the ceiling as he now laid on his back.

Rudy couldn't stay in his bed anymore. The guilt, the sadness, the shame, it wouldn't leave him alone. There was no way he could go to sleep. Not like this. Not while his parents were downstairs, hurt by the horrible thing he said to them. He...he had to make this right, somehow. As hard as it was going to be, he needed to confront them. He needed to talk to them. He had to apologize.

He got up from his bed. He made his way down his bed's ladder and went over towards the door. He cracked it open slightly and looked left and right to see if his parents were on the upstairs hallway. When he saw that they weren't, he pushed the door open. Slowly, quietly, he walked towards the stairs. He grabbed onto the railing and started to make his way down.

He immediately noticed how dark it was. His parents must have shut off the lights already. He wondered if they had gone to bed already. This was proven wrong when he saw a dull light in the living room. He didn't hear anything, but he knew it was the television that was turned on. He could tell from how the light was a pale blue-white color. His parents, or one of them, must be watching television. Or trying to anyway.

He slowed his pace down, taking his time going down the steps. His eyes were glued to the living room. He took care not to make any sound as he made his way down the steps. When he reached the bottom step, he stopped as he thought he heard something. He pressed his back against the wall and listened. He soon realized the sound was crying. At hearing this, his heart tightened and he felt a hint of a tear form in his eyes.

Soon, he heard talking.

"I...I can't believe he said that to us, Joe..." His mom said. The crying was coming from her. He could hear her sniffling loudly. "We blew it...we really blew it... We should have listened to him..."

"Now now, Milly.. I don't think Rudy hates us.. He's just upset. He has every right to be. He'll come around. You'll see..." His dad said, trying to comfort her. But from his tone, Rudy could tell his dad wasn't sure if he could trust his own words. There was a crack in his voice, indicating he was more upset and sad than he had let on. "If not tonight, we'll talk to him in the morning. It'll be fine. You'll see..."

His mom took in a loud, shuddering breath. "And what if it won't? What if we...what if we completely damaged his trust in us..? He's right, Joe. We should have...let him explain... There's no excuse for it. We should have given him..a...a chance to talk but instead we...we...punished him for something that wasn't his fault..." His mother cried harder. "We should have listened...we should have listened...and now he hates us..."

His dad let out a soft sigh, like he was deep in thought. "He was just angry with us, Milly. He...doesn't hate us..." Rudy flinched as he heard his dad say that hesitantly. Had his words affected his parents that deeply? "We'll make this right...somehow."

Guilt welled up in Rudy's chest. He never meant to make his parents feel this awful. He didn't mean to make his mother cry. He didn't mean what he said, that he hated them. No, he loved his parents. He still trusted them, still felt like he could entrust almost anything with them. He just needed to learn to control his temper more. He shouldn't have said that he hated them. He should have stayed and spoke to them.

Well, now was the time to make it right. He couldn't hide here the whole time. Taking in a shaky breath, trying to fight back his own tears, he began to step into the living room. The intense motion welling up in his chest was hard to describe. It made it difficult to make each step into the living room where his parents were.

He could see his parents sitting on the couch together. His dad as his arm around his mom and was holding her close. His mom was a wreck, sobbing into his dad's shoulders. The sight of it made Rudy feel even worse about what he said. His dad looked like he had been crying as well. His eyes were a little puffy and he could see a few tears in his eyes. As strong as he was trying to be for his wife, Rudy could tell just how badly affected he was about this whole thing as well. The sight of his parents like this made Rudy hesitate, his eyes filling with more tears. He took in a deep breath and forced himself into the living room.

His parents didn't notice him at first. His dad was busy looking at his mom. And his mom was busy with her face in his dad's shoulder. Although the television was on, they weren't looking at it. It was just sort of...on... Like they were trying to drown out their emotions with some late night comedy but it clearly didn't work.

Rudy took a few steps into the living room, keeping quiet. He made nervous gestures with his feet, holding his arms behind his back. This was it. It was time to talk to them.

"Mom...dad..." Rudy said in a soft, barely audible voice.

At this, his parents looked over in his direction. They looked surprised that he had come down, especially so soon. He winced as he saw just how hard his mother had cried. He had never seen her face so red, her eyes that glinted with tears. For a few moments, all they did was stare at each other. It was hard looking at them like this. A few times, Rudy would lower his gaze, filled with shame, but he would force himself to look back up at them.

Rudy, slowly, walked a little closer to his parents. He hung his head low, acting like he was in trouble. He could feel more tears forming in his eyes as the dreadful silence continued to fill the room. Nobody said anything. His parents continued to stare at him with those sorrowful expressions, making Rudy feel even more guilty. He never meant to make them cry... He never meant to hurt their feelings... He didn't mean for any of this to happen...

He wanted to say something. Anything... But his voice just wouldn't work. He tried to speak, but nothing would happen. The only thing that would come out is a small squeak. Each time he failed to speak, he would just look away. He's still turn back, looking at his parents in the eyes, even with how hard it was.

After what seemed like forever, the silence was finally broken.

"Rudy..." His mom spoke, her voice cracked with emotion.

That was it. Rudy couldn't take it any longer. His tears flowing down his face again, fresh tears staining his cheeks, he rushed over to the couch. He practically lunged forward and he dove into the arms of his nearest parent, his mother's. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed the side of his face against her shoulder. He could feel his mother hugging him back.

Rudy cried and cuddled up against his mother further. He let the tears continue to drip from his eyes, staining his mother's shoulder. He could feel his dad's hand on his head, gently stroking his hair. Rudy kept his eyes closed tightly, more sobs wracking through his body.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Rudy whimpered as he clung to his mother. "I-I...I didn't mean it..."

He could feel his mom rub his back gently. He heard her sniffle before she spoke to him. "It's okay, Rudy... It's going to be okay..." She held onto him a little tighter. "Shhh...It'll be okay..." She pulled back and gave him a kiss on his forehead. They locked eyes onto each other. His mother took in another shaky breath before placing her hand on his wet cheek. "We...we understand you didn't mean it... We'll make this better. You'll see."

His mom released him to allow him to hug his dad next. Rudy wrapped his arms around his father and buried his face in his chest. He continued to weep as his dad hugged him and gently rubbed his back.

Crying against his dad's chest, Rudy cried, "I don't hate you... I didn't mean to say that... I-I don't know why I did... I'm so very sorry..." He nestled deeper into his dad's arms. He raised his head a little and pressed it against his dad's shoulder. "I...I love you guys..."

At this, he felt his mom press against him. She wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled, embracing Rudy into a hug between the two of them. He felt the warmth from both his parents, and he felt the ache in his heart start to go away a bit, helping him calm down just a tad. He still continued to cry, trembling between his parents.

"We love you too..." His mother whispered gently. "And we're so sorry we didn't listen to you... We're sorry we punished you without giving you a chance to explain..."

His dad pressed his head against Rudy's hair. "We promise...we won't ever let it happen again..."

Rudy smiled softly at this. That smile didn't last. It soon faded as he continued to cry in his parents' arms. Silence had fallen upon the room again. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of their crying. Soon, Rudy felt his eyes start to flutter close. Soon, faster than he had expected, he cried himself to sleep in his parents' arms.

sss

When Mint was called back into Skrawl's office, he felt afraid. He was still shaken up by what happened before. He still hadn't gotten over how his NPC guide had assaulted him like that. He had nightmares about it last night. He was paranoid that, when he entered the office this time, the jellybean was going to attack him again. He tried to shake off the feeling as he headed into the office.

At least the Beanie Boys were back to normal. Their usual goofty smiles were plastered on their faces. That was a good sign. Skrawl might not be upset with him this time. Still, he couldn't let his guard down. Skrawl's attack on him was unexpected, and he wondered if he would try to attack him suddenly, just to get his point across. It was difficult explaining his injury to his parents. If Skrawl did worse...he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

Knowing that players could get hurt for real in this game... It caused horrible feelings to settle down in his stomach. He hadn't realized it before. It wasn't until Skrawl injured him that he knew...the pain and the injuries any gamer recieves where was real. When he had gone back into the real world, the wounds on his chest stayed. The blood stayed. It was real, just like he had suspected not long after Skrawl released him. This realization really shook him up, and it was what caused him to start questioning what he had been told about this place.

His thoughts again went back to Rudy. He recalled how he had deliberately attacked Rudy after finding out about a 'pain simulation', a lie that Skrawl himself had fed. Yeah...he knew it was a lie, at least the so-called 'pain simulation'. After how Skrawl attacked him, he knew at least that part was real. And now, thinking back to when he attacked Rudy, stomping on his hand, kicking him in the stomach... He felt horrible. If he had known he was causing real physical pain, if he had known that he could have badly hurt Rudy, he wouldn't have done that.

He realized, when Rudy was holding him in the air, how bad of an idea it was for him to struggle. He winced as he realized how badly hurt he could have gotten if he had wrenched himself free away from the water. He could have broken his arm, or his leg. And when he shot Rudy with the laser, he could have done so much worse... And fact that Rudy had something of a limp now, because of him...a pang clung to his heart.

It wasn't just Rudy he had tried to hurt. There was Penny, too. In their encounter, he had...he had ordered his utahraptor bite her. With those powerful jaws, he...he could have seriously hurt her. For real... And the flamethrower... He could have burned her horrifically. He kept shooting fire at her, and he winced when he recalled a little bit of her did get burned. He was glad that the burns weren't that bad.

Mint couldn't fathom why any programmer would create a game like this. He...he wasn't even sure if it was possible. He didn't know if any programmer was skilled enough to create a game that could actually hurt the player. Or maybe it was...he wasn't sure anymore. But...even if it were possible, it still didn't make any sense. How would this attract players? What..what kind of parent would let their kids play something like this, where they could get badly hurt?

And Snap...had he been wrong about him? If the pain he and the two other kids felt was real, if they could get real injuries... Did that extend to Snap and the other game sprites as well? Was the pain they felt real? Were the injuries they felt real? If they were killed was it...was it permanent...? Had he tried to delete..real lives? The realization filled his head and mind with dread and horror.

That made an unsettling thought spread through his mind. It was a thought that he had ever since Skrawl had struck him. It wouldn't leave him, no matter how hard he tried to reason with himself.

Was ChalkZone really a game? Or had Skrawl been lying to him the whole time? Had Rudy and Penny been right? Was the real reason they were angry with him related to how destructive he had been, not because they wanted to 'hog the game for themselves'? Maybe this world wasn't a fantasy created by a team of gamers. Maybe it wasn't the latest and greated game he had ever played.

Maybe...just maybe...it was real...

And if it was real...were all his actions...all his attempts at having fun..were they worth it? When he tried to shoot Snap..would it have been worth it? If Snap was...really alive, not a game sprite... No, it wouldn't have been worth it. He would have become a...a murderer...

Mint shook his head. He tried desperately to reason with himself. He tried convince himself that it was just a game, all an elaborate illusion. He tried to tell himself that Rudy and Penny were delirious and that he couldn't become like them. This was all just a game, all just virtual reality. There was nothing wrong with shooting anything here..they weren't real...they weren't real...

He kept telling himself that over and over again. He tried to shake off the feelings of doubt that swelled in his head. He tried to keep himself calm. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't really hurting anyone. He was just playing the role of a villain in an advanced video game. That was all. Nothing wrong with that.

Yes...nothing wrong at all.

He soon walked into Skrawl's office. Despite Skrawl not being angry anymore, he still felt dread as he walked into the room. He half expected the door to shut behind him, trapping him inside. He expected the Beanie Boys to grab him and hold him down just like they had before. He expected Skrawl to storm towards him and yell at him about something else he did wrong.

He saw Skrawl standing with his back turned towards him. He didn't move, didn't speak. Mint stopped in his tracks, staring at Skrawl expectantly. Even though he hadn't said a word, Skrawl knew he was in the room with him. He turned his head a little, looking at the boy with his red eye. Even though there were no signs of anger, Mint still found himself flinching a little. He took a step back as Skrawl turned around.

"Ah, Mint... So glad you could stop by." Skrawl said, sounding a little friendlier than usual. He took a few steps towards the eleven year old. "I have a new assignment for you."

Trying his best to hide his fear, Mint asked, "What...kind of assignment?"

Skrawl chuckled, his face contorting into an evil smile. Even though it wasn't meant for him, Mint still felt unnerved by it. "It's something that I've been wanting to do for a long time..." Another step forward, and he pointed his finger at the boy. "I want you to go to Future Dome and attack it."

Mint blinked at this. He remembered the name 'Future Dome'. If he recalled right, it was the location Skrawl tried to send him to before, but he had stopped him by suggesting he pick the next location. It was apparent that Skrawl hadn't given up on the Future Dome being a target.

"You see... a former...partner of mine lives there..." Skrawl said in a low, growly voice. "He ruined one of my beautiful plans before... So I want to ruin something of his.."

Mint's eyes widened at this. Was this whole mission just about...revenge? The other locations he wanted him to destroy served a purpose that related to this plan of his to gather up the last of the artifacts. This one, however, seemed to only serve one purpose. It could still be a distraction, but from the way Skrawl spoke, it sounded like all he cared about this was revenge.

Normally, he would be excited about having another place to destroy. But though he kept trying to deny it, there was still that part of him that had doubts. He did his best to push it in the back of his mind. He kept telling himself it was all just a game. He couldn't become delusional like Rudy and Penny..he just couldn't.

Skrawl seemed to take notice of his self doubt. He narrowed his eyes and growled at him, forcing Mint to snap out of his thoughts. He looked at the jellybean and took a step back. He was very uncomfortable with being this close to him when he was angry, especially after...that incident..

Skrawl pointed a clawed finger at him and said, "Why do you look worried? It's not like you're hurting anyone! Remember, this is just a game!" After staring at Mint for a few seconds, it seemed to dawn on the jellybean just what was on the boy's mind. "Are you still upset that I scratched you? Oh get over it! It wasn't like it would have been any worse! That's not the way this game was programmed!"

Mint stared at him, his expression softening up. "So it was..an intended part of the game?"

Skrawl nodded his head. "Yes! A little bit of realism. The programmers thought it would make the game more interesting if minor injuries were possible."

This bit of information did make Mint feel a little better. Knowing that he wasn't causing any major pain did make him relax a little more. There was still a pang of doubt, but he could manage it better now. He was ready to get back into the game. He was ready to get started with his next mission.

He gave a smile to Skrawl and said, "Well okay...if that's the case..." He heard some of the Beanie Boys approach him. Not to grab him and hold him down, but to take him to the Future Dome. "I'm ready."

Skrawl grinned at this. "Good... Now do your worst, Mint. We are almost done..." He let out a dark chuckle. "We are so close to winning the game..."

Although Mint was smiling evilly himself, that pang of doubt never went away completely. He decided to conceal it. He didn't want Rudy and Penny to see he started having some doubts. He couldn't let them see... He couldn't let them know... He had to keep himself convinced it was just a game...

Because this all really was just a video game... Wasn't it..?

sss

Rudy had no idea how this day could get any worse...

The best thing that came out of it was that he patched things up with his parents. He still felt bad about what he had said to them. But they forgave him...and he had forgiven them. He still wanted to talk to them a little more later on when he had the chance. He still felt like there were some things left that needed to be said.

When Penny came over, being the weekend and all, and they went into ChalkZone, the first thing they did, after Snap joined up with them, was head to the Chalk Mine. They met up with Biclops and talked to him about what had been happening lately.

Just like he had expected, Biclops was increasingly worried about ChalkZone's safety with Mint running around. He explained how it reminded him about when there used to be a lot of creator kids running amock in the place. Rudy promised he would do whatever it took to get Mint out of there. Biclops did believe him, although he was upset that Mint had been in ChalkZone this long. Rudy felt bad. He and his friends never meant for it to take this long. Biclops commented that now he fully understood why it was so hard to get the other creator kids out of ChalkZone.

When asked about the artifacts, Biclops admits that he doesn't know a whole lot about them himself. However, he did know a little bit more than they did. He confirmed there were twelve artifacts in all, each one a different item, such as a ring, a sword, a sceptor, a crown, and so on. The crown was the power source, required for the other items to work. He told the trio that each artifact held a special power, although the only two he knew of for certain was the ability to shoot electrical streams and the power to warp the very environment, creating or destroying it.

This made the trio very worried. Biclops confirmed that if Skrawl got all the artifacts and learned how to use them, he could easily best him in a fight if he wasn't careful, and he could take over ChalkZone just like that. Rudy promised he would make sure that didn't happen.

But then they got some bad news. Not long after they left the Chalk Mine, they heard an explosion. It came from the distance, pretty far off. The explosion, to Penny and Snap's horror, sounded just like when Mint attacked ChalkZone City. The trio knew, without a doubt, that the Enemy Creator was on the move again. He was attacking another place, giving more messes for Rudy and Penny to clean up and rebuild. They didn't waste any time. Drawing a hovercraft, Rudy hopped in and so did his friends. They immediately headed in the direction of the explosion.

It didn't take them long to realize where it was coming from. Off in the distance, they could see the familiar silver dome floating in the air. The Future Dome... They could see hovercrafts, a little cruder than what Rudy drew, flying in every direction, like they were trying to escape... Yeah they were trying to get far away, and the trio could tell immediately why.

Black smoke pillowed up into the air, covering a wide area of the futuristic floating silver ball. There were a few flicks of fire, a pretty blue instead of the usual yellow and orange. Another explosion rocked through the floating structure, shaking it a little. A few bits of debris began to fall towards the ground. More zoners fled. They could have sworn they saw some even go as far as jump from the great height. They looked on in horror as the zoners crashed into the ground, breaking their hips and legs, all in the name of trying to get to safety.

The sight of it made Rudy's blood boil. Just what was Mint doing up there that would cause the zoners to try to escape in such a desperate manner? Whatever he was doing, Rudy was going to stop him. He wasn't going to let him continue hurting innocent zoners anymore. This is where it all ends.

They soon came into the Future Dome. It was so much worse than they had expected. It was like ChalkZone City, only worse. With no where to escape to, many unlucky zoners laid scattered all over the place. On the ground, bleeding, unconscious... The fire, with not as many directions to escape to, hung more heavily in the air. The black smoke had spread everywhere, making it hard to see, harder to breathe. The blue fire danced along the buildings, causing more explosions and a few buildings to topple over.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. They turned around. Not far from them, the thermometer elevator used to get to Craniac 4's place had been shattered. Glass debris littered the ground. The zoners below it were screaming and running away. Many narrowly missed getting hit. The red liquid inside then spilled out into the street. Zoners screamed in horror as the boiling red liquid came towards them. They desperately tried to escape.

Rudy and Penny wasted no time. They rushed over, their magic chalk out. They began to draw large glass shields all around the rushing liquid, soon trapping it in a large glass container. The liquid smashed against the glass just as he and Penny finished drawing the shield. They didn't know how long it was going to hold, but it would buy the zoners here some time to get away, at the very least.

Rudy wondered where Craniac 4 was. Why wasn't he defending his dome? This was his home after all. And far as he knew, he was in charge of the place. Why wasn't he doing something to defend it? He wondered if he had fled or had been defeated...or killed... Rudy flinched at the thought. He may not have been on good terms with Craniac 4, especially with how he kept stealing his magic chalk, but he wouldn't want him to be destroyed. He didn't deserve that kind of fate. If Craniac 4 or any zoner here had been killed before he could get here... Rudy wasn't sure if he could forgive himself for coming in so late.

That was when a cold laughter sent ice shooting through his veins. A laughter that froze the trio where they stood. The laughter frightened them all with how icy it was. Snap let out a soft whimper and looked in all directions like he was expecting to be attacked. Rudy and Penny tried to search for the sound of the voice as well.

Then they heard footsteps, something cracking a bit of glass as the figure walked some more. They turned to their right, where there was a wall of blue fire clinging to two buildings, spreading up and down. Through the thick smoke, they could see a figure walking through. As the figure took shape, they quickly realized who it was, and it surprised none of them.

Mint stepped out of the smoke, wearing a sick, twisted smile on his face. He walked over towards them, his hands behind his back. Standing behind him, poofing through the smoke in the most sinister manner ever, was Ripclaw. The two of them stared down at the trio menacingly. Mint's cold chuckle seemed to intermix with the crackling of cobalt fire all around them.

"Well well well..if it isn't Rudy Tabootie and his friends..." Mint said, his lips parting in a grin. "It's about time you got here. I was getting bored of waiting." He laughed when he saw them glaring at him. He looked all around. "Did you enjoy the show when you came here? Blue fire is so much more lovely than plain red and orange..." He gave them a sideways glance. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Rudy formed his hands into fists, trembling in anger. Regardless if Mint did start to have some doubt, he was still acting like a bully in ChalkZone. And bullies needed to be stopped. He jabbed a finger in his direction. "You won't get away with this!"

Mint just smirked at this. "Ah yes, the noble hero, coming in to save the day... Of course you would say that." He waved a dismissing hand, making Rudy growl at him. "But don't you know?" He crossed his arms against his chest. "Sometimes the bad guys do win."

"Not today!" Snap shouted at him, gathering up the courage to speak against the kid who had tried to kill him before.

Mint stared at Snap and chuckled. Rudy and Penny expected him to threaten Snap again, but instead, he just turned his attention back to Rudy. His grin spread wider. "If you had been here a little earlier, you could have stopped me."

Rudy narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Well I'm here now...and I will stop you!" Mint just laughed coldly at this, making Rudy angrier at him.

Penny took a step forward. Her eyes narrowed, she stared intently in Mint's direction. When Mint saw her, Rudy could have sworn he jerked back a little. He wondered if it was from how Penny had beaten him in the first 'round'. It was nice to see that he was now taking her seriously as an opponent and not dismissing her like he had in the past.

"Why are you doing this, Mint? Why are you causing all this needless destruction? Why did you attack this place?" Penny asked. Mint just stared at her, looking a little confused. "Is it really because you think this is a game? Take a look around you, Mint! Does this look like it's a game to you?"

Mint blinked at her. He didn't answer right away. There was...hesitation, like, for the first time, he was thinking things through a little more. Mint turned his head to the side, his eyes furrowing as he appeared to be thinking. At first, Rudy thought that maybe, just maybe, Penny had gotten through to him. That maybe, finally, he understood. That thought was shattered when Mint looked back at them, the evil smile once again plastered across his face. His eyes appeared to darken, something sparkling in them.

"Yes.." Came his cold reply.

Penny's eyes widened at this. Snap took a step back, uncomfortable with how cold Mint's voice sounded. Rudy looked surprised as well, then he narrowed his eyes. He and his friends took a defensive stance, prepared to fight whatever Mint was going to dish out.

"All of this is just a game. You see? Just a game!" Mint spread his arms out as if to indicate the entire chalk world. "Nothing here is real! Nothing here can feel! All just an illusion, don't you see?" Rudy couldn't tell if Mint was trying to convince them...or himself. "I am determined to win this game...I will not let you succeed!"

"And we won't let you win..." Penny hissed at him.

Mint said, "I wonder what kind of high score I am going to get..." He grinned as he watched the trio's eyes widen at this. "Or what kind of secrets I will unlock. I want to see how this game will end once Skrawl gets all of the artifacts."

Rudy, gritting his teeth, shouted at the kid, "This is not a game! Why can't you see that?!"

Mint stared at him for a few seconds. Then he crossed his arms and said, "Answer me something Rudy..." Rudy stared at him, waiting for the kid to speak. "Why do you care so much about zoners...? They're just data. Why are you so determined to protect them? Wouldn't it be easier just to recreate them? What's the difference?"

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. He couldn't believe how dismissive this kid was being towards living, breathing people. How...how could he ask him such a thing? Did this kid still not fully understand how real this place was? Was it because he couldn't comprehend the truth, or was he dousing himself in denial? Either way, he was being out of line. Right now, he didn't care if the kid told his parents the truth about the fire alarm. Right now, he cared about getting him out of ChalkZone. He didn't belong here...

"I'm sick of the way you're treating the people here, Mint!" Rudy shouted. "And I..." Penny and Snap took a step forward. Rudy corrected himself. "..we're going to stop you! And after we are through with you, we will find your boss, and we will stop him from getting another artifact! We will not let you win!"

Mint giggled at what Rudy said, as if it was the funniest thing he had heard in his life. The trio glared angrily at him. Mint gestured for Ripclaw to take a few steps in front of him, her mouth partially open to let out a low hiss. Mint stared back at the trio, that same smug smile they came to know from him on his face.

"Bring it on." Mint spoke softly.

Rudy and Penny raised their magic chalk to fight. Snap raised up his fists, prepared to join in. Together, they would drive Mint back. Together, they would win. There was no way Mint could win against them if they worked together. Mint was about to learn what teamwork was all about.


	25. Final

Standing by his friends, Snap glared at Mint. Despite his beliefs that the kid might be able to change, that did little to help with this situation. The kid was still crazy, probably even more so than before. Mint was acting a little different, sounding a little different. It was almost like he was trying to make himself continue believe that this whole world was a game, instead of facing reality. How cowardly...

Snap couldn't understand why this kid had such a hard time facing facts. Was it really because he doesn't like being wrong? That he hated the idea of him being the delusional one? Yeah that sounded like what it was. Mint had been having so much fun in what he thought was a video game. The idea of it being real must be frightening for him, as it meant that his actions suddenly had consequences, and with all the destruction he caused, all the despicable things he's done, that would all add up suddenly. The kid was choosing to run away from that instead of doing what was right and admitted he was wrong.

He didn't care what Mint said. Mint was the failure around here, not Rudy. Mint would keep denying that he was doing anything wrong, hiding behind a mask, a facade, instead of facing the truth. Rudy, on the other hand, would recognize when he's the one who made a mistake and would try to correct it. Rudy never tried to hide from the truth or douse himself in denial just to 'feel comfortable'. That was the biggest difference between these two. One of them was willing to face reality, no matter how harsh it was, while the other chooses to run. Mint was the real coward, not Rudy or Penny.

Well Mint was now going to get a taste of teamwork. He wasn't going to fight them one on one anymore. He wasn't going to separate them. He was going to see, firsthand, just how wrong he was about them. He didn't expect Mint to take this lesson to heart. He was not expecting Mint to suddenly change after this. But maybe it will give him something to think about when he leaves.

Mint soon made his first move. His first act was to send Ripclaw out after them. Of course he'd do that. He didn't want to do much of the fighting himself, so he was making his 'partner', in the loosest sense of the term, to go do the work for him. The utahraptor raced towards them, mouth split wide open to attack them. She lunged into the air and attempted to slash them with her claws. The trio jumped out of the way as she landed in the empty space they once stood in. They dove into the ground as she narrowly missed them.

Snap struggled to his feet. He was the first one up. He glared in the direction Ripclaw had landed and he rushed over. Without hesitating, he jumped onto her back. He wrapped his arms around Ripclaw's neck and held on tightly. The utahraptor let out a screech and started to buck, trying to throw him off of her. No matter how hard she tried, Snap would not let go. Only seconds later, the utahraptor appeared to grew tired of trying to throw him off and she veered off towards Rudy and Penny. She attempted to attack them. Snap pulled on the feathers on her neck, causing her turn suddenly, narrowly missing his friends entirely.

Ripclaw ran around in circles, never leaving the area. Snap would have thought that she would have taken off down one of the roads, but for whatever reason, she stayed in this one open area. Perhaps she was ordered to remain here by Mint. Or maybe the blue fire spooked her and made her too afraid to try to head down the roads. Either way, he was glad that she remained close to his friends. It would be hard dealing with her alone.

Time seemed to move so much slower. Seconds passed, and they felt like several minutes. In that time, Ripclaw managed to throw him off of her. He let out a scream as he crashede into the ground. He tried to get up, but Ripclaw stepped on him. He winced as he felt the sickle claw push against him. He looked up in horror as she opened her jaws wide, showing off her long, sharp teeth.

"Snap!" Rudy cried as he rushed over, bringing out his magic chalk.

Snap watched as Rudy rushed over towards him. Rudy began to draw something in the air. While he did this, Penny tried to get over as well. Snap's eyes widened when she was suddenly tackled by Mint. The eleven year old collided with Penny and pushed her against the side of a building. He kept her pinned there, grabbing her arms tightly, preventing her from getting over to Rudy.

Unable to look away, Snap watched as Penny started to push Mint away. The boy wasn't giving up. The two of them wrestled with each other. Soon they fell into the ground. They rolled across the ground, each trying to pin the other. At first, it looked like Mint had won. He held her down, sneering at her. Penny didn't remain on the ground for long. She managed to push him aside and grabbed onto him. She pulled him back into the ground and used her body to pin him down. He struggled to get up, but for the moment, he was unable to.

By the time Penny managed to get Mint on the ground, Rudy was already upon him and Ripclaw. He had drawn a large white sheet. He bundled it in his hands a bit and, mustering up as much strength as he could, tossed it onto her. Snap watched as Ripclaw's head and a part of her body became covered in the white sheet. At first, Snap wondered why Rudy would do something like that to stop a ferocious dinosaur. Then he noticed that the sheeth had weights attached to it. This made it harder for Ripclaw to just toss it off of herself.

As Ripclaw swayed her body back and forth, trying to get the sheet off of her, Rudy rushed over and grabbed Snap by the arm. He pulled him out from under the utahraptor just in time. The utahraptor managed to toss the weighted sheet off of her. She turned in their direction and let out a snarl. She rushed towards them, the digits on her hands flexing outward a tad, the claws glinting in the light of the day zone sun.

Rudy and Snap jumped to the side. Rudy quickly began to draw something else. This time, it was a bag of rocks. He waited until Ripclaw got close enough. Then he grabbed the handful of small, round rocks and rolled them towards the dinosaur. Ripclaw did not get out of the way in time. She stepped on the rocks and she immediately slid. She lost traction and slipped across the ground. The two of them stepped out of the way as she went past them and crashed against one of the buildings. She staggered backwards, looking dazed. She shook her head, regaining her composure, and snarled in their direction.

Snap looked over to see how Penny was holding out. She was still holding that creepazoid down. He hoped that she could keep it up. At the moment, Mint can't draw anything. So long as Penny had him held down, keeping both arms pinned, he couldn't really draw that well. Penny must have recalled what Rudy said about Mint drawing small dinosaurs even with his arms pinned, as she was doing what she could to keep his arms more immoblized than what Rudy could manage with the lasso. She couldn't try to take his magic chalk though; if she loosened her grip, Mint might wrench his left arm free and draw something.

As long as Penny kept this up, they just might, finally, win. If they can just stop Ripclaw, they might have a chance to get Mint out of ChalkZone for good. Working together, they might be able to pull it off.

But, unfortunately, things were never that simple.

Mint managed to free one of his arms. Penny was not able to stop his right up from getting free of her grasp. Out of what appeared to be desperation, Mint pulled his arm back and punched Penny, his fist slamming against her jaw. The scream Penny emitted caused Rudy look on in horror, along with Snap, as Penny staggered back from Mint. The eleven year old smirked at her before he punched her again, knocking her into the ground. Penny let out a scream as she stumbled into the ground.

Rudy cried out, "Penny!" He was about to go after them when Ripclaw pounced on him. Rudy grunted as Ripclaw placed a foot on his stomach and chest, keeping him down. She didn't try to bite him, opting instead to just hold him down. She did, however, try to snag his magic chalk from him.

"I'll help you, Bucko!" Snap rushed over to Ripclaw. He stopped when Rudy shook his head 'no'. "But..." Before he could finish, Rudy cut him off.

"Go help Penny! I'll take care of Ripclaw!" Rudy ordered. He turned his attention back to Ripclaw.

Snap stared at him for a moment. He didn't want to leave Rudy to face the dinosaur alone. But he couldn't abandon Penny either. He looked over at her as she was getting beaten by Mint, then back at Rudy. He took in a deep breath and did what Rudy told him to do. He turned and rushed over to where Penny was on the ground.

Mint must have completely lost it. He was acting more irrational and violent than usual. Was it the result of the denial he's trying to hide behind? That was likely it. Snap instantly realized how more dangerous Mint was going to be if he kept this up. With the way he was attacking Penny like that, it was like he was trying so hard to convince himself it was just a game. Something inside him had snapped, and in the worst possible way.

Penny tried to fight back. She would get out her magic chalk to fight. Mint never let her draw anything. As a sign that he had gone crazy, Mint would strike her any time she had it out. He shoved her against the wall, trying to keep her pinned there. The look in his eyes as he was doing this was..psychotic, even more so than what they've seen before. His increased aggression and destructiveness really shined here, in the way he had attacked Future Dome. And now he was taking it out on Penny. Snap looked on in horror as Mint delivered another punch, this time against her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Then he kicked her in the stomach, knocking her into the ground.

Penny looked up as Mint pinned her onto the ground. The look in his eyes was hard to describe. It was like a part of him just...disappeared, letting a more chaotic version take over. Even though he had a clear shot of taking her magic chalk, he ignored it. Before Penny had a chance to draw anything, he immediately seized her neck, squeezing it so tightly she couldn't breathe. He pulled his fist back and prepared to punch her again.

Mint never got that chance. Snap launched himself from the ground and slammed against Mint. He knocked him away from Penny. The boy staggered back as Snap wrapped his arms around him and forced him into the ground. Mint struggled frantically to get free, trying to grab Snap and throw him off. The zoner kept his arms wrapped around his neck and squeezed. Mint must have really lost it as he wasn't even trying to draw anything in this very moment.

"Ripclaw!"

In that moment, Ripclaw got off of Rudy. She turned and rushed towards Mint, snapping her jaws wildly in the air. Snap's eyes widened as she closed the gap swiftly, her yellow eyes glued onto him. Thinking fast, Snap jumped off of Mint and landed on Ripclaw's head. He wrapped his arms around her jaws, keeping them shut.

The utahraptor stopped in her tracks. Snap's body was blocking her eyesight. She let out loud hisses and snarls as she shook her head from side to side, trying to dislodge the small blue and white zoner. Snap refused to let go. Out of desperation, Ripclaw began to run around, despite not being able to see where she was going. It was scary riding on a beast that didn't know where it was going, but Snap did not relent. He was not going to give this dinosaur the chance to attack his friends, not while he could do something about it.

Keeping Ripclaw's jaws shut, Snap looked over to see how his friends were doing. He watched as Rudy helped Penny up to her feet. Snap winced at the bruise that appeared on her face, and the little bit of blood that trickled from her mouth. He guessed that Mint caused her to bite her own tongue too hard. The two then faced off against Mint, rushing in his direction.

"How dare you hurt Penny..." Rudy snarled as he brought out his magic chalk.

Mint shook his head. "N-No I didn't! This is all a game, you see... All a game!" Snap was confused by Mint's tone of voice. It sounded..panicked and desperate. He really had gone and lost it. He was really desperate to continue believing in this video game lie. "She'll be fine! I did no harm!" He took out his magic chalk. "I did no harm!"

Penny wiped away the blood that stained the corner of her mouth. "Who are you trying to fool, Mint? Us...yourself?" Her eyes narrowed deeper as she said that.

Mint's body trembled a little. He took a few steps back. He stared at Rudy and Penny. His eyes widened, like he was finally taking in everything that he's done. This did not last very long. He shook his head and glared at the two. He lifted up his magic chalk and began to draw. Rudy and Penny took a fighting stance as Mint attempted to draw something large. He didn't get to finish.

In the running around Ripclaw was doing as Snap held on, unable to see where she was going, Ripclaw ending up colliding with Mint, sending him flying across the ground. He let out a scream as he rolled across the hard ground, the magic chalk still clutched in his hand. Mint rubbed his head and looked up at Ripclaw narrowly missed trampling him as she continued to try to get Snap off of her.

Snap looked over and saw Mint get back up to his feet. He then looked out in front of himself, seeing where he was going. His eyes widened as he saw that Ripclaw was getting a little too close for comfort to one of the buildings that was on fire. She must be so busy trying to knock him off that she wasn't paying attention to her senses. In an attempt to save himself and ensure that she didn't accidentally hurt herself horrifically in the process, Snap jumped off of her. His knees buckled as he landed on the ground at an odd angle. He winced as he felt his leg bend in an odd way, but managed to keep on his feet.

Ripclaw stopped in her tracks, almost colliding with the building in front of her. She seemed to look bewildered, like she hadn't expected to be that close to danger. She turned her head up and moved backwards slowly, letting out a few low growls. She then turned her attention to Snap. Clearly unhappy with what he did, she started to advance on him.

Just then, bits of the building started to fall off. Ripclaw and Snap looked up as something large fell from a nearby building. A chunk of it had fallen off. Ripclaw let out a surprised hiss and staggered back, desperate to avoid the debris. Snap jumped out of the way just in time. The large piece fell on the ground heavily, cracking the ground slightly and kicking up dust into the air. Parts of the debris was coated in blue fire. Nothing really big, though. Just a few flickers of the cobalt flame.

Snap was a little shaken up by how close the debris had fallen to him. Just a few inches off, and he would have been injured. He looked over and tried to find any signs of Ripclaw. He couldn't see her, and at first, he wondered if she had gotten hit. A few screeches of frustration told him she was fine, but might be trapped up against the building. He could hear her claws scraping against the metal as she tried to climb her way out. Knowing that she wasn't going to be disabled for long, he turned his attention towards where his friends and Mint were standing.

Snap realized, as his eyes widened, that Mint had managed to disable his friends quickly. The desperation that seemed to flood the kid's mind caused him to draw a few small pterosaurs, ones with long tails and large heads, and they had swarmed around his friends, pecking and nipping at them. Rudy and Penny had tried to draw something; he could see the remains of their drawings on the ground, in the form of lines that were never fully completed. Two of the pterosaurs had their magic chalk. They crushed it in their beaks, the dust falling to the ground.

Mint looked satisfied with this. His grin was broad and he was giving off a cold laughter. Snap growled at this. No way he was going to let this guy get away with this. He rushed over towards Mint before the kid could attempt to take Rudy and Penny 'out of the game', as he tried to believe it was. As Rudy and Penny fought to get the small pterosaurs away from them, Mint just watched them. He didn't notice Snap until it was too late.

When he got close enough, Snap lunged at Mint for a second time. Mint looked at him in surprise as he was pushed against the ground. Mint was now on his back, Snap pinning him down. He struggled, but the zoner refused to let go of him.

"Get off of me, you little runt!" Mint snarled at him. He attempted to punch Snap, but he missed. "Get off!"

"No!" Snap shouted at him.

The two of them wrestled on the ground, one trying to pin the other. Snap had a hold of Mint's arms. Mint grabbed his. They pushed against each other, glaring at each other, their teeth gritted. Their shouts and growls filled the open area. Snap felt himself start to tire out, but he refused to give up. Mint had to be stopped. He had to be stopped right now. He refused to give Mint a chance to use that magic chalk. Mint would try to, but Snap would roll him onto his side, keeping his left arm pinned flat against the ground. This wouldn't last long as Mint would just roll back, but it did make it harder for him to draw anything.

Soon their struggles ceased. Mint laid on his back, glaring up at Snap. The two of them panted, exhausted from the wrestling. Then, after Snap caught his breath, he reached down and grabbed Mint's left arm. He kept it pinned and he tried to grab the magic chalk from him. Mint let out an angry growl and tried to pull Snap off of him. Before he could stop Snap, the zoner had gotten his magic chalk from him.

Snap looked over at Rudy. "Catch, Bucko!"

Rudy looked over just in time to see Snap throw Mint's chalk at him. The boy grabbed it and he turned his attention onto the pterosaurs. He raised his magic chalk and began to draw. He didn't waste any time. Lines filled the air faster than usual. Before the pterosaurs could react, Rudy drew a large net made of rope more densely packed than most nets Snap typically sees. He threw them over the pterosaurs, managing to catch them before they could try to take the magic chalk away from him again. With Penny's help, they pulled the pterosaurs onto the ground and secured them.

At this, Mint looked shocked. He turned his head up to Snap and snarled at him. "I told you to get off of me!"

With that, he grabbed onto Snap's cape. The zoner gagged as it was pulled tightly. Mint yanked Snap into the ground. He pinned him down and pulled hard on the cape, nearly choking the blue and white zoner. He glared hatefully at Snap, looking peeved that the zoner had managed to take his magic chalk from him.

If Mint was going to try anything else, he didn't get a chance to. Snap stopped struggling when Mint suddenly stopped pulling on his cape. Looking over, he instantly saw the reason why Mint stopped. Rudy and Penny, who had taken care of the pterosaurs, were walking in his direction. They glared at him with determination. Rudy had the magic chalk out, the one that Mint recently used. The sparkles coming off the chalk made Mint wince, a sign that he knew full well that he was in trouble now.

Mint instantly released Snap. He got off the ground and took a few steps back. He glared at the trio, gritting his teeth. That wild, crazy look was still in his eyes. He was still desperate, not willing to admit that he was wrong.

"This is all a g-game!" Mint shouted. His glare faltered a bit. "I-I-It's just a game! Just a game..."

"You have no idea how wrong you are, Mint." Rudy said, the magic chalk still raised. He took another step forward, limping slightly. "And now you have lost. We're taking you out of here. You will not be allowed to come back in..." He narrowed his eyes. "Ever.."

Mint shook his head. "No! You can't do this to me! I did nothing wrong!"

"Why are you trying to fool yourself, Mint?" Penny asked. She tilted her head slighlty. "Why do you keep feeding yourself these lies? Open your eyes, Mint! Open them and see the truth for what it really is!"

Together, the three of them started to advance on Mint. The eleven year old shook his head in desperation. He looked around frantically, like he was trying to find a way out. He must be so lost in his mind that he isn't noticing some of the obvious routes he could take. Instead of thinking rationally, he started to back up away from the trio. His expression was replaced with a mixture of fear and shock.

Soon, the trio had Mint cornered with nowhere for him to go. He pressed his back against the wall, clenching his teeth as the three got closer, blocking off any chance for him to run. Mint stared at the magic chalk Rudy held in his hand. His eyes widened and he shook his head in desperation. Snap half expected the kid to beg for them to let him go, but instead he just stood there, looking swiftly around to try to find a way out of his predicament.

Before the trio could grab Mint and take him back through the portal, a large shape jumped in front of them. They let out a scream of surprise as the thing landed dangerously close to them. Then a mouth filled with sharp teeth opened and roared at them.

Snap couldn't believe it. It was Ripclaw. That dinosaur always has a way of showing up at the wrong time. She stood in front of Mint, growling at the trio to hold them back. She snapped her jaws at Rudy, causing the boy to jerk back in surprise. The magic chalk flew from his hand, landing several feet away. The trio looked up at the dinosaur, wondering if she was going to attack them.

Instead of harming them, Ripclaw turned to Mint. She lowered herself, allowing the boy to climb onto her back. As Mint wrapped his arms around Ripclaw, he looked back at the trio. His eyes were wide and he was panting heavily. It was like he wasn't sure how to take in all of this. But instead of questioning what he had been told, instead of showing any sign that he might be starting to think ChalkZone is real, he was still deluding himself, purposely keeping himself ignorant just because it was comfortable and familiar to him.

"None of this is real! It's all fake! It's not real!" Mint called out in desperation. "You can't convince me otherwise! Y-You're lying! Trying to make me delusional like you! I'm not crazy!" He let out an insane laughter. "I'm not crazy!"

With that, Ripclaw leaped over them, landing several feet away. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched as the now-crazy Mint rode on Ripclaw. The two of them rushed towards the edge of the Future Dome. They watched in horror as the two of them jumped off. They rushed over and peered over the edge, expecting to see a wounded Ripclaw and Mint laying on the ground from the fall.

But instead there was...nothing. They just...disappeared. How did they disappear? Where did they go? Were the Beanie Boys nearby? The three of them looked at each other in confusion and worry. It was bad enough that the large apatosaurus seemed to disappear. This shook them up even more because they saw Mint and Ripclaw jump over the edge. It took them only seconds to look over. How could they have disappeared so fast?

They didn't have long to think about that. They heard a scream from behind them and a familiar voice.

"Sweet transistors! What happened to the Future Dome?!"

Rudy, Penny, and Snap turned around to see a very panicked Craniac 4. They stared at him as he had his arms spread out, wheeling himself left and right frantically, his visual sensors taking in the sight of the Future Dome still burning down. They looked back at each other.

"It's a long story..." Rudy said. "A long one..."

sss

"No! No! No!" Skrawl growled, his voice a little more high pitched than usual. "It's not possible! Not now!"

But it was true. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself, tried to make sense of it, it all came back to that. Unlike his previous attempts to steal the artifacts, this one had failed. It wasn't because he didn't know where it was. Thanks to the books he stole, he knew right where it was. And using the ring artifact he stole, he could turn invisible, allowing himself a chance to sneak in and find the artifact without causing much of a disturbance. It was all planned out perfectly.

This time, however, was different than the others. For the first time, Mint had been defeated before Skrawl was close enough to get the artifact. No, he wasn't defeated. The little kid chickened out. He had ran off from the fight. His Beanie Boys were nearby. They told him how Mint just took off instead of attacking the trio when he had the chance. Then he just jumped over the edge, were the Beanie Boys caught him and took him under the Future Dome quickly enough before Rudy, Penny, and Snap could see.

This had bought the trio enough time to go after him. Or at least, Rudy. The three of them must have split up. He didn't know how Rudy managed to find him. To say Skrawl was surprised was an understatement. His plan had been going smoothly so far, with Rudy constantly distracted by Mint's descructiveness. Skrawl tried to fight back, but he stood little chance against the annoying chalk boy. He had so few of his Beanie Boys with him because he was so confident that Mint could keep the trio entertained for a while.

Skrawl was not happy with this turn of events. Mint had been performing well...for a time. But now it appeared that he was slipping. And it all started when he had shown the trio mercy before, even after Skrawl told him not to, even after he assured him it was just a game and none of it was real. Then Skrawl had attacked him out of anger to try to give him an incentive to listen. He started to realize that maybe that was not a good idea.

It was possible that Mint slipping up badly this time was because his attack made him question if this was a game or not. Skrawl narrowed his eyes at this. That is going to be a problem. With Mint fighting with his mind, he was going crazy and making mistakes, taking irrational choices. And it cost him the fight. He shouldn't have struck the kid, no matter how angry he was. He should have controlled his temper more. If he had done that, he might have avoided confusing Mint to the point where he started acting almost insane.

For that reason, he wasn't going to punish him this time. He still believed Mint was useful to him. He still believed he could get the boy to do what he wanted. If he still wanted to believe this was a game, if he still tried to delude himself the way he was, Skrawl still had some kind of hold over him. Mint was still his tool, and he was going to wield him for however long he could. He just needed to make sure that Mint try to think more rationally next time and not allow his mind to panic like it had at the Future Dome.

He was pleased with the destruction Mint was still able to cause, though. He was thrilled that the destruction was so bad that the zoners were trying to jump from the dome rather than stay there. The Beanie Boys reported that a large portion of the metal sides was ripped out, allowing an easy way for the zoners that live there to jump off of. Skrawl wished he had been there. It must have been some terrific destruction.

Skrawl still needed Mint. If anything, one last mission wouldn't hurt. He needed a way to buy a little more time. He had just one artifact left. One...and then it was off to take over ChalkZone. Well, almost. He still needed to study the artifacts to learn how to use them all. He didn't have full control over them yet. It would take some time.

He was so close to victory, he could almost taste it... Just one more. All he needed is one more distraction. Since Mint might be starting to lose it, and he didn't want to risk Rudy catching up to him again like he had before, he needed something else. Something that would keep Rudy and his miserable friends busy long enough for him to take the artifact and leave. Something that even Master Tabootie could stop so easily. He searched his mind, trying to find something that could work to his advantage.

An evil smile spread across the jellybean's face. He thought of the perfect idea. He cupped his hand to his mouth and shouted, "Mint! Come in here!"

Not long after he said that, Mint came into his office. He looked a little nervous. Skrawl wasn't surprised. He had failed to keep Rudy and his friends entertained long enough. And he must still be shaken up from when he had slashed him. He gestured for the boy to come closer.

When Mint was a few feet away from Skrawl, he asked, "What do you need, Skrawl?"

Skrawl grinned down at the boy. He folded his one arm behind his back as he approached. He watched as the boy cringed a little, expecting to be hit again. Skrawl said, "I have a special task for you..."

"And that is?" Mint asked, staring up at Skrawl with some bit of fear shining in his eyes. "What is my next assignment...?"

Skrawl looked at the claws on his hands. He flexed them menacingly. "I want you to go to the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, locate a certain unicorn-horn shaped temple...and open it with this." He tossed what appeared to be a coin at the kid. Mint caught and looked at the disc-like thing with a sense of curiosity. "That is a key. Place it in the right spot. Trust me you will not, and it will release minerbites."

"Minerbites...?" Mint asked, confused.

The jellybean nodded his head. A nasty grin spread across his face. "Let's just say...they will keep those three brats busy for a long time..."


	26. Crime

Rudy never thought this would ever happen. Every other time they came into ChalkZone, they had always been too late to stop Mint from doing anything. The other times, Mint had already caused quite a bit of destruction, injured zoners, and whatever else he was doing. To think that pattern could ever change never crossed his mind. It never occurred to him that, maybe, just once, the order would shift a little bit.

He had arrived in ChalkZone with Penny not so long ago. They had met up with Snap shortly after. They had decided to do some looking around, try to find anything that could help them in regards to the artifacts. None of the libraries they checked held any information. But they knew the location of a couple of the earlier artifacts stolen, so they decided to go there and talk to the zoners about them. Maybe one of them had more information, anything that could help them fight against Skrawl in case he manages to get all twelve of the artifacts.

What they did find out was disturbing. Apparently a long time ago, there was an evil, powerful zoner, Atlas, who had conquered ChalkZone for a time. Brave zoners did fight back and overthrow him and his soul was shattered into twelve pieces, each one containing a different power he had wielded. Those shattered pieces were placed in special artifacts, all gold in color, and sent to different parts of ChalkZone, hiding them. Information about them was kept hush hush for fear of an ill-intended zoner, such as Skrawl, finding them and using their powers to take over ChalkZone. From the sound of it, if Skrawl did get all twelve, he would win...

One of the artifacts' powers concerned them greatly. They weren't sure which artifact it was, but one of the zoners said that Atlas had the power to control creators. Not other zoners. Just creators; the control power didn't work on zoners for some reason. This was one of the things that made him exceptionally dangerous to confront and it was a miracle he was beaten at all. The trio realized that if Skrawl got all of the artifacts, he, too, would have the power to control the movements of any human he so desired. He could control Penny...or Rudy... And if he could control them, he could make them do whatever he wanted, including destroy all of ChalkZone.

They couldn't allow that to happen. They had to make sure Skrawl got no more artifacts. It was imperative they find a way to get Mint out of ChalkZone fast so they can focus on Skrawl. The next mission, they would have to work much harder to get him out. They were so close last time. They should have just grabbed Mint and taken off when they had the chance. They would not make that mistake this time around.

The way Mint behaved in their last encounter was atrocious. Unnecessarily violent and completely irrational. Rudy couldn't believe how immature Mint was acting. It was clear that Mint didn't entirely believe the video game lie anymore. Yet there was still a part of him that clung onto it so desperately. Mint wasn't letting go of that lie and he was continuing to feed himself that false belief, all in the name of being comfortable instead of facing the consequences. What a coward...

And the way he attacked Penny like that...That was way out of line. Mint had no reason to punch and kick her like that. He was glad that, as bad as the attack had seemed, Penny wasn't horribly injured. A little bruised, but not too worse for wear. It could have been a lot worse. Rudy was going to make sure Mint never tried that again. And he was going to make sure he couldn't run away this time. He was going to make Mint face the consequences of what he has done.

When they were on their way to the next location to try to find answers, they noticed something down below. There was movement there they did not expect to see in this part of ChalkZone. They decided to investigate it. They moved along the ground, keeping as quiet as they could. When they got close enough, they hid behind some large foliage and peered through, looking in the direction of the movement.

They were shocked. For the first time...they had been in ChalkZone before Mint. This time, they had witnessed Mint entering ChalkZone. This is what Rudy thought never would have happened. They had always been in ChalkZone later. Mint had always been here first. He didn't know how the odds changed. He didn't know how they managed to get here first. But one thing he knew for certain; he couldn't pass up this chance. Now, for the first time, they had a chance to stop Mint before he even started.

"We've got to follow him." Rudy said in a low voice. The three of them were walking slowly through the plants. Mint didn't see them. They kept a good distance away, while still keeping him in their line of sights. "We need to see where he's going...and stop him."

"I wonder where he could be going." Penny wondered to herself.

Snap replied, "Knowing him, he's probably going to meet up with that hideous growling jellybean..." He paused for a moment. He added, "Or he's going to attack some other place, the creepazoid..."

"He won't get far, I can assure you." Rudy said, determination in his voice.

Snap nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I bet he'll be surprised when he sees us!"

Penny turned to Snap. "Shh! We don't want Mint to hear us."

"Sorry." Snap said.

The trio continued walking through the foliage, keeping close to Mint, making sure he didn't see them. They didn't know how long they were walking. It seemed like fifteen minutes. They didn't know why he wasn't using Ripclaw to ride to his location. Then again, it was better this way. Easier to follow without being seen or heard. They were going to get him by surprise this time. This was not a trap; there's no way Mint could have saw them from the angle he had come into ChalkZone. And he was alone; no sign of Ripclaw anywhere.

That confused Rudy. Mint had always brought Ripclaw with him in their other encounters. Why wasn't he bringing her along this time? Maybe it was because Ripclaw came in from a different way, hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike. Or maybe Mint wasn't expecting them to find him so soon, so he sees no need to bring her with. Maybe the assignment Skrawl gave him did not require attacking. Whatever he was planning, they were not going to take this lightly. With Mint, that was too much of a risk.

Rudy didn't know the next time they would have a chance like this. He didn't know the next time they would be able to get into ChalkZone before Mint and be able to follow him like this. He hoped that they won't screw up this time. He believed there was a chance they could succeed this time in getting Mint out. They did get close last time. Surely, if they tried again, they would have better luck. And if Ripclaw was away, or too far to do much of anything, they could get him out before she can stop them. They just have to try harder.

The three of them kept quiet. They moved along behind Mint. Whenever the boy stopped and looked around, they would lower themselves, making sure he didn't have a chance to see them. They watched and followed as Mint went deeper and deeper in what they soon recognized as the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. Mint sometimes got out a large piece of paper. Probably the directions to whatever place he was supposed to attack. Over the rivers and up the hills they went. It was exhausting and sometimes they had to stop for breath. But they never let Mint get too far ahead of them. They couldn't afford to lose him. Not now.

Rudy didn't recognize this part of the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. He knew it was a large place. But he had no idea it was this big, to have a section like this and he never even noticed it. Mint had come into a large clearing. Massive, looking like it could hold about half of ChalkZone City. Tall trees lined the edges. Chalk birds flew overhead, chirping loudly. The grass was medium height in some places, but then there was a path of shorter grass, like it had been cut on purpose. This lasted for a while until, in the distance, they could see where the grass started to thin a little bit, becoming shorter and shorter until, eventually, it seemed to stop growing entirely.

Up ahead, there was a tall structure that seemed to be made out of the tree trunks wrapping around each other. It was tall and pointed. There was a large tunnel here, dark and shadowy. Flowing right through it, down the middle, was a river, the water colored a deeper blue than what they'd see in the Wait 'N Sea. The entrance looked a little forboding, all pointed and angular that suddenly appeared to get smooth on the way in. And Mint was heading right for it.

Rudy wanted to run after him, but it was too risky in this big clearing. They had to go all the way around and hope they can catch up to him in time. It would be horrible to lose Mint now. They had to keep the element of surprise and make sure he didn't see them until it was too late. With no tall foliage to hide behind, they would risk Mint spotting them and having him run away or summon some new dinosaur creation to keep them busy. The three of them began to make their way along the edges of the clearing, making their way towards the tunnel entrance.

Suddenly, Snap let out a small cry. Rudy and Penny looked at him, their eyes widened as they expected him to be injured somehow. They were relieved that he wasn't, but they were still very concerned. Snap looked...shaken up, like something was wrong. It clicked with Rudy almost right away. Snap knew something...and it wasn't good.

"Snap? What is it?" Penny asked. She put a hand on Snap's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Rudy noticed Snap trembling. This confirmed his suspicions. Mint was about to do something bad...very bad...

"What's Mint going to do? Where is he going?" Rudy asked.

Snap looked at the two of them. His eyes were wide with fright. He hesitated, looking at them back and forth. He looked down for a moment, trying to speak but only small sounds coming out. He looked back at them and, eventually, found his voice. But when he spoke, his voice was small and filled with a sense of dread.

"He's...he's going to the Minerbite Temple." Snap said. "I-It's forbidden..."

Rudy and Penny looked at each other. They had heard the name 'minerbite' once before. But it was only once and in passing. They didn't think anything of it at the time. From the way Snap was speaking, the minerbites sounded like they were a serious threat. But just what were they, and what could they do?

Snap looked in the direction of the tunnel entrance. He gritted his teeth, his eyes widening slightly more. "Minerbites are worse than the inflatamice." This made Rudy and Penny gasp in horror. "Minerbites eat everything... They're like the Purple Haze, except they can spread out faster, further, and they're sentient."

"That sounds awful.." Penny said, a hand to her mouth.

Rudy's eyes were wide in horror. "How...how were they sealed if they eat everything?"

"Well almost everything. Glass they can't eat." Snap said. He took in a few breaths as if he was trying to calm down his speeding heart. "They were sealed up in a large glass container." He looked back at where Mint went. "If Mint opened that up and unleashes them..."

"...there is going to be a lot of destruction." Rudy finished, the realization dawning on him quickly.

Penny gasped and said, "We have to hurry!"

The three friends, foregoing any stealth, began to run across the open field, going towards the tunnel Mint disappeared into. As they ran, Rudy hoped that they would make it on time. They had to hurry. They had to stop Mint before he unleashes these minerbites. If that kid succeeded...

...all of ChalkZone was going to become one giant buffet for these beasts. And unlike the inflatamice, Rudy had no idea how he was going to stop the minerbites. He knew it wasn't going to be as easy as drawing a glass shield around them. No...things were never that easy.

sss

Mint made his way along the tunnel. It was a little cold in here, but he ignored it. The sound of water flowing filled his ears. The water in this river got a little wild. Some small rapids were here. He had never seen rapids quite like this. Whoever designed this area had a good sense of imagination. He wondered why he hadn't come here before. Maybe he should have taken some more time out of the day to explore instead of doing what Skrawl wanted him to.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel. Bright white and forcing him to shield his eyes. Even in this game world, the light still hurt if he looked directly into it. As he came out, the brightness became more manageable and he could take a look at his surroundings. He paused, slowing down a little, and he looked at where he had walked into.

He wasn't sure if this was still the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. It looked a little different than the other areas he had seen. The plants and the whole structure looked a tad different. It looked more...manual he guessed was the right time, like the whole thing was created by some zoners for some special purpose. What purpose, he couldn't fathom what the game creators had decided for it. Oh well, he was sure there was a reason and perhaps he would find out soon when he opened up the temple.

There was no more grass here. It had stopped completely somewhere in the tunnel. But despite no grass, there were trees. The tall plants were arranged in long rows, creating a circle arching towards the temple up ahead. As he headed towards the temple, he noticed some tall red signs warning him of danger and to go back. He ignored them. This was just a game. There was no danger to be had here. The warning signs were obviously meant to scare players. He knew of the tactic. It was used in real life as well. Nothing more than a bluff to make players avoid certain spots or to create tension. He wasn't going to fall for it. He headed right for the temple, ignoring the signs.

The temple was indeed shaped like a unicorn's horn. It was pressed up against a mountain, tall and foreboding looking. The unicorn horn part of it jetted upwards and out, glinting in the light. There was a ring of jewels around it, making it sparkle and look quite pretty, even from this distance. It was placed in top of a plateau and to get up there, he had to climb up steps. He moved upwards slowly, looking around cautiously. The edges of the plateau were steep and it was raised a considerable distance off the ground. The only sign of comfort was the bushes that clung tightly around the plateau.

As he climbed up the steps, his thoughts went to his previous encounter with Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He couldn't believe what an idiot he was. He was making so many mistakes in the battle. After he had calmed down, he realized he had multiple chances of beating them and getting the upperhand, but he blew it constantly. He kept making other, more rash decisions, and that cost him the fight. He cursed to himself for making such foolish errors. He was glad that it didn't get him kicked out of the game.

That was so close... They almost had him. If it weren't for Ripclaw, he would have been kicked out of this game world. He wouldn't be able to play anymore. They would have won... He couldn't allow that. He couldn't let Rudy and Penny delude him. He wasn't about to become delusional like them. No way would he allow that to happen. He wasn't going to become crazy like them. He just won't.

But he realized, as he continued walking up the steps, he might have gone too far. He slowed down, a sense of guilt starting to cling to him. He had been so desperate to prove that he was right, to keep believing that this game was just that, a game, that he had, well, snapped. He didn't know entirely why he did, even though he knew it was wrong. Perhaps he wasn't as brave as he thought he was. Perhaps couldn't handle things as well as he thought. He had, in a fit of desperation and rage, attacked Penny.

He knew it was wrong. The moment he attacked her, he knew it was wrong. He knew he should have held back, or at the very least, stop at the first punch. He didn't... He just hit her over and over, not allowing her to do so much as defend herself. He remembered the screams she emitted, the look in her eyes as she tried to get away from him. He would have done more if Snap hadn't pulled him away from her.

He had attempted to reason with himself that she deserved to be attacked. She had made a fool of him a few days ago. She had made him look like an idiot, trapping him in the net like that. She deserved a little retribution, didn't she? She deserved a little payback for that stunt she pulled. And he had told himself this over and over. But soon, he had to come to grips with reality on this. No, she didn't deserve that. He had gone out of line there, allowing his fear and temper to take hold. It was a low move, and he knew it. He had to keep himself calm. He couldn't let an incident like that happen again.

Still, he wasn't going to let them delude him like that. He wasn't going to give them the chance this time. As soon as he opened up the temple, he would flee. He wouldn't bother waiting for them to show up. He wasn't going to give them a chance to delude them like they tried to in their last encounter. This was all a game... It was just a game... It just had to be...it...it couldn't be real...

And over and over again, he kept telling himself that as he reached the top of the plateau. All of this was just a a video game. None of it was real. He couldn't let go of that belief. It was what made the most sense ot him. He couldn't think, for once, that it was real. No matter what happened, he had to remind himself it was just programmed. No matter how convincing it was, he had to remind himself it wasn't real. It was nothing more than a highly advanced simulation.

It wasn't real...

It was all just an illusion...

He did nothing wrong... Nothing wrong...

He walked over to the temple entrance. There was a tall door with a pointed top. A thin line was in the middle. It kind of reminded him of elevator doors. He wondered if these doors will slide sideways as well. Right next to the door was a large circle, indented into the wall. It had the same eagle-like symbol of what Skrawl had given him. He recalled what Skrawl said. All he had to do was place the disc given to him into that slot, and the doors would open up.

He stared at the disc for a few seconds. He examined it, turning it around. He still wasn't sure how this was going to open the temple. He had never seen a key quite like this before. But he knew he didn't have much time to question it. He looked back at the indention. He started to move the disc towards it.

He didn't get too far. He heard shouts of 'No!' coming from behind him. They sounded a little faint and he realized it was because, whoever it was, they still hadn't reached the steps themselves. It sounded like they were still in the cave. Mint walked over to the edge of the plateau again and looked down, putting a hand over his eyes. He quickly realized who it was coming towards him. It was Rudy, Penny, and Snap. His eyes widened, wondering how they were able to find him so fast. He didn't expect them to get here this early. How did they do it...?

He could see they were picking up the pace. They were running as fast they could towards the temple. Even though Mint could just go and open up the temple now, for some reason, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the trio. Something had him frozen in place, and he couldn't explain why. He soon realized what he was doing and shook his head. No, he couldn't afford hesitation now. He turned back to the temple and rushed towards the door.

"Wait! Stop!" Snap cried. Mint, not looking back, could tell the zoner had already made it up the steps. He really could move when he was desperate. "You can't open that temple! You can't let out the minerbites!"

Mint stopped. He turned and looked over at Snap. The zoner stood a considerable distance from him. He was staring at Mint with wide, frightened eyes. He couldn't tell if that fear was just for the minerbites or if some it was for him. Snap took in a few rapid breaths, looking like he was tired from the running up the steps.

He could hear footsteps on the stairs. Rudy and Penny were coming. And from the sound of it, they would be here very soon. He had to hurry and get the temple open before they reached the top. Ignoring Snap, he turned and started to make his way towards the door. He had to do this fast. Skrawl was not going to be pleased if he found out that he had failed him again. He couldn't afford to lose. He couldn't let that glitch happen that made the game unplayable to everyone. That wouldn't be fair. If only Rudy and Penny knew, they'd...

"Stop!" Snap's cries brought Mint out of his thoughts.

Mint had gotten up to the temple. He held the round key up to the indention. He had started to place it in, but he didn't get too far. Snap had broken off into a run towards him. If the zoner was still scared of him, he was doing a great job hiding it. Snap jumped onto his back and held on. The sudden shift in weight caused Mint to topple from side to side. Snap pulled against him, causing him to stumble away from the temple's doors. He growled and tried to pull Snap off.

"Let me go now! Get off!" Mint snarled at the zoner. Snap refused to let go. "I said get off!"

"No!" Snap's grip tightened. "I am not letting you open that temple! I am not going to let you destroy ChalkZone!"

"ChalkZone can always be recreated by the designers! It's not a big deal!" Mint shouted, his eyes wide in desperation as he tried to get Snap off.

Mint struggled, trying to grab Snap. He moved around the plateau, not caring where he was going. All he was focused on was getting Snap to let go of him. He had to get this runt off before Rudy and Penny came to the top. He couldn't let them win. He just couldn't... The game...it would... No, he couldn't allow it to happen.

In his desperation of getting Snap off, he failed to notice where he was stumbling towards. As he reached behind, trying in vain to grab the zoner, he was getting closer and closer to the edge of the plateau. Mint didn't bother looking. He didn't try to look at his surroundings. Right now, all he cared about was getting Snap to release him. The little runt was going to ruin everything. Anger started to well up in Mint. He couldn't let this blue thing ruin this mission. He wasn't going to let him win.

Suddenly, Mint tripped on something. A small rock he hadn't noticed before. Down he went. He and Snap both let out surprised cries as they smashed against the ground. Mint opened his eyes and found that they were right on the edge of the plateau. His eyes widened at this realization and he moved back a little. Snap moved further away. Then Mint realized that the disc he was holding had fallen over the edge. He watched, his eyes widened, as it fell into the foliage and he heard a loud crack. The disc had shattered into pieces.

Mint couldn't believe it. He had failed this mission... He wasn't able to complete his task. He was so close. So close... If he had just been faster, he could have completed it. He could have ensured victory for Skrawl, keeping the game up and running until he won, and the game reset. He took in a few shaky breaths. Now it seems like he was going to lose. If he had just tried harder...

No... No, it wasn't his fault. He realized whose fault it really was. He turned his head towards Snap. Anger grew stronger inside of him. It was because of this annoying little brat that he had lost the disc. It was his fault that this game was going down. It was his fault that he wasn't able to complete his mission. And he was going to pay for it... Oh how he was going to pay.. Even if he was just a game sprite, and it ultimately wouldn't matter in the end due to how he was programmed, he still felt like he needed to teach Snap a little lesson.

He took a few steps towards Snap, glaring at him. The zoner realized that he was in trouble. Fear plastered over his face and he started to back up away from him. Snap started to make his way towards the stairs to meet up with his friends. Mint narrowed his eyes. No, he was not going to let him get away that easily.

Mint rushed over with his magic chalk. He reached Snap before he could get to his friends. He grabbed him and he threw him aside. He watched as Snap slammed into the ground, laying on his stomach. The zoner looked up at him in fear. Mint turned his attention to Rudy and Penny. He needed to buy some time, make sure they didn't get to him before he had a chance to teach Snap a lesson. Bringing out his magic chalk, he began to draw a shield around the temple, sealing himself in with Snap and blocking Rudy and Penny from entering.

He smirked at the two kids as they pounded on the shield, trying to open it. Rudy attempted to cut a hole with his magic chalk, but of course it didn't work. So he resorted to drawing a hammer. He started to smash against it. The shield was not going to last long, Mint knew. This would only give him a little bit of time. He had to move quickly before it was too late. He turned his attention back to Snap.

"You..." Mint growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He started to advance slowly on the zoner. "Do you have any idea what you did...?"

Snap looked at him fearfully. His body trembled. He looked around, trying to find a way out. The only thing he could do was back up away from Mint. He had his hands out in front of him, looking at Mint and silently begging him not to hurt him. Snap never looked this afraid of him before. Mint gave a dark smile of satisfaction. Yeah, he better be sorry.

Mint continued to advance on the zoner, listening to his whimpers and cries. Snap kept looking over at where Rudy and Penny were. His eyes were wide in desperation. He was clearly hoping that they would reach him in time to help him. He looked back at Mint. He shook his head in protest as Mint continued to get closer to him. Snap tripped and fell back into the ground. Not bothering to get up, he started to crawl backwards away from Mint.

"Please...don't hurt me..." Snap begged in a soft whisper. "I-It doesn't have to be like this..."

Mint narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth. "If you didn't want to get attacked, you should have thought about that before you caused me to drop the key!" He raised up his magic chalk in preparation to draw. "And now, I'm going to make you regret that..."

Snap shook his head in desperation. Tears formed in his eyes. "N-No! Please! Can't we talk about this?"

"Too late for talk..." Mint said in a dark, threatening voice. He drew something long, hard, but lightweight enough for him to wield. "Far too late..." Soon he held a long iron pipe in his hand. He held it out in front of him menacingly. "Now hold still... It will hurt less if you don't struggle."

"No!" Rudy cried. His voice sounded a little muffled. He pounded his fist against the shield. "Don't you dare hurt him, Mint! If you do, I swear I'll..!"

"Please let him go!" Penny cried as she helped Rudy try to break the shield down.

The two of them were watching in horror as Mint got closer to their friend. They moved faster, hitting against the shield again and again. Mint knew that they weren't going to break it in time. He stared down at Snap, his eyes narrowed. Yes, this little runt was never going to interfere with his plans again.

Snap managed to get back to his feet. He pressed his back against the temple structure, looking at Mint with horror-filled eyes. "C-Come on...can't we at least talk..? Why do we have to resort to violence...?" Mint narrowed his eyes further. Snap whimpered. "Please...let's talk..." He pleaded with the kid. But it was in vain.

Mint ignored him. He grabbed Snap roughly by the arm and yanked him forward. As the zoner tumbled a little to regain his footing, Mint slammed the pipe against his side as hard as he could. Rudy and Penny gasped in horror as Snap screamed and fell into the ground. Snap was on his stomach and he let out a few groans of pain. He lifted his head up, his eyes locking onto Mint's. More silent begging. Mint snarled at this.

When Snap tried to get up again, Mint pressed his foot against his back, against his shoulders. He used his weight to hold him down. He lifted the pipe up over his head, his muscles tightening as he gathered up as much strength as he could.

"Don't do it!" Penny cried in horror.

Rudy struck the shield again with the hammer. "Put that pipe down, Mint! Don't hit him again!"

Snap's body trembled, a few tears of fear dripping from his eyes. He looked up at Mint fearfully. "Please..let me go..." He begged. "D-Don't hurt me..."

Their pleas fell on deaf ears. Mint's eyes widened in anger and determination, he tensed up his arms even more, his teeth bared. "May this be a lesson to you!"

With that, he suddenly struck downward. There was a whoosh sound as the pipe cut through the air. A second later, it hit against the middle of Snap's back. As it hit, there was a loud intermix, a combination of two sounds. Snap's screams of pain, his eyes opening wide. And the other was the sound of cracking. Both Snap's screams and the crack echoed together, bouncing off the walls of the shield and intensifying them a little.

The crack confused Mint, but he didn't question it. Narrowing his eyes, glaring angrily at the whimpering zoner, he removed his foot and took a few steps back. He waited for the zoner to get back up. But when he didn't, he just shook his head. Of course the zoner would overreact to that. Serious injuries weren't possible in this game. Snap was just being a big crybaby. He glared at him, waiting for him to do something, anything, that wasn't just crying and whining. The crack from before was probably just the ground below, or maybe something else had broken off. This place seemed pretty old. It could have just been coincidental.

Skrawl had assured him that simply striking a zoner would not hurt them badly. So he knew that Snap couldn't have been that badly hurt. He continued to glare down at Snap, waiting for him to get up. But the longer he stared at him, the more he started to realize something was up. His back looked like it was darkening. And it was right on the spot where he had hit him. Was there a connection? Had he done that? What did it mean?

He then noticed Snap trying to crawl. He pushed himself up onto his hands. He tried to move himself forward. He could only manage a few centimeters before he collapsed back down, letting out another cry of pain. Mint told himself that he was just faking it. But..why did it feel so genuine? And when Snap looked at him with those eyes, shining with a silent question of 'why?', consant low cries emitting from his mouth, why did he feel this pang in his chest? Why was this looking...anything but fake...?

Then there was a shatter from behind him. He turned around and saw that Rudy and Penny had broken through. Their eyes were filled with horror and dread. They rushed right past him and went over to their fallen friend. Mint stared at them in confusion. What were they so worried about? He...he didn't do anything wrong... He didn't hurt anyone... Snap was just data... Nothing but data.

Rudy and Penny knelt by Snap's side, one on his left and the other on his right. They whispered soft, comforting words to him as they tried to soothe him. Snap was crying harder, his body trembling in pain. Rudy lifted up his hand and squeezed it while his other stroked the top of his head gently. Penny's attention was shifted to Snap's back. She was moving her hands along it, like she was trying to assess the damage. A few times, Snap would cry out in pain, prompting Rudy to comfort him and try to calm him down.

Mint was confused. This isn't what he had expected at all. He had thought that hitting Snap like that wouldn't do much damage. It shouldn't have... He was just a game sprite. And Skrawl said that the game sprites can't recieve mortal injuries. He could have hit Snap as many times as he wanted, and the only thing that should have happened was maybe he got a little sore. That was how the game was programmed. There...there was no way Snap could have been...

But then, why did this feel too realistic...? Game creators did not put in realistic violence. It was all cartoonified in a way. Exaggerated so that the players did not feel uncomfortable when they shot an enemy in the game. But this...this was not like anything he had seen in a game before. It was..disturbing..chilling... It was too realistic... And when Rudy turned and shot him that hateful glare, Mint gulped and took a step back. Had he...had he done something terrible...?

Then came the words that echoed through Mint's mind.

"R-Rudy... Snap, his..." Penny said tearfully. Her voice was cracked with emotion. "His back is b-broken..."

"What...? No..." Rudy looked down at Snap. He pressed his face against his. Tears dripped from his eyes. "Snap..no..."

Mint's eyes widened at that. He took a few steps back. He..he had done what to Snap? No, that was impossible. Zoners didn't have spines... And if they did, they wouldn't be programmed to snap, especially not like this. Not in a gruesome, horrific manner. The game creators couldn't possibly be this sadistic. They couldn't have programmed the game to do something like this. It was...it was not entertaining. It was terrifying.

He looked back down at Snap. He was staring back at him. Those eyes wide with fear, silently questioning him why he had hurt him. Mint took another step back. He flinched at the way Rudy and Penny were glaring at him. Those looks...there was more to it than just losing a game. Mint could see more behind it all. No one was this angry at losing a simple character. For them to be angry like that, Snap had to have been...something more..

No, no...this was all a game...it was all a game...

But then why was this too realistic? Why wasn't Snap getting up? Why was there a dark spot forming on his back? Why had his back snapped in two? Why was he acting..like anyone else would when their back was shattered? This was..too realistic...

A cold chill went up his spine as the full realization came down on him. He stared at the pipe he used as a weapon earlier in horror. He threw it aside. He stared back at Rudy and Penny. He moved back even further. His body trembled, his eyes widening in horror. His mind filled with one thought. A thought that chilled him, a thought he could no longer escape, no longer deny. This was the catalyst that broke the shield he had been trying to hide behind. And there was no going back now.

This...this was not a game... Rudy and Penny were right. They were right about everything... He stared down at his hands, watching them tremble. He looked back at Snap. What was he thinking..?

Mint watched as Rudy got up and started to advance towards him. He could see anger and hate radiating off the boy. Mint wanted to flee. He wanted to get away. But he couldn't bring himself to run. He could only manage to move back a little. He made no attempt to defend himself as Rudy suddenly rushed at him, his anger clearly boiling over. The younger boy slammed into him and pushed him into the ground. Mint let out a grunt and he looked up at Rudy, who pinned him down effectively. As he laid there, he wished he had brought Ripclaw along so he could get away.

"You fucking jerk!" Rudy shouted at him, his eyes blazing with anger. They were uncomfortable to look at, but it was also hard to tear away. Mint looked up at him with wide eyes, his mouth open in fear. "Do you have any idea what you have done?! Do you?!"

"I...I..." Mint whimpered, but couldn't say anything.

"You broke my friend's back!" Rudy snarled at him. He tightened his grip on Mint's shoulders, causing the boy to wince a little.

Mint trembled. He wasn't sure what he should say to this enraged boy. He looked around, trying to find a way to escape. He had never seen Rudy this angry before, and it was terrifying. He was going to witness the temper this boy could wield, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Mint said in a shaky voice, "I-I didn't know..."

"Don't pull that crap on me, Mint! You knew full well what you were doing!" Rudy shouted at him.

"N-No..I didn't think it would..." Mint tried to say. Rudy cut him off.

"What? You didn't think you were going to cause a lot of damage? Is that it?!" Rudy snarled. His eyes narrowed deeper when Mint meekly nodded his head. "You're a fucking idiot! What kind of moron would think hitting someone in the back the way you have couldn't possibly have any consequences?! Of all the dumb mistakes you've made, Mint, this is the most disgraceful, disgusting, and vile things you ever managed! You're a monster!"

Mint shook harder. A few tears formed in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry..."

This did little to calm Rudy down. "You're sorry? You're sorry?!" Rudy spluttered incredulously. He shook his head furiously. "No, you're not! You're just trying to save your sorry ass so you can go continue being Skrawl's puppet and hurt more zoners! You care about no one but yourself! You'e not sorry! Don't try to lie to me, Mint! I know what you really are!"

Mint shook his head from side to side. "No...please... I-I.."

"You're a self absorbed brat! A big bully who thinks he can do whatever he wants! A friendless loser who tries to hide in some fantasy world because he can't deal with reality! A slimy, disgusting coward who wold rather run away than face facts! You're lower than dirt, Mint!" Rudy growled at him, tears flowing down his face. "I hope Skrawl does something horrible to you, Mint, because anything he does to you, you deserve it! And maybe then you will finally see what a fricking fool you have been!"

Mint trembled fearfully under Rudy. He looked up at the angry boy. Tears of his own dripped down his face. He couldn't think of anything to say. A few whimpers escaped his mouth. He watched as Rudy got off of him. He winced as the boy glared down at him. Was...was he going to hurt him...?

"Now get out of here..." Rudy growled. "I don't want to see your face any longer! Go on! Run! Run like the coward you are!"

Mint backed away slowly. He tried to fight back his tears. They wouldn't stop. He moved towards the steps. Rudy took a step forward. His heart racing, Mint instantly ran down the steps. He ran through the tunnel and out the other side. He continued running through the jungle, not caring where he went, if he got lost, or what. He just..kept running.

He finally couldn't run anymore. He leaned himself against a tree, tears staining his cheek, his throat hurting him a little. He stood there, panting, his mind replaying the events over and over again. The breaking of Snap's back...there was no way it could have been fake.. Rudy's anger... His body trembled, Rudy's harsh words echoing through his mind. It hurt him deeply, because..because he knew Rudy was right... He..he was a coward...

Penny's words echoed through his mind.

"Who are you trying to fool, Mint? Us...yourself?"

She was right. He was trying to delude himself. He was trying so hard to continue believing this was a game, he...he had acted wreckless. And now he had done something horrible... It was his fault. He should have listened. Why didn't he listen...?

The horror of all the things he had done while he thought this was still a game, the places he destroyed, the zoners he had terrorized, hurting those two kids, their friend, Rudy's harsh words, breaking Snap's back, it all came crumbling down on him, pushing him down with the horrible truth.

He was a monster...

Mint fell to his knees. The emotion overwhelmed him. He sniffled loudly. He stared at his hands, watching them shake even harder than before. "What have I done?" He squeaked. He buried his face in his hands. "What have I done...?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Mint started to weep and cry.

sss

"That was low..." Penny said as Rudy came back over.

Rudy didn't know what Penny was talking about. He looked at her in confusion. "What..what do you mean?"

"The way you yelled at him. What you said to him." Penny scolded. "I hate him for what he's done, but..you were acting like a bully, Rudy. I thought you were better than that."

Rudy narrowed his eyes at her. "He'll get over it, Penny. Besides, he deserved a verbal smackdown after what he has done. I doubt anything I said got through to him anyway."

Rudy did feel a pang of guilt, but he ignored it. Mint didn't really care what he said. The boy was just acting. He was just hiding behind a facade to try to seem innocent, like he always had in the past. He deserved every word he said to him, didn't he? He deserved getting yelled at after all the horrible things he's done. He doesn't see why Penny is upset with him, especially when they were on, more or less, the same page with him when it came to Mint.

Penny would see. The next time they see Mint in school, the jerk would act like nothing had happened. He would ignore all the things he said to him and just go on acting like he always had. He wouldn't change. People like that are incapable of change.

Rudy and Penny didn't have time to argue more about this. Their attention shifted back down to their suffering friend. Snap let out a few loud cries. Their hearts clenched as they watched him try to struggle on the ground, in desperation to get away from the pain.

"B-Bucko..." Snap whimpered. "B-Buckette.. It hurts..." He shut his eyes tightly, seething in agony. "It hurts so much... Please make it stop...please..."

Rudy and Penny grabbed onto his arms and gently held him down.

"No, Snap.. Don't move..." Penny whispered gently, her previous anger with Rudy gone. "You'll hurt yourself more."

Trying to think of a way to comfort his friend, Rudy lowered himself more and rested his chin on top of Snap's head, careful not to hurt him. "You'll be okay, Snap..." He said in a shaky voice. "Everything will be okay...you'll see..."

Snap continued to writhe on the ground. Tears flowed from his eyes like a faucet. He let out cries and whimpers. He struggled against Rudy and Penny as they tried to hold him down to prevent him from hurting himself more. Rudy's heart clenched as the fear of Snap hurting himself more than he already was settled in. If he moved around too much, he could...he could die...

"Snap, no...hold still..." Rudy said softly to him. "You...you have to keep still. I know it's hard...but you have to keep still..."

"I..I can't...It hurts too much...I can't take it..." Snap jerked on the ground. "I can't take it!"

"Shh..." Penny pressed down on him a little harder, careful no to hurt him. "Just relax, Snap. Try to calm down. We'll get you help..."

"Y-Yeah...and then the pain will go away." Rudy said tearfully. "You'll see..."

Snap managed a weak smile at this, but it soon faded into low whimpers and cries. It was clear that, even with them comforting him, Snap was not going to be able to hold still. The horrible agony his friend was being put through made Rudy hate Mint even more. He wasn't sure what he was going to do the next time he saw that kid... He tried not to think about it. Right now, top priority was getting Snap to the hospital.

Rudy took out his magic chalk. He looked down at his friend. He reached down and touched his cheek gently. Snap looked at him, his eyes puffy from the crying. The sight of it made Rudy's heart freeze. Oh Snap... He had to be okay.. He just had to be...

"We need to be careful..." Penny instructed him. "His back... One wrong move..."

"Yeah...I know..." Rudy said softly. He began to draw. "Don't worry, Snap. We'll get you to the hospital and you will be fine. You'll be okay..."

Snap didn't answer, and Rudy and Penny soon found out why. To their horror, Snap had passed out on the ground, the pain becoming too much for him. This prompted Rudy to hurry up. They had to get to the hospital and fast.


	27. Emergency

Rudy's world had become a buzzing, confusing mess of colors and sound. So many things were going on that it was hard for him to keep up. His mind was muddled with various, concerning thoughts. Sometimes he forgot where he was, and it took the occasional cry of a surprised zoner to remind him.

He and Penny wasted no time to get to the hospital. They riding in a car, just big enough for the three of them and the controls simplified for ease of use. Snap was in the back on a stretcher that Rudy had drawn. Snap wore a simple back brace to try to keep him as still as possible as they hurried over to the hospital. Rudy's mind was racing was he went in the direction of the hospital, his eyes wide with panic. He barely comprehended the world around him. It was a miracle that he was able to drive as safely as he did.

His driving wasn't particularly unsafe, but Penny looked at unease. She gripped her chair tightly, her teeth gritted, as they raced across the roads. Rudy tried to make an effort to improve his driving, but right now, hsi mind was focused on Snap. He was in big trouble and he needed help fast.

Once in a while, Snap would let out a groan of pain. He would still remain out cold, his eyes never opening. Rudy and Penny concluded that the pain was so bad, it was still hurting him in his sleep. This tugged at their hearts. Poor Snap... What did he do to deserve this? Rudy couldn't believe that Mint would do such a horrible thing to him, especially when he must have known the repurcussions such an act would have. Because of that horrible child, Snap was going to be in pain for a long time, even with the best care and outlook.

When they arrived at the hospital, some zoners who were exiting the hospital immediately noticed them. Their eyes widened in horror at the sight of Snap strapped to the stretcher. Rudy and Penny pushed the stretcher towards the door as the zoners opened them up for the trio. As Rudy and Penny rushed past them with Snap, Rudy noticed that these zoners were doctors who must have just gotten off their shift. Rather than just leave, the doctors went back in with them.

Despite being officially off duty, the doctors took a hold of the stretcher, telling Rudy and Penny to sit in the waiting room. Unable to do anything else, the two kids watched, worry filling their hearts, as Snap was hauled into the emergency room down the hall. They could hear panicked doctors calling out orders, bringing forward instruments to try to keep Snap breathing in case he suffered cardiac arrest. With each call, the two kids got more and more worried and scared for their friend. And when he disappeared completely down the hallway and they could no longer see him, their hearts clenched tightly and they let out a few low cries. There was nothing they can do now but wait.

Rudy and Penny took a seat next to each other in the waiting room. There were a few other zoners in here as well. They mostly paid attention to just themselves, but a few of them looked at them with sympathetic expressions. Rudy didn't talk to them. Neither did Penny. They were both too distraught to really have conversations with friendly strangers. Right now, their mind was focused on Snap.

Of all the things to happen...this was one thing they thought they'd never have to deal with. They wouldn't have believed that, when they came into ChalkZone today, that something horrible was going to happen to Snap. How could they have known? They didn't know that Mint would have gone crazy and do something like that. They couldn't have predicted how that kid would have behaved today. It wasn't their fault this happened to Snap. It was Mint's. He should have known better. He really should have...

Rudy still felt some guilt about the whole thing. It wasn't because he couldn't break the shield in time. He and Penny were both hitting it as hard as they could and it wasn't giving in. There was no way they could have sped that up. Even drawing a hole didn't work. The shield was designed to be resistant to that apparently. Mint must have known about the magic chalk being able to create holes in some way, and thus prevented it from being done there.

No, what he felt guilty about was that...he and Penny had known that Mint snapped. They saw how he acted in their encounter yesterday. He had outright attacked Penny viciously. Even though she wasn't hurt badly, it was still the most brutal he had gotten towards another human being. Rudy should have seen that as a warning sign. He should have realized that Mint had totally lost it and should have prepared himself for the kid doing something much worse. He should have seen the signs. He should have been more prepared. If he had taken that into account, he could have done something to prevent something like this from happening.

In the end, though, he did know that it was Mint's fault as he was the one who made the choice to do that. He was upset that the kid tried to say he was sorry, but didn't make it sound sincere. It was more of a panicked sorry than anything. Mint appeared to be very shocked by the turn of events, and was just trying to worm his way out of it. Rudy felt that if Mint was really sorry, he would have tried to do something to fix the mistake he made. That's what he would do if he made a mistake. Rudy won't lie; he's made a lot of errors in the past, but at least he tries to fix them, not run away like Mint had.

Then he realized...Mint had run off because he chased him off. He didn't give Mint a chance to try to do something right. He had flat out told the kid to run away. Rudy let out a soft sigh. He should have expected the kid to run after he said that to him. But it wasn't like he caused any lasting damage. The kid never really responded to anything he is told unless it comes from Skrawl. The moment they have to return to school, Mint would act like nothing happened, just like he always had.

But right now, Snap was the more urgent matter. He'll deal with Mint later on. Right now, he had to make sure Snap was in good hands and that he was going to be fine. He wished he could be in the back with him. He wanted to be there for his friend while the doctors worked on him. He knew how gruesome it was going to be when they were repairing his back, but he felt like he could handle that if it meant being close to him.

He hoped that Snap was going to be okay. He just had to be okay... Please, let him be okay... The doctors were going to do what they could to help him, he knew. They weren't going to give up. They'll do whatever it took to save Snap. But doctors couldn't always fix everything, and Snap might... No. He shook his head. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to stay positive. Snap was going to be fine. He was going to pull through this. He..he was going to make it.

The wait in the room was unbearable. They didn't know how long they were there. They lost track of time. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. Silence hung over the waiting room, except for the occasional cough or sneeze or the doctors calling one of the zoners in for whatever it is they came here for. Rudy sometimes turned to Penny to try to say something, but what could he say? He couldn't think of anything, his mind too lost in despair and worry for Snap to make a full fledged conversation with anyone, even his best friend.

Rudy wondered how long Snap was going to be in pain from this. A long time yes, but how long? Months or years it seems like. Having a broken back was not something that could be shrugged off. And if there was too much damage even after it heals up well enough for Snap to be out of the hospital, he could, at the very least, lose the use of his legs. That, alone, frightened Rudy. He didn't want his friend to be permanentl crippled from this. Losing the use of his legs would be devastating for Snap. But it was preferable from the other possible fate in the worse case scenario. He could die... Snap could make the most out of life even without his legs, but if he's dead... Rudy's eyes watered and he sniffled. He hoped it didn't come to that.

The silence was finally broken when Penny cleared her throat. Rudy looked over at her.

"He'll...he'll be fine, Rudy." Penny said in a reassuring tone. There was a pang of doubt in her voice that Rudy was able to catch. "The doctors will be able to fix his back."

Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly and bit his lip. "I...hope you're right." He looked up towards the ceiling. "I really hope that he'll be okay. But so much can go wrong and..."

Penny put a hand on his. He turned to look at her. It was admirable that, even though she was worried something bad could happen, she was doing her best to put on a brave face and remain hopeful. He was glad she was able to be here with him during this. He could use her support right about now, and he was glad he could still be here for her, even if he didn't know what to say to comfort her.

Penny gave a small, faint smile. "Rudy, we did what we could. We got Snap in the hospital. They will do what they can to help him. We shouldn't give into despair right now. I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll see."

Rudy smiled back at her. "Yeah, I know." He couldn't smile for long. He looked towards the ground. "I know..." He tried to sound as convinced as possible, but he could do little to hide the pang of doubt he was still feeling. He looked back at Penny, who looked at him with concern. "I...I just we had seen this coming..."

Penny's eyes widened at this. "What do you mean? There's no way we could have..."

Rudy turned to look at her. "Yes, we could have. We should have known something like this could happen after the way Mint attacked you the way he had the other day. We...we should have been prepared..."

Penny grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Listen, Rudy. None of us could have known he'd go this far. Don't beat yourself up over it." She looked at Rudy, her eyes filled with concern and understanding. "What matters now is that he's in the hospital and he's being cared for. There's nothing more you and I can do, except wait. Please Rudy, don't feel bad. You did what you could."

Rudy knew Penny was right. He still couldn't shake off the feelings of guilt, his mind telling him that he should have heeded the warning signs exhibited by Mint's increasingly hostile behavior. But he knew, even before Penny comforted him, that it was not a smart idea to blame himself over this. She was correct after all. Snap was in the hospital and he was getting help. His predicament was bound to improve. He was certain of it. He...he remained hopeful for it.

Snap was a tough zoner. He might not look like much, but the little guy could go through a lot and bounce back. If anyone could recover completely from having their back broken, he could. Snap would recover from this. Rudy just had to keep believing that. He kept telling himself that. It would be a long and difficult journey, but soon, before he would know it, Snap would be running around and playing and exploring just like he had in the past. It would be like nothing had happened.

He smiled at Penny, grateful for her support. He didn't say anything more, though. He was lost in his thoughts again. He looked back towards the ground and let out a soft sigh. So much had gone on these past few days. It was hard to believe that, just a short time ago, everything was normal and fine. Then this Mint kid showed up and so many things had gone wrong for them. And now...this happened. Snap was gravely injured. Rudy shuddered to think what other horrible fate would befall him and his friends, or ChalkZone. He didn't even know how many artifacts Skrawl has now...

He and Penny must have been in the waiting room for about two hours now. He realized that his parents might be wondering what he is. He'll just tell them him and Penny went for a walk when he got back. Right now, he and Penny had to be here for their friend. They couldn't leave without knowing what his condition was. And they couldn't leave without seeing him one more time and talking with him. Snap needed their comfort more than ever now. He was going to be in agony for a long time, poor guy...

Finally, after what seemed like many hours, they heard the doors open up and saw one of the doctors from before coming out to greet them. They got up from their seats and went up to meet with him. Rudy took a look at his nametag. Dr. Puma. The doctor's appearance sure fit that name. He looked very feline-like.

"How is he?" Rudy asked as he and Penny reached the doctor. "Is he going to be okay?"

Dr. Puma put his two hands together in a nervous gesture. Rudy felt his heart fill with dread. That was not a good sign...

"Your friend's back suffered a lot of damage. That blunt force trauma he recieved, that you described, shattered one of his vertebraes and a second one has a hairline fracture. He's lucky that the damage wasn't more severe than that, and it's a miracle that he didn't lose feeling or movement in his legs during all of this." Dr. Puma explained. He took in a deep breath, his tail twitching from side to side in a melancholic way. "He's also suffered some massive internal bleeding. He's lost quite a bit of blood internally. The blood was irritating his back injury even more, but thankfully it doesn't seem to have caused too much additional problems with that."

Rudy and Penny were quiet as they listened to the doctor tell them these things. They knew it was going to be bad. They knew the news they would recieve would be horrible. But they were still shocked and horrified. They could not have prepared themselves for what the doctor was telling them. And they knew it could be a lot worse. There might be more internal damage than just what they had known about.

Rudy tried his best to hold his tears back. He could feel them welling up in his eyes, making his vision blurry. He tried to hold them back, but it was no use. As he blinked, a flow of tears moved down his cheeks. He sniffled and wiped away his tears. He looked over at Penny. She was crying, too, rubbing her eyes to try to dry her tears. The shattered vertebrae, the broken one, the internal bleeding... Snap didn't deserve any of this. Why did fate have to be so cruel...?

Dr. Puma continued speaking to them. "We managed to repair his back the best we could. We were able to fix the hairline fracture and set the vertebrae back together the way it should be. It will heal on its own...in time..in time... But as for the shattered vertebrae..I'm afraid that one is a lot more serious."

The two kids' eyes widened in fear as he said that. Dread filled their hearts. They cried a little harder as they prepared for the worst possible news.

"It was far too broken up to be repaired effectively. We had no choice but to take it out completely and give your friend a strong, reinforced prosthetic vertebrae to replace it. Because of this, I'm afraid his recovery time may be a lot longer than what we originally anticipated. Your friend is going to have to stay here for months as he recovers and goes through therapy to make sure that new vertebrae of his can support him with no trouble. If it gives him problems, we will need to think of another solution. We do not want to resort to restricting him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life if we can help it."

"What...?" Penny asked, her voice filled with shock and horror. "A prosthetic vertebrae...?"

"Yes." Dr. Puma said. "It was our only option at the time. We had to repair his back and put in a stronger brace to support it. We couldn't leave a part of his spinal cord exposed and we were unable to repair that shattered vertebrae. So we had to put in a replacement."

Rudy couldn't believe it. He had no idea it was that bad. He knew that a broken back was serious. He had no idea Snap suffered through something like that... He heard the crack in his head, the same sound that was emitted when Mint struck his friend. A shockwave of cold ice went through his body as he realized that the crack was the shattering of one of his vertebraes. The complete destruction of one...

"Right now, your friend is stabilized and in the post-op recovery room. He needs his rest right now, but if you'd like to see him, I'll be glad to take you to his room." Dr. Puma offered. Using his hand to gesture, he asked, "Would you like to visit him?"

Rudy and Penny nodded their heads slowly.

"Yeah..please..." Rudy spoke softly.

Dr. Puma led them down the hallway. They moved towards the emergency room, and then veered off to the side, down another hallway. They soon came into a hallway that had a sign that read Post-Op on it. As they entered it, they soon came upon a hallway with multiple doors on each side, all marked as 'Do Not Disturb', likely as a warning to any non-worker who happened to go down the wrong hallway.

They came to a door marked as G123. Dr. Puma opened up the door and made a motion with his arm inward, gesturing for the two to walk into the room. Slowly, Rudy and Penny walked into the room. They couldn't stifle their gasps as they saw their friend on the bed, multiple IVs stuck in his arm and attached to a heart monitor.

"I'll close the door and give you three some privacy." Dr. Puma pulled the door shut behind them. His footsteps could be heard as he headed back down the hallway.

Rudy and Penny stood there, frozen, their eyes wide in horror. Seeing their friend like this...it was awful. Snap's face was contorted in pain. Even though it was a little hard to see from the angle they were at, they could still see that. Moans of pain emitted from their friend's mouth. Slowly, they walked over towards the bed, which had railings along it to make sure Snap didn't accidentally roll off of it and onto the floor. They stood on either side of the bed and looked down at their friend.

Rudy's eyes welled up with more tears as he watched his friend writhe on the bed. It wasn't as bad as it was back at the temple and he guessed they had given him morphine to try to kill some of the pain. But the fact that he was still struggling with agony shows just how much pain his friend really was in. It was horrible to watch and he wished he could do something more to help him.

Snap was wearing a hospital gown, his costume completely taken off. He looked a little strange not wearing that blue outfit. It reminded Rudy that Snap was a solid white zoner, not blue and white. Without that outfit, it almost felt like Snap lost a part of himself. Rudy sniffled hard. This pressed further into his mind the fact that Snap might not fully recover from this. He hoped it wasn't true. He hoped he was going to be okay. He just had to be...

Snap's eyes were shut tightly, his teeth clenched. He let out whimpers and whines as he tried to struggle on the bed. The back brace did keep his spine from bending, preventing further damage. But it was still hard to watch their friend try so hard to get away from the pain. Rudy wished they could have laid him on his side or stomach at least so he didn't have pressure placed on his back like that. But he understood why they did it; the IVs would have been more difficult to place otherwise. He and Penny watched, depression sweeping through their minds, as Snap moved his head from side to side, his sobbing wracking through his body.

Penny reached down and stroked the top of Snap's head. Her touch caused Snap to open up his eyes. He looked up at her. The two kids winced as they saw all the pain that shined out of those large white eyes. Snap looked up at Penny pleadingly. He reached up with his arm and weakly grabbed onto it.

"P-Please...m-make the pain go away... Please make it go away..." Snap called out to her in desperation. He shut his eyes, taking in a sharp breath. "I can't take it... Please make it stop..! Please..!"

Snap's heart monitor began to beat faster. Rudy and Penny looked at each other worriedly and down at Snap. They knew Snap couldn't get himself too stressed out. He needed to rest now. He needed to allow time for his body to recover. He just had major surgery done. He needed to rest himself. If he struggled too much now, even with the back brace on, he was going to hurt himself more.

"No, Snap..." Penny said. "Shh..." She grabbed onto his hand and gently squeezed it in her own. She leaned down, putting her forehead against his. "You must calm down. You need to rest, Snap. You need let your body recover. Please...calm down..."

Rudy put his hand gently on Snap's shoulder. The zoner looked up at Rudy, his eyes filled with so much pain, silently pleading for someone, anyone, to take away the pain. Rudy bit his lip and cried softly. Why did this have to happen to Snap..? "It will be okay Snap..." Rudy whispered gently. "Everything is going to be okay. You'll see... Just calm down..."

At first, it seemed like Snap was calming down. His breathing was slowing down, no longer hyperventilating like it was when they first came in. His heart monitor wasn't beeping as fast. Rudy and Penny smiled gently down at him, happy that, for now, he seemed to be relaxing.

But that relaxation did not last for very long. All of a sudden, Snap let out a pain-filled scream. Agony erupted through his body. He started to struggle even harder, letting out more screams of pain. His heart monitor went haywire, beeping constantly. He tried to shift his body in a desperate attempt to escape the pain. His head turned from side to side, tears staining his reddened cheeks. His body trembled from the pain.

"No...no...I don't want this..." Snap cried out in agony. "Make it go away! Make the pain go away! Please!"

Rudy and Penny watched in horror as Snap kept jerking around violently. His struggles increased as the seconds passed. His heart monitor continued to speed up. His cheeks glistened from his tears. He let out cries of agony, shattering through Rudy and Penny's hearts. The two of them started to cry for their friend. He was in so much pain...so much agony... And it would take a long time before he'd feel any strong amount of relief. Rudy couldn't believe his friend had to suffer through this. He had never done anything to deserve this. He...he just wanted Snap to be well again...

They knew they had to calm him down somehow. The two of them took action. Penny held onto Snap's arm, pressing it against herself and running her hand along it gently. Rudy leaned down and put the side of his face against Snap's, slinging his arm across his upper chest and shoulder. They hung onto him gently, using just enough strength to try to hold him still.

"Shhh..." Rudy whispered gently. "It'll be okay, Snap. You'll be fine. Just relax... Please don't hurt yourself.." He gently squeezed his shoulder. "We're here for you..."

"If you struggle too much, Snap, you'll end up hurting yourself more. You'll be here longer... We know you don't want that.." Penny said softly to him. She rubbed his hand and arm lightly. "I know it hurts...but it'll get better. You'll see.. It'll get better..."

Slowly, Snap started to calm down. They could hear the heart monitor stop racing like it was. They felt Snap's body relaxing, no longer struggling. His breathing slowed back down to normal. He still cried, but his sobs had grown softer and further apart. They could tell he was still in agony, but he appeared to be getting into a state of peace now. And that's exactly what he needed right now.

They leaned back a little so Snap could look at both of them. They felt tears well up in their eyes when Snap smiled at both of them. Despite his pain, he still managed to smile at them. He gently squeezed Penny's hand back and his other hand reached up and touched Rudy on the cheek, gently caressing it.

"I love you..." Snap said to both of them, his weak smile still on his face.

This simple phrase caused Rudy to choke a little with emotion, along with Penny. More tears flowing down their faces, they couldn't subside the sobs that wracked through their body. They sniffled as they smiled through their tears at their injured friend.

"We love you too..." Rudy whispered softly.

Snap's smile broadened a little at this, filling Rudy and Penny's hearts with emotion. Slowly, Snap closed his eyes and before they knew it, he was out cold. But this time, it wasn't because of the pain. It was because they were there for him, and their presence helped relax him enough so he could finally get some sleep. They continued to smile down at his sleeping form, tears dripping from their eyes. Snap's recovery had began.

sss

Soon, monday rolled around. Rudy and Penny managed to visit Snap again before they left. He was still in a lot of pain, but he was starting to recover a little. The doctors were mostly positive about his prognosis. They did warn them that it will take a long time to recover, touching upon what Dr. Puma told them. As painful as it was, at least he was recovering.

The situation with Skrawl didn't improve. The jellybean had completely disappeared. Penny didn't know where he could have gone, and neither did Rudy. Ever since that incident at the temple, they hadn't seen or heard anything regarding Skrawl. No attacks, no threats, no nothing. They also hadn't seen Mint since the temple incident. But, considering just what happened, Penny wasn't really surprised, and it was a bit of a relief that he wasn't in ChalkZone to cause more trouble. They had enough on their hands to deal with.

She was still angry at the kid for what he did. He had known striking Snap was wrong, and he still did it anyway. It was his fault that Snap was in great pain. Their friend was suffering, and it was all because of an immature kid who couldn't face reality. She wasn't sure she could forgive him, even if he worked up the courage to give an honest apology, and not the panicked-filled one he gave before.

But it wasn't just Mint she was upset with. There was Rudy, too. While she understood why he was angry at Mint, after all the kid did screw up big time, she felt it was way out of line for Rudy to say those things to him. She had never seen him that angry before, not even during the whole Michelle party incident where he thought he wasn't invited. She couldn't tell if Rudy really meant those things he said, or if he was so angry he was just saying whatever came to mind. Still, it didn't completely excuse his actions as, in that moment, he was no different than a bully.

She did feel bad about bringing it up when they had to get Snap to the hospital, though. That was the wrong time. Her mind was so filled with thoughts that she wasn't thinking clearly. None of them were. And thinking back on it, she realized how wrong it was to scold Rudy during that time. She would apologize for that. She felt like she had to.

When lunch came, she went over and found Rudy sitting at their usual table. She went over and sat down next to him, carrying a tray full of food. Rudy had already started eating. She looked over at him. He looked lost in thought. She had a feeling she knew what he was thinking about. Snap hadn't made much progress in recovery and he was still in so much pain ,even with the best painkillers injected into him. Rudy was picking at his food and barely eating. She had a hard time eating as well. Hard to have an appetite when their friend was still in critical condition.

There were still some kids that picked on Rudy for the fire alarm incident, but it had at least dropped a little since it all started. When Mint confessed the truth to Rudy's parents, they had spoken to Principal Stringent about it. She had a feeling the woman was not happy about having to make it up to Rudy after she was so determined to get him in trouble. Penny was a little angry that the principal still didn't get punishment for what she did, but she was glad that the principal was at least mature enough to try to fix some of the damage.

When Mr. Wilter was informed of the truth, he did apologize to Rudy for the way he treated him and had a talk with the students in the room, some of whom had been teasing Rudy pretty badly. And after that, the situation for Rudy improved a little. There was still a lot of repairs to be done, but it was at least better than it had been before.

That did help keep Penny hopeful that Mint could change and become a better person. Even if it was just one thing and it wasn't the worst thing he's done, confessing that he pulled the fire alarm was still a nice thing for him to do. It was something. Now if only he could come to that same realization for the other things he has done... She still wasn't sure if she could forgive him, but she still hoped that he would come to understand how wrong he was and try to fix things instead of running and hiding. She hated him for what he has done, but at the same time, she still hung onto the belief that he could change from this. It still angered her that it took hurting Snap horrifically to begin to open his eyes, though.

"Rudy..." Penny said. When Rudy looked over at her, she said, "I wanted to say something to you."

Rudy put down his fork and shifted himself so he was looking at Penny. "What is it?"

Penny took in a breath. "I'm sorry I scolded you about Mint at the temple. That was the wrong time to do that. I'm sorry."

Rudy blinked at her, and he smiled. "It's fine... We were all filled with muddled thoughts at the time. I understand." He took another bite of his food and swallowed. "I'm not angry at you." After a pause, he added, "It's Mint whom I'm angry with."

"I'm still upset with how you reacted to Mint." Penny said. Rudy paused what he was doing and just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Look, I get it. You were angry, so was I. I am furious at Mint for what he did, just like you are. But, Rudy... can't you see how much of a bully you were acting like? You called him names. You wished harm upon him, told him he deserved it. That...doesn't sound like the Rudy I know.."

Rudy's expression softened up. He looked down at his plate and let out a soft sigh. "I know.. I was just so angry at him that I...lost it." He looked back at her. "But I still don't think I really caused that much harm. As harsh as I was, I still don't think it'll get through to that kid. We've scolded him before and it never seemed to bother him. He'd just go on acting like nothing happened."

"Yeah, but before, we never went as far as say 'I hope Skrawl does something horrible to you', Rudy." Penny said, her voice filled with disappointment for her friend. "I never thought I would hear you say something like that."

Rudy replied, "I don't think it got through to him. He was just trying to get away, running off instead of facing the truth. You'll see. When he comes into the cafeteria, he'll act like nothing happened. He'll go about pretending that he did nothing wrong. He's always done that, and he'll do that now."

Penny shook her head slowly. "You didn't mean what you said...did you...? About wanting Skrawl to do something horrible to him?"

Rudy froze at this. He looked at her in surprise, like he wasn't expecting her to ask such a question. He looked away, his mind deep in thought for a few seconds. His frown disappeared and he lowered his head a little, closing his eyes. "No, I didn't. It was a slip of the tongue and I admit it was a mistake, probably the worst one I made when I lashed out at him like that."

Penny nodded. "I understand. We say and do things we don't mean when we're upset. And you had every right to be angry. He did hurt Snap really bad..." There was some silence between the two friends. Penny sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm sure Snap will recover. It will just..take some time...some time..."

"Yeah. Snap is tough." Rudy said softly. "He'll recover."

Just then, a familiar person walked by their table. Rudy and Penny looked up to see Mint. He was moving pretty slowly. He wasn't looking at them. He was just staring off blankly, not paying attention to anything. The fact that he wasn't sparing them a glance was confusing. Usually, he would taunt them about something, or at least speak to them. This time, he wasn't. Penny was certain that Rudy's words affected the boy more than Rudy would want to believe.

Penny did not feel comfortable being this close, even if it wouldn't last too long, to the person who put her friend in the hospital. She glared in his direction, but said nothing. She watched him warily. Even though she understood he might not be a threat anymore, a part of her was still cautious that he still might try to do something.

Rudy's body was shaking in anger. But unlike at the temple, this time, he was managing to control himself. He didn't attempt to go after Mint and he didn't try to shout at him. He just glared at him as he continued to walk by their table painfully slowly.

When Mint was almost past their table, Rudy spoke. It wasn't loud or anything. Soft, but Penny could hear it clearly, and so could Mint.

"Are you proud of what you did...?" Rudy asked, his voice laced in controlled anger.

Instead of retorting back, like he usually would, like how Rudy expected him to, Mint gave them a quick glance, his eyes widening a little almost like he was startled to see them. He said nothing and quickened his pace, getting far from them as fast as he could. Rudy looked at this in confusion. This was not the reaction he had expected.

But Penny did. Rudy was unbelievably and uncharacteristically harsh to the kid at the temple. She was not surprised that, even days later, they still affected him in some way. She looked over at Rudy, again feeling disappointed in the way he had acted. In spite of how despicable Mint had behaved, she didn't want Rudy to act in a similar manner. She hoped he wouldn't let it happen again.

"What were you saying about him getting over it?" Penny asked, slowly turning her head to Rudy.

Rudy looked at her, still surprised by Mint's reaction. He then narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "He's just trying to put our guard down."

Penny shook her head slowly. "You know, it's not just Mint who needs to apologize..." She said in a soft voice before she started eating her lunch.


	28. Guilt

Mint stared blankly at his desk. He didn't really listen to what the teacher was saying. This was normal; he often didn't pay attention. But this time, it wasn't because he was annoyed or wanted to get going to drawing what he wanted. This time, it was for an entirely different reason.

Emotions had collided in all around him, making it hard for him to fully register what he was feeling. He felt numb, unsure, and it was almost like he couldn't move, yet he could. He had his gaze down, not having the will to lift up his head and look at the art teacher, who was giving a speech about some kind of coloring technique or whatever. He wasn't sure, and at the moment, he could care less. His mind and heart just weren't in it for art today. He just...didn't want to be here. He wanted to leave. He wanted to go home.

Yet he couldn't. He didn't want to call in sick. He didn't want his parents fretting even more over him. He had been sullen for several days now, and his parents were worried he was sick. They had even cancelled the trip ahead of time just in case it was something serious. Normally, he'd be a little upset, but this time, he just didn't care. He didn't really want to go on that trip anyway, not after what he had done. There was no way he could enjoy time away from here knowing full well that he had caused damage to another living person. No, after what he had done, he didn't deserve a nice vacation.

He stared at his desk some more. He had taken one of the art tools, one of those scraper things, and was just mindlessly scraping small sections away. He didn't care if it got him into trouble. He just kept scraping, creating the faint shape of a theropod dinosaur. He paid no attention to the other students who stared at him, some looking at the teacher nervously as they knew that the art teacher would blow up if he saw this. Mint could care less right now.

"Mr. Zandophen! What are you doing?!"

Mint could feel the shadow of the art teacher falling upon him. The other students cringed and waited to see what would happen. Mint didn't bother looking at the teacher. He stopped scraping and kept his gaze on the dinosaur he just etched into his desk.

The art teacher slammed his hand into the desk, causing Mint to jerk back. If the teacher wanted him to look up at him, he'd have to do better than that. Mint kept his gaze downward, not sparing the teacher a glance. Right now, it wouldn't really faze him what the teacher said to him. Especially not after what Rudy had said about him back at the temple.

"Mr. Zandophen!" The art teacher scolded. "I understand that you love to draw dinosaurs, and I know you're still upset with me for taking away your picture. But I will not tolerate you ruining school property by drawing...whatever that thing is!" He pointed at the dinosaur Mint had drawn into the desk's surface. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

If the teacher was expecting a response, he was not going to get any. Mint remained still in the seat, save for a few movements of his foot. His eyes remained focused on the desk, not even bothering to look at the teacher. The other students, who had expected a retort, just stared at Mint in confusion.

Mint had no intentions on replying to the teacher. What could he say to him anyway? He really had nothing he wanted to say about himself. He didn't know of anything to say to defend himself for what he did. He just..did it. He drew in the desk because he kind of wanted to. He had no real reasons behind it. Just like he had no real reasons to hit Snap. He just did it, despite knowing it was wrong, he still did it. He made no attempt to defend himself from the teacher. If he wanted to spew scolding words on him, then he can for all he cared. It wouldn't really bother him.

The lack of an attitude did have an effect on the teacher. Not one that Mint could have thought of. Instead of being smug about it like he expected, the teacher, from what he saw in the corner of his eyes, softened up his expression. Him not talking back isn't something the teacher had expected and now he was looking at him with some concern in his eyes. Mint never thought he'd get that look from this usually stern teacher.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Zandophen?" The teacher asked. He moved his hand off of the boy's desk. "You seem upset about something."

Some of the other students nodded their heads in agreement. Mint paid them no mind. He gave a quick glance at his teacher, not caring if the teacher saw the little redness in his eyes from when he had shed a few tears earlier. The teacher took notice and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Mint looked away.

"Are you okay?" The art teacher asked.

Wanting the teacher to leave him alone, Mint nodded his head slowly up and down.

The art teacher didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't press the matters any further. "Well okay then..." He walked back towards the front of the classroom, forgetting all about the drawing Mint did into his desk. "Now then, to refresh your memories, we'll..."

Mint paid no attention to what the teacher said after that. He blocked it all out. He didn't hear what any of the students said. He didn't see anything, feel anything. He just sat there, his mind clouded by the negative emotions that were overtaking him. It felt like walls were closing in all around, and he felt detached from reality. He was having a hard time sorting out his thoughts. It was almost like he had become a robot, preprogrammed to do simple tasks. He was doing the work the teacher gave them, but he could barely register it.

Going through the school day just felt so automatic. He could barely remember going down the hallways, using the bathrooms, the recess bells, or anything. It all flew past him and he didn't really take notice. He didn't have trouble navigating the halls. It was like his brain had switched on some autopilot thing, and he was just going through the preprogrammed pathways to get to where he needed to go and get done what needed to be done. Even lunch time went through autonomously. Even though he hated the food they had out today, he still consumed it, barely registering the awful taste.

Some students tried to speak to him, noticing his odd behavior. He didn't say a word. He didn't bother looking at them. Some of the students looked at him weird, others thought he was being rude, and still others kept trying to speak to him with no luck. He just ignored them and continued walking down the hallway or doing whatever it is he had to do. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. His mouth wouldn't move. His lips kept pressing up against each other. And he didn't have the willpower to move them.

The only time he did temporarily snap out of this drone-like state his mind imposed on him was whenever he saw Rudy or Penny. Especially Rudy... The mere sight of him caused his heart rate to speed up and fear to spread through his mind. Even though Rudy never did much more than glare at him, sometimes he wouldn't do anything at all, Mint still panicked and he would get away as quickly as he could, rushing down the hallways or through the cafeteria room until he was, what he considered, a safe distance away.

The worst reaction to Rudy he had was when he was on his way to the bus to get on. Rudy didn't seem upset, at least not visibly, and it looked like he had something to say. He was walking towards Mint. If he was saying anything, Mint didn't hear it. He immediately ran from Rudy, squeezing his way onto the bus. Since it didn't go where Rudy lived, the ten year old couldn't follow him in.

Mint wasn't sure what Rudy had wanted to say to him, but he had no intentions on finding out. He was probably just going to tell him how bad off Snap was in an attempt to make him feel worse than he already was. Why couldn't Rudy just leave him alone? Didn't he feel bad enough as it was? Wasn't it enough that he pretty much tore him up mentally as punishment for what he did to his friend? Mint already felt horrible. He didn't need Rudy to make him feel worse.

Even if that wasn't what Rudy was trying to do, Mint still didn't want to see him, or Penny for that matter. And it wasn't because of anger necessarily. He was upset with what Rudy said, but that paled in comparison to what he himself had done. If Mint was angry with anyone, it was himself. He was the one who almost killed someone and for some pretty stupid, selfish reasons at that. And seeing Rudy and Penny only intensified the anger he felt for himself. He couldn't believe he was so...so stupid... Why did he have to make such a dumb move?

He sat down in one of the back seats of the bus, holding his backpack at his side. He paid no attention to the students that stared at him, confused by his change of attitude lately. He was usually more talkative and social, but, seemingly overnight, he had been a bit of a recluse, avoiding other people and refusing to speak, even when spoken to. Some students tried again to get him to talk. He ignored them and just stared out the window.

As the bus's engine was turned on and they began to move, Mint's mind swirled with thoughts of what happened. He didn't register much of the movements, his mind focused on the events of the weekend. Snap's screaming, the temple, Rudy's yelling, all that invaded his mind and wouldn't leave. Horrible guilt started to consume him, eating away at his stomach. He wanted that feeling to go away. He didn't want to feel this way. He hated feeling like this. But at the moment, he just wasn't sure what he could do make the emotion vanish. This had been going on for almost two weeks now.

He decided, when he got back home, to talk to his dad more about it. His mom was away somewhere and wouldn't be home when he got back. But today, his dad got off a little earlier. He'll ask him. He might be able to help him sort out his feelings and help him decide what he should do next. His dad was an understanding guy usually. He...he can help him...

He hoped he could anyway.

sss

"I can't believe he just ran away from me like that." Rudy growled softly. "But I shouldn't be surprised. He's such a coward."

"Well after what you said to him, are you really that surprised?" Penny asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Rudy didn't answer her. He sat down on his window sill, looking out towards the window. It had been an hectic two weeks. He hardly noticed it passed by that quickly. Everything seemed to get muddled together. He hardly remembered what happened in school for the most part. His thoughts were mostly on Snap and wanting to visit him whenever possible.

Snap had been doing better lately. He was still in a lot of pain, but a good portion of it was able to be managed using strong painkillers. Snap was able to sit up now and talk to them. He didn't need anymore surgery done on him, which was good news. Now was the long process of recovery. So far, his prosthetic vertebrae was able to hold him up, at least when he saw up to converse with them. But he hadn't tried walking; the doctors didn't want him on his feet for another month or so. Snap was bed ridden, and until he was able to walk on his own, he had to use a catheter to go to the bathroom. Not the most pleasant thing, but it was preferable to having an accident on the bed.

The doctors weren't sure exactly when he'd be able to use his legs and walk again and they wanted him to recover more before they could give him crutches or at the very least, a wheelchair. Snap was not too keen on the idea of a wheelchair, but it was at least an upgrade from being bedridden. At least he'd be able to move around.

It was nice being able to carry out conversations with his friend again without it being too painful for him. Rudy and Penny visited him every day, spending most of their time in ChalkZone being with him. Snap had other visitors as well. Rapsheeba and Blocky were two of the many zoners that paid him a visit and wished him well. Some of them even got him 'get well soon' gifts and offered to keep him company for a while when Rudy and Penny weren't available.

Despite his agony, Snap was feeling happy lately. Rudy and Penny were relieved that their friend was able to smile and life in spite of the horrible pain he was still in. This positive attitude was doing wonders for his recovery. The doctors mention that, as long as Snap remains uplifted, his recovery will be a little faster. It was no miracle worker, but a positive attitude certainly helped a little.

Rudy still couldn't believe it had been two weeks since Snap was attacked. That was quite some time to be in the hospital, and he knew it was going to last much longer than that. It felt weird coming into ChalkZone and not hearing his friend's voice call out to him and Penny. It was strange not having Snap come up and greet them. Sometimes, he dreamed that this all never happened and he got it confused with reality, and then he would be crushed when he finds out Snap really was injured.

Rudy and Penny were still happy with how things were progressing. They were glad that Snap had improved since they first brought him to the hospital. Though he was still a long way from being fully recovered, the fact that Snap improved the way he had was great news. He was being well cared for at the hospital and, even though he was stuck in a bed, he did have ways to entertain himself. Sometimes he would get a visitor, like an off duty doctor, and they would play a quick game with him, or they would turn on the TV for him so he had something to watch.

As Snap's condition got better, Rudy's anger and rage that had invaded his mind and stuck with him since the temple incident began to fade. He was still angry at Mint, but now he could think more clearly. He was still upset every time he saw Mint, but knowing that the kid hadn't gone back into ChalkZone since the incident did help him be a little more relaxed around him. And from the way the kid reacted, he had a feeling that he wouldn't try going near Snap anytime soon.

He had noticed a change in Mint's behavior during school. The boy never stayed near them for long. If he had seen them, he would move faster to get out of their sights. Rudy had dismissed it as him being cowardly. He didn't want to face the truth of what he had done, so he was trying to hide from it. This angered Rudy. He should have expected this from Mint. He had always been such a coward in the past, choosing to let someone else, such as his dinosaurs, handle his problems instead of facing them himself. So it came as no surprise to him when he kept trying to get away from them.

Penny had suggested the other day, before Penny had to leave to go home, that Rudy attempt to talk to Mint. Although Rudy wasn't in the mood to talk, he did decide that it was best he tried to speak to Mint. He had been overly harsh with him and a quick apology wouldn't hurt.

But when he tried to speak to Mint before he got on the bus, the kid just ran away, boiling Rudy's blood. He had taken the time and effort to try to talk to him, and instead he chose to run away. Then again, should he be surprised? After all, Mint had shown himself to be very cowardly in ChalkZone. Nothing but a bully... Bullies wouldn't listen. Bullies just did whatever they wanted to. Mint was no exception. If he was going to keep running away from him, then fine. He can be like that for all he cared. After what he did to Snap, he wasn't sure he could be in the same room with the kid for very long anyway.

Rudy turned his gaze away from the window. He looked over at Penny. "Do you honestly think my words affected him that much? Why now, out of all times, would he suddenly pay attention to what I say? He never did that before."

"Because you and I weren't that harsh on him before." Penny walked over and sat down in front of Rudy. "I don't think you fully understand how damaging your words were, Rudy. If you opened up your eyes and re-evaluate what you did more, you'd see that Mint has become terrified of us...or rather, you."

Rudy shook his head. "No, he's not. He is just too cowardly to face his mistakes." He looked back out the window, watching the kids playing outside. "He's just trying to make us feel sorry for him so we'll lower our guard. And then he'll try to hurt Snap again."

"I don't think he'd try something again, Rudy." Penny said to him. "He has seen your temper, and from the way he reacted, I don't think he'd want to trigger it again. And if this is all jus to lower our guard..." Rudy looked back at her. "Well, two weeks is a long time to put on a show, and from what I heard, it's not just us he's acting weird around."

"Oh?" Rudy mumbled under his breath. "What, is he skipping school or something?"

Penny shook her head. "No, but I heard some students say how he hasn't spoken once for the past two weeks, at least not at school. He doesn't respond to anything, not even when a teacher scolded him. The only time he seems to come to life is when he sees you...then students mention how he seems to almost freak out. You and I have seen this for ourselves." Rudy's eyes widened just a tiny bit as Penny told him this. "Rudy, I do think your words hurt him more deeply then you are willing to accept. As much as I hate him for being such a jerk, I don't want you acting the same way. If you think Mint isn't the type of person to apologize, then you shouldn't be like that yourself. What makes you a better person than Mint is that you recognize your mistakes and you try to fix them. And you don't deliberately go around hurting people's feelings."

Rudy stared at her quietly. He tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't. He knew, as Penny spoke to him, that she was right. He wasn't the type of guy to just sit around and do nothing if he knew he had hurt someone else. Even if that someone is a person he hated, he just didn't feel comfortable with not trying to fix things a little.

"I know Mint is a horrible person. I know he's done a lot of nasty things. I know you hate him. So do I. But if you want to prove that you're a bigger person than him, Rudy," Penny said. "Then you should apologize to him. It doesn't have to be a long winded apology. Just tell him you didn't mean what you said."

Rudy stared at her for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. "I doubt he'd give me the chance anyway. He'll just run like he always does."

"Do you feel comfortable with someone being terrified of you?" Penny asked.

Rudy looked away. "He's not scared of me. He's just scared of facing the consequences..." Penny didn't say anything. Rudy took in a deep breath. "This is just phase. I'll prove it to you. The next time I get a chance, I'll talk to him and I'll show that I'm right. The kid's facade will crumble down. Even if some of it is an honest reaction, most of it is just a show to make us feel sorry for him."

Penny shook her head. "Are you trying to fool yourself, Rudy? Because that's what Mint had been doing."

Rudy glared at her. "I'm nothing like Mint..."

"Then prove it." Penny said. "Apologize to him when you get the chance. I know you better than this, Rudy. I know, in the end, you'll make the right decision."

Rudy reflected on what Penny said. He still didn't want to talk to Mint. He still was too angry with him. Even though he tried to speak to him earlier, he was worried that his temper would surface again. After all, Mint had done something really horrible to his friend. And Penny did understand his anger; she was just as furious as him. The only difference is that Penny was more emotionally mature than him, and she knew that yelling at Mint the way he had wasn't the best idea in the world.

He understood that it was a mistake. It didn't seem like something he would do under normal circumstances. But seeing his friend injured like that, he just..snapped. He allowed anger to overtake him and he had yelled viciously at Mint. He didn't even know what words he had meant and what words were said out of anger anymore. He thought he knew, but now he wasn't so sure.

He knew Penny was right. At some point, he should be the bigger person and apologize. It didn't seem like Mint was going to anytime soon. He should show that he is better than that kid by saying he was sorry. He didn't have to elaborate on it either. A simple 'I'm sorry' would be enough. Just a way of letting the kid know that he hadn't meant to blow up in his face like that. It didn't mean he had to try to befriend Mint or not. After what he did to Snap, Rudy wasn't sure he could ever want to be friends with him. But he should still do the right thing and apologize, even if Mint never apologized himself.

He didn't want to think on the matter anymore. Right now, they had plans to go visit Snap. He really wanted to see how he progressed today. Even if it was just a minor improvement, any amount of Snap getting better made Rudy happy. He didn't want to think about Mint right now. He wanted to go visit Snap, and so did Penny.

"Come on, let's go visit Snap." Rudy said as he got up and walked over towards the chalkboard. "My parents should be gone right about now." They had waited until his parents left to give them more suitable time to be with Snap without them noticing.

Penny nodded her head. She got up from the window ledge and walked over to the chalkboard. "Maybe this time, we can play some chinese chalkers. I'm sure he would love that."

Rudy smiled as he drew the portal. "Yeah. That would put a smile on his face for certain."

The two of them disappeared into ChalkZone.

sss

Mint sat down on his bed. His chalkboard was pushed to the side, leaning against the wall. He hadn't bothered using it since the incident at the temple. He had his hands clasped together, his head facing downward. He turned up once in a while to look at his father. He would then look back down.

It wasn't that his father was angry with him. It was just that, Mint was still angry at himself for what he did. He still felt horrible. He couldn't brush off the guilt he was feeling. After what he did, that was no surprise. He had gone too far this time. He had crossed the line, and he didn't think there was any way to go back. Even if he tried to fix it..it wouldn't be enough. Nothing he could say or do would change the fact that he had... almost killed someone.

He had asked his dad to come into his bedroom so he can talk to him. He hadn't said anything yet; his dad just arrived. It was going to be hard to speak to him about this. He wasn't going to tell his dad he broke someone's back. He might react a little too poorly to that. But his dad did have to deal with a lot of people every day, some not so pleasant, and he might have some pointers on what he should do. Maybe his dad could help ease his guilt a little. He didn't know how long his mind and body could take it.

"Okay, son. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" His dad asked in a gentle voice. Mint fidgeted a little. His dad held out his hand in a gesture. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

"Well..." Mint started to say. He bit his lip, looking around the room nervously. He tried to think of how to say it. "What would you do if you did something...horrible..?"

His dad's eyes widened a little at that. "Like what?"

"Like...hurt someone...really bad." Mint said softly. He paused for a moment, sucking on his lip a little. "What would you do?"

His dad paused for a moment. Mint watched as his dad narrowed his eyes a little, not from anger, but from thinking. His dad soon spoke, "I would try to fix it."

Mint flinched. "What if you can't fix it? What if they won't let you?"

"You should never underestimate the power of an apology, son." His dad said, a smile on his face. "It is hard to face problems that you created, but if you keep hiding from them, the problems will never go away. They will remain with you, haunt you for years. So, you should try to fix them as soon as possible. Apologize, say you're sorry." He moved towards Mint and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whoever you hurt...they might not be happy to see you. They might accept your apology, but you should still say you're sorry regardless. Try to mend what you have broken."

Mint listened to his father's words and took them into consideration. "I'm...still scared."

His dad smiled gently down at him. "I know you are. Everyone is afraid sometimes. And when we make a mistake, especially a big one, we find it hard to deal with it. But self pity will get you nowhere. Nothing will be solved if you do nothing but think about what you did. It takes a strong person to admit when they are wrong. It takes a stronger person to try to make things right."

Mint let this all sink in. He didn't respond at first. He looked down towards the ground. His dad's words flooded his mind. Slowly, he gave a small smile. Not much, but it was still there. "Thanks, dad. I..appreciate it."

"Anytime." His dad gave him a hug. "Is there anything else?"

"No..no I'm good." Mint said."

"Okay then." His dad straightened himself up. "I'll be in the living room if you want to talk more." With that, his dad closed the door behind him, leaving Mint alone in his room.

Mint thought about what his dad had told him. Despite what his dad said, he still felt some doubt. After all, Rudy and Penny hated him. They won't let him anywhere near them or Snap. They wouldn't listen to him, even if he did try to apologize. They would just threw it back in his face, just like Rudy had back at the temple.

Then again...was that a real apology? No..he had just panicked. He was scared and trying to say whatever he could to calm Rudy down. His temper had been frightening, and it was permanently etched into his head. His hurtful words buzzed around his mind like angry bees. They stung him, and had affected his behavior lately. He did feel like a horrible person and he did deserve to have those things said to him. He wasn't exactly a nice guy to them lately, so he deserved a bit of karma.

He had been depressed for the past two weeks. He wouldn't stop kicking himself mentally for what he did. He had nightmares of what happened, where he had either killed Snap or done much worse. Snap's scream, that crack, they both echoed in his nightmares, and he sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He had felt so horrible that today was the first time he actually mentioned to dad some clues of what had happened. Before today, he never told anyone or spoke to anyone about what had happened.

He was a horrible person. A stupid kid who had bitten off more than he could chew. He was a coward, choosing to hide from the problems he made instead fixing them. He just...didn't know how to deal with it. He never made a terrible mistake like this before. He had never been yelled at like that before. And ever since then, he was wallowing in guilt, beating himself up constantly over what happened.

And it didn't help that he was terrified of Rudy now. Even if Rudy just wanted to speak to him, he just..couldn't face him. Or Penny. They had warned him that he was doing terrible things. They tried to get him to open his eyes, realize it was not a game, and he ignored them. He did not listen to them. And because of that, because of his stubborn insistance that it was just a video game, he had almost killed someone... Snap... even if he could get to him, would Snap even listen? Out of all of them, Snap had the biggest reason to hate him, to not listen...

The terrible things Mint did weighed down all around him. It came into focus, over the past several days, just how big of a monster he had been. He felt terrible guilt wrack through his body as he recalled all the bad things he did in ChalkZone. The zoners he terrorized or tried to injure, zoners he had hurt, homes he had destroyed... It was all too much for him to bear. He couldn't believe just how much of a monster he had been, especially to zoners who were friendly with him moments before he started to hurt them. And all in the name of what he thought was a game...

And it wasn't just ChalkZone he had been horrible to. He treated Rudy and Penny very poorly, and there was no excuse for that. He said bad things to them, he hurt them, he taunted them, he was a downright jerk to them. And there was no reason he had to be like that. Even if it was just a game, there was no excuse for the deplorable way he had acted towards them.

Would they even want to listen to him? Would they give him a chance to speak? He wouldn't blame them if they did. He blamed himself for what has happened. No longer did he try to push the blame on others. No, it was entirely his fault this happened. He should have listened. He should have heeded their warnings. Instead, he chose to ignore them, and he was paying the price for that.

He had screwed up big time. He broke Snap's back. Because of him, the zoner was going to be in pain for a long time. And what really hurt was that...he had known better. He knew that hitting his back was a terrible idea, and he still did it anyway. He had let anger take over. He had ignored Snap's desperate pleas. His eyes watered a little as Snap's fearful expression filled his mind. He had deliberately harmed another living being, and all just because he wanted to 'teach him a lesson'... What kind of lesson could he possibly have needed to teach Snap...?

It had been hard dealing with the guilt the past two weeks. It ate away at him, making it hard for him to eat, sleep, do much of anything. He often, when alone, started to cry, mourning over what a terrible person he had been. Yeah he wasn't always the nicest guy, especially towards the art teacher. But he...he never wanted to hurt anyone this badly. He never thought things would go this far...

He let his dad's words sink into his mind again. He thought about them carefully, comprehending what his dad was telling him. And as his dad's words settled in, one phrase stuck to his mind. 'It takes a strong person to admit when he's wrong. It takes a strong person to do something about that'... This was not the only time his dad said something like that. He had repeated it over the years, but it never made sense to him. But now, with the recent events, as he thought more about it, he started to understand what his dad was talking about. It was really starting to sink in.

He turned his head towards the chalkboard. A realization dawned on him. This...this was not about him. His depression, feeling guilty, it was never about how he felt, at least not entirely. It was about Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He wasn't the one who was laying in a hospital bed in great pain. He wasn't the one who had a damaged foot. He wasn't the one with a bruised jaw. It was them... The three who he had been a jerk to in the recent past.

His dad was right. He couldn't sit here and do nothing. His guilt would eat away at him if he did. And nothing would get better. He had felt guilty for a while, but he never did anything about it. He would sit around and mope about it, but he never tried to do anything, well except confess the truth about the fire alarm. But that wasn't the only wrong he committed. He had done other things as well. And he hadn't tried fix them. He hadn't tried to make things better.

Well that was going to change here and now. They deserved an apology. As afraid as he was to face them, he had to do it. Even if they rejected him and chased him off, he still had to do it. They all deserved an apology from him, especially Snap. Out of all of them, he treated Snap the worst, like he was lower than dirt, all because he thought he wasn't real. His heart stung as he recalled the awful things he said to him, the terrible things he did, such as gagging and cuffing him and leaving him by his bed all night.

He got up from his bed and got out his magic chalk. He stared intently at the chalkboard. He narrowed his eyes in determation. No more running. No more hiding. No more feeling sorry for himself. No more inaction. It was time face his mistakes. It was time to confront the consequences of his ignorance and selfishness. It was time to set things right.

It was time to apologize.


	29. Apology

Mint wasn't surprised by the reaction he got when he walked through ChalkZone City. Zoners panicking and running away. Others yelling at him, demanding him to leave or asking him why he had come back. Some zoners commented that they thought they were safe from the Enemy Creator, lamenting that something terrible was going to happen since Mint came back. None of the zoners had tried to harm him, which kind of surprised Mint considering he did a lot of bad stuff and he deserved some karma. He was glad that they didn't attack as it made the trip to the hospital faster and easier.

That is, if he could even find the hospital. The way this place was structured was different than a regular city. Things he was familiar with were altered or absent in this world. Still, he pressed on. There would have be a sign for the hospital somewhere, right? Hospitals were very important, so surely they should have some kind of pathway leading them, maybe a sign pointing in the direction or something.

As he walked down the street of ChalkZone City, he took that time to look around. He could see the damage that he had caused just days earlier. At that time, he would have thought nothing of what he did. But now, with the epiphany he had, the sight of this had a different effect on him. It made him feel horrible as he now realized that the destruction actually meant. He wondered how many zoners were hurt or even killed because of his wrecklessness and foolishness. All around, he could see the mangled buildings and debris still laying around. Not as bad as it used to be thanks to some repairs, but the damage that he could see stung him, a painful reminder of what his ignorance had done.

He would get around to try to do something about it soon. Drawing buildings wasn't his strong point, but perhaps he could put his dinosaurs to good use, genuine good use. They could help in the reconstruction, and perhaps he could help with some of the more lightweight stuff. He wasn't sure what he could do, but there had to be something, right? A little bit goes a long way, as the saying goes.

He took a turn down one of the roads that he thought might be the way to the hospital. He made the turn too quickly and, before he realized it, slammed into a zoner. He moved back, shaking his head from the surprise. He looked down on the ground to find a green, flat zoner that looked like a rectangle with a face. Standing behind him was another zoner, a more human-like one and clearly female. The female zoner was bending her knees and helping the rectangle zoner up to his feet. The two zoners looked at him and they immediately recognized him. Their eyes widened in horror.

"The Enemy Creator has returned!" The green zoner said, his eyes widened. He took a step back, taking a defensive stance. "What do you plan on doing this time, Enemy Creator?" The green zoner narrowed his eyes.

The human-like zoner glared at him. "Haven't you caused enough trouble? Why have you come back?"

Mint winced at this and took a step back. He wasn't surprised by their reactions. It was pretty much how many zoners around these parts reacted to him. Angry or surprised, taking defensive stances and what not. After what he had done, he couldn't blame them for reacting so poorly to his presence. He did pretty much deserve this kind of reaction. He had given these zoners no reason to believe he was anything but a monster. That was his fault.

Mint waved his hand in front of him in an attempt to show the zoners he wasn't going to cause harm this time. "I'm not here to attack anything, or anyone."

The human-like zoner raised an eyebrow. "And how can we believe you?"

"Yeah." The green zoner said, narrowing his eyes some more. "Everytime you've shown up, you've left destruction in your wake!"

"Yeah, I know..." Mint lowered his head a little. "I'm sorry about that. It was wrong of me to do. I...was too stupid to realize I was hurting real people." The two zoners looked at him with perplexed expressions. Mint guessed that they weren't expecting any kind of apology from him. "I promise I won't hurt anyone again, and I promise I will try to repair the damage I caused."

The two zoners looked at each other. They still looked confused. It looked like they weren't sure how to take this. They still looked uncertain, and as they glanced back, he could see how they looked at him with suspicion in their eyes. Again, he wasn't surprised, and he wouldn't blame them if they didn't believe him.

He wondered if these two zoners were caught in any of the destruction he caused the past few days. They didn't seem like they were injured, but that didn't mean much. They could have been mildly hurt, like Snap was when he caused part of ChalkZone City to explode. The defensive stance that the green zoner took did make him think that it was possible he was hurt in some way, even if he didn't look it. A mild burn or small scrape wouldn't really be easily noticeable and would have gone away by now.

"You're...sorry..?" The human-like zoner asked, disbelief trailing along her voice. She folded her arms. "I'm not sure if I believe it."

Mint said, "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't trust me either."

The green zoner took a step forward. He looked a little angry. Mint looked at him and wondered what he was going to say. Scold him for what he's done, most likely. He got a lot of that as he went around ChalkZone City.

"Aren't you the one who put Snap in the hospital?" The green zoner asked.

At this, the human-like zoner's eyes widened. "Yeah, that's right..." Her eyes narrowed into slits. "You're the reason Snap has been in so much pain lately..."

The green zoner nodded. "You broke our friend's back."

Mint felt a stinging sensation in his heart. He bit his lip and took a step back. But he did not run. He realized it was foolish of him to run before when Rudy tried to reach him. Granted, it was probably for the best, at least at that time, because he was still so far in his stupid self pitying that he wouldn't have been able talk appropriately to Rudy. He might have said something else stupid or insensitive. Still, he acknowledged it wasn't the best move, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake here.

Even though he still had that instinct to run, even though he wanted to get away from these angry zoners, he kept his feet planted on the ground. He had already told himself he was going to confront his mistakes, and that is exactly what he was going to do. He hated the coward he had become and that was going to change.

"I came here to see Snap." Mint said.

"Why?" The female zoner asked, folding her arms. "Are you going to try to hurt him again? Maybe take him to your leader, Skrawl?"

Mint shook his head. "I'm no longer associated with that hideous growling jellybean." The mention of Skrawl's name filled Mint with anger. Skrawl had been using him as a tool all this time, using him to cause destruction to ChalkZone. The time would come when he had to confront him. "I don't want to hurt Snap. I feel awful about what I did to him. I treated him like crap, and I want to apologize to him. Can you two take me to him? I promise, I will not harm him."

The two zoners were still uncertain of him. They didn't respond to him. They just looked at him with mild frowns.

"I know it's hard for you to believe me, but I'm telling the truth. I will not hurt your friend. If it makes you uncomfortable, me talking to your friend, then stay in the room with me." Mint suggested. Maybe these two would feel better being in the room with him when he apologized. "Please...let me see him. Let me try to make up for what I've done."

The two zoners continued to glare at him for a few seconds. They clearly didn't believe him and they still looked defensive, like he was going to attack them at any moment. Then, slowly, their expressions softened up a little. They still had glares on their faces, a way of telling Mint they still didn't trust him that much. But they did seem like they were willing to give him something of a chance.

"Okay..." The female zoner said. "Follow us."

sss

Mint followed the two zoners, whom he came to learn were Rapsheeba and Blocky, down the road and towards the hospital. It turned out he wasn't that far from the hospital, but the path these two took, he wouldn't have been able to guess it on his own. Before he knew it, he could see the hospital straight ahead. Tall, white, with some red markings, yeah, even before seeing the sign, he could defitely tell this was a hospital.

As he was approaching slowly, he could see there was an ambulance there. He saw the paramedics loading an injured zoner, looking like a stick figure, out of the vehicle. The zoner looked badly wounded. He guessed he was one of the zoners that hadn't been found for a while, buried under the rubble. Or maybe he had been found before, and was recovering but then something happened and he had to be rushed back. Whatever the reason, Mint couldn't help but feel bad. More likely than not, this was one of his victims. He watched as the stick figure zoner was rushed through the hospital doors.

He was getting closer to the doors himself. He started to slow down, unsure if he could go through with it or not. He knows that, once he walks in, any zoner that saw him would freak out, maybe run away. There would be panic, he was certain of that. And he didn't want that. He didn't want to make them feel afraid.

But what else could he do? He couldn't just go through the window. That would be suspicious and would give them more of a reason not to trust him. Best he just go through the front entrance rather than try to take a back way in. Perhaps Rapsheeba and Blocky would vouch for him, or at least keep the zoners from freaking out. He wasn't sure how well known any of these zoners were in their world, but they seem like the type of zoners others would listen to.

In through the doors the three went. Mint forced himself to keep up the pace. It was tough, at times, to get his leg muscles to move. Still, he managed to keep walking, and he and the two zoners were going through the waiting room.

Mint looked around. There were a good number of zoners here. Some humanoid, some stick figure, some something else entirely. Every single one of them were looking at him. A number of them looked at him in fear or hatred. A tiny bit were curious and apprehensive. But like in ChalkZone City, none of them tried to make a move on him. And he thinks he knows why, after thinking about it some. It was because he was a creator; he could make his drawings a reality. That kind of power had a lot of implications, as he learned during his time here. It also helped that Rapsheeba and Blocky were with him. Some of the injured zoners looked confused seeing them with him.

"It's okay." Rapsheeba said as they walked through the waiting room. "It's under control."

At this, the zoners appeared to relax a little more. That didn't stop them from glaring at him or looking at him suspiciously. The feeling of eyes boring into his back was not a comfortable feeling. Still, he pressed on and followed the two zoners towards the front desk.

The zoner behind the desk was shocked to see him. Her eyes widened and the papers she was holding nearly fell out of her hands. She reached over and grabbed the mic. Mint's mind filled with dread. From her expression, the way she panicked, she was going to call security. Thankfully, she didn't get that far as Rapsheeba reached out with her hand, getting the receptionist's attention.

"That's not necessary. He just wants to see Snap." Rapsheeba said.

The receptionist looked skeptical. "How do I know he won't do something?" She cast a suspicious glare at Mint.

Blocky replied, "We're suspicious too. That's why we're keeping an eye on him."

Rapsheeba nodded. "If he tries something, we'll sound the alarm. So please, let us in to see Snap."

The receptionist didn't look very comforted by these words. Her eyes never left Mint. She scanned him up and down, like she was trying to locate a hidden weapon or his magic chalk. Mint bit his lip and took a small step back. He lowered his head a little, trying to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible. Whether or not that worked, he wasn't sure, but the receptionist did appear to give in to the two zoners' words.

"All right then... I'll give him twenty minutes and then he must leave." The receptionist said with her eyes still narrowed. She pushed a button and then there was a click sound on the door nearby. "Get going."

Twenty minutes? That wasn't a long time. He wondered if she meant twenty minutes total in the hospital, or twenty minutes total in Snap's room. He didn't waste any time. He followed Rapsheeba and Blocky as they headed down the hallway. They moved past many rooms, each one with a letter and number label on it. Nearly all of them were used, and he was certain it was largely because of his ignorant actions.

As they headed down the hallway, he thought about what he might say to Snap. There was a lot he wanted to say, but putting it to words was going to be difficult. He was certain the zoner was going to be frightened of him when he sees he's coming into the room. He believed..no he knew, that Snap was not going to be comfortable with him being there. After all, he was the reason he was in so much pain, why he was hospitalized. Mint knew that Snap was going to be stuck here for a very long time, and it was all because of his stupidity.

He wanted to do something to help him feel better. He couldn't very well take back the attack. It was too late for that. He screwed up big time, and there was nothing he could do to change it. And if he did change it...wouldn't that do more harm than good? It was the breaking of Snap's back that forced him to face reality, forced him to stop decieving and lying to himself about this being a video game. If he changed it, how long would it have taken for him to see the truth? How many more zoners could he have hurt?

Despite not being able to take away the pain or make the wound less severe, he could do something else to help him. Snap seemed like the kind of zoner who liked games. Real games, that is, not a fake one. Not the video game lie he had been told ever since he first came into ChalkZone. Maybe a game of Uno. That was a simple game that didn't really require a lot of motion around. He could see Snap being able to play that even if he were still laying on his back.

Yes, playing a game might help move things along a little. He settled on Uno, unless Snap wanted to play something else. It would be a good way to get to know him a little more. He had acted lilke he had known all about Snap in the past, but he had just been lying to himself, just like he had with Rudy and Penny. He misjudged them all, and now he wanted to take the time to get to know them better. Perhaps a game of Uno could help relax Snap a little and take his mind off the pain. There were other games he could consider as well, such as checkers, although that might be a little more difficult to set up considering the circumstances.

He wondered how well Snap was doing. It had only been two weeks. Two long weeks he didn't want to think about, since he spent most of it more or less crying in a corner in a fetal position. Okay it wasn't quite like that, but that's what it felt like he was doing. It wasn't that he was thinking only of himself; he had often thought about Snap and the others. But he hadn't acted and he had focused too much on self pitying and not enough on thinking about them. His self pity had overshadowed that and he didn't take action as a result. He hoped that, in some small way, he did recover. Two weeks isn't a very long time to heal for an injury like he gave Snap, but it would still at least be a tad better than from when it all started.

Mint continued following Rapsheeba and Blocky until they reached the end of one hallway. They turned to the left side and towards one of the doors. They had reached Snap's room. He watched, keeping a bit of distance, as Rapsheeba and Blocky opened up the door and walked in. He waited for a few moments, giving the friends time to talk and let Snap know he was coming.

"Snap, here's someone here who wants to see you." He heard Rapsheeba say.

Blocky peered out the door, staring at him. He used his small arms to motion for him to come over. Swallowing and taking a deep breath, Mint walked over towards the open door. He paused for a few seconds, hesitating. Then, slowly, he stepped through the door.

The hospital room was a decent size. About the same size he would expect from a hospital back in his world. There was one bed placed in the middle of the room, the head of it pressed against the wall. There were some monitors attached to Snap, keeping an eye on his vitals. He wasn't an expert, but they appeared to be more or less healthy. There was a TV mounted on the wall in front of Snap, currently off, the screen black. There was a tray in the corner of some hospital food that hadn't been taken back yet. The floor was shiny and Mint could see his distorted reflection as he walked further into the room, stopping about five feet away from the bed.

Laying on the bed, he could see Snap. His head rested on several large, fluffy pillows, extending down to his back, probably to ease the pain a little. White covers, which blended well with his white body, were pulled over him, his arms laying across the top of them. The zoner's eyes were locked onto his. They were filled with fear, like he expected, but there was also something more. Curiosity. Snap wasn't just afraid he was there; he was actively wondering why, and was confused. Despite being afraid, the zoner didn't tremble, maybe because two of his zoner friends were in the same room with him.

Mint just stared at Snap for a few seconds. His mind whirled with thoughts, trying to think of what to say. He was here now. He had to speak to him. He couldn't back out now, not after coming all the way here to speak with him. Yet he couldn't bring himself to speak, not yet. He knew it was going to be hard. He just didn't think it was going to be this hard.

Snap was the one who broke the silence.

"Mint...?" Snap asked. Mint watched as the zoner raised his head a little. The zoner's eyes widened just slightly. He turned his head so he could look at the eleven year old more clearly. "What are you doing here?"

"I..uh..." Mint bit his lip nervously. He took a step forward. "I wanted to tell you something..."

Snap looked at him, tilting his head slightly in confusion. Then he started to sit up. "Okay." Mint winced as Snap slowly sat up, watching the zoner's face contort in pain. As the covers came off, he could see the zoner was wearing a reinforced back brace. The sight of it filled him with more guilt. Once Snap was sitting up, he said, "Talk to me."

"I...I..." Mint said, stammering and stuttering over his words.

At first, he was silent, except for the occasional trying to speak, only to stutter and give up. He knew what he wanted to say, but actually saying it, and to the person he had harmed, it was hard. His dad hadn't been lying about that. It was always hard to apologize to someone, especially if there was a lot of damage caused by an action.

He stared at Snap, watching as he stared at him expectantly. The zoner didn't say a word. He kept quiet, waiting patiently for him to say something. Snap showed no signs of being irritated by how long he was taking. A few minutes past by and still Mint hadn't gotten himself to talk yet. He was glad that he wasn't making Snap more upset by not speaking. The zoner did appear curious, that he did want to know what he wanted to say.

Yet speaking...that was still hard. Though Mint had an idea of what he wanted to say, it was still hard for him to, well, say it. He wasn't sure how to put everything to words. He wasn't sure if Snap would accept his apology. He wasn't sure if he would believe his explanation, anything he said to him. He didn't know how he would react to anything he would say. The zoner had every right to hate him, every right to be afraid of him. Though he was clearly giving him a chance to talk, that didn't mean Snap wasn't suspicious of him.

But he couldn't run, not now. He forced himself to take a few steps closer. He flinched as Snap slightly cringed a little. He wouldn't blame him for being afraid. He had been nothing but cruel to the zoner. He hung his head in shame, his eyes glancing at the ground below him. He took in a deep breath and lifted his head back up, looking at Snap in the eyes. He didn't have a lot of time to talk to him. He couldn't waste his twenty minutes, which he knew is less now, just staring at Snap. This might be the only chance he'll get to talk to him, and he best make the most of it.

Rapsheeba and Blocky were standing by the door, watching him. Rapsheeba's arms were folded and Blocky was in a semi-defensive stance. He realized that they must be there to escort him out of the room when the twenty minutes were up.

He could feel his heart clenching up as he opened up his mouth to speak. Yet no words came out. He grunted in frustration. He had to do this. He had to apologize. He clenched his mouth shut tightly and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. No more running...no more hiding... Just do...

Soon, after pushing himself mentally, he managed to find his voice.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for what I've done to you, Snap. I...I didn't mean for this to happen.." Mint said. He could feel tears forming in his eyes as the guilt began to wash over him. He stared at Snap's back brace before turning to lock his eyes back on his. "I shouldn't have done it.. There's no excuse for what I did to you. I'm sorry..."

Snap stared at him, his eyes blinking slowly. He looked a little surprised, clearly not expecting an apology. The two stared at each other, silent. Mint let his tears roll down his cheeks. His mind swirled with memories of everything he had done to Snap. And each one stung him more and more, piling up in his head. His body shook a little with emotion and he took another step forward.

"I've been a real jerk to you for all this time. I've done terrible things to you. I tried to kill you...I tied you up... I tried to take you away from your friends... I broke your back..." At that last one, he choked up, sniffling loudly. He wiped away his tears. "I've treated you like you were lower than dirt, and there was no excuse for that. And for that, I'm so sorry... I take back all the awful things I said about you. I'm sorry about the pain I've caused you, the fear I struck into you... I'm sorry..." He lowered his head, letting the tears fall. "I'm so sorry..." He spoke in a soft voice.

There, he said it. He finally said it. He managed to work up the courage to apologize to Snap. It was hard, but he managed to do it. Now he waited to hear what Snap had to say about it. He didn't know if Snap would accept his apology or not. But he did feel a little better knowing that he did manage to face his fears and confronted them, and said he was sorry. He wiped away a few more of his tears as he waited for Snap to speak.

At first, the zoner just looked at him. He didn't look angry or anything, though his eyes were narrowed. He looked more confused and perplexed. He didn't blame him. Apologizing, genuinely, wasn't something Mint had done with him or his friends lately. He wasn't surprised that Snap looked like he didn't know what to say or think of the situation.

"Why...?" Came Snap's voice.

"Hmm?" Mint asked, wondering what Snap wanted to ask him.

Snap stared at him, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. "Why were you acting that way? Why did you hit me when I begged you to stop?"

This question took Mint by surprise. He took a step back, stammering a little. He thought about the question. He...hadn't thought about it before. He thought it was because of what Skrawl told him, but..that didn't excuse his behavior. Skrawl never told him to be a jerk to them even in the real world. That..that had been his choice... His fault... Why had he done it? Why did he act like that?

Then it hit him. He knew why he was acting like that, and it wasn't a good enough excuse. He knew the real reason why he had been so mean to them, and it wasn't simply because he had aligned himself with that horrible jellybean zoner. The real reason behind his behavior filled him with more regret than he thought he would ever feel in this moment.

"I...I wanted control..." Mint managed to choke out. More tears formed. "I wanted to keep control of something that...I thought was mine... The ability to create, bring my creatures to life... I was so worried about it being taken away... That I lashed out. I was mean to you three, a total jerk, because...because I didn't want anyone telling me what to do. I wanted to stand up for myself, to not take crap from anyone." He paused for a moment, flinching at the sight of the back brace. "And I...I was still deluding myself. I wanted so much to believe this was all a game, I...I attacked you, broke your back...because I wanted so desperately for this to not be real. That was no excuse... I'm so very sorry..."

Again there was silence. The only sound that could be heard was their breathing and the heart monitor as it beat steadily. Snap stared at him, his eyes narrowed a little. He seemed to be taking his words in, thinking over them carefully. Mint kept quiet, allowing the zoner a chance to reply. He didn't expect forgiveness. He hoped that Snap at least understood how sincere he was being this time.

Then, slowly, Snap gave a small smile. "Apology accepted."

Mint stared at Snap in shock. He hadn't expected that. He stammered a little before he managed to say, "Wh-What...? You..?"

Snap nodded his head once, the smile broadening just a tad. "I forgive you."

"You...you do..?" Mint whispered, his eyes wide with surprise. "After...after all the things I did...you...?"

Snap said, "Yeah, I do. I'm still upset with what you've done.." Mint flinched a little at that. "But...you did admit that you were wrong. You were strong enough to see your own mistakes and you came here to fix that. That took guts, confronting your mistakes head-on like that. We all make mistakes, but what's important is that we try to fix them. I can tell you're sincerely sorry for what you did and that you really do want to change." Mint stared at him as he said this. "I forgive you for what you've done."

Mint couldn't believe it. After all he had done to him, after the awful things he said, Snap still found it in his heart to forgive him... He hadn't expected this kind of response. He would have thought that Snap would have demanded him to leave. He had every right to hate him, every right to make him want to go away. He had little reason to believe that he was being sincere.

But instead of chasing him off like he thought he was going to, Snap instead had forgiven him. He had accepted his apology. He..he believed him.. Mint felt his eyes well up in tears as the impact of Snap's forgiveness washed over him, fighting back the negative feelings that filled him up earlier. His body trembled a little, this time from more positive emotion. Slowly, he felt his mouth tic into a small smile, returning Snap's. His dad was right. Apologies can be powerful. They can be strong, and help change things for the better, even if that change isn't automatic.

He felt some of the burden that was weighing down on his shoulders lift up. Snap's forgiveness helped fill him with confidence that he could confront Rudy and Penny and give them apologies, that he could apologize to the other zoners he had harmed. He still felt horrible about what he did, and he didn't think the guilt of that would go away anytime soon. But the fact that Snap had forgiven him did fill him with hope, and helped the pain of guilt be a little easier to manage.

Mint moved closer to Snap until he stood about two feet away. He smiled down at the zoner, wiping away his tears. "Th-Thank you... I..I wasn't expecting you to forgive me, I.." He stopped when Snap raised his hand.

"I don't think you're a bad kid, Mint." Snap explained, that smile still on his face. "I think you were just misguided, led astray. You could have been a good creator right from the beginning, but you lost your way. You have found your way back, and that isn't something that's easy to do, especially after all the damage that was caused."

Mint nodded his head. "I'm sorry about that..."

"I know you are." Snap replied, making a gesture with his round hand. "And it's good that you admitted that instead of running away and hiding. You're willing to make up for what you did, despite how hard it is, and that is what makes you a good kid, Mint."

Mint stared at Snap, unsure of what to say to that. His smile broadened a little more.

Snap said, "I really do think you and I could be...friends."

"You...would be friends with me?" Mint's eyes widened. "After what I've done?"

Snap nodded his head. "Sure. If you're really sorry for what you did and you help fix things, I see no reason why we can't start over. You have some good traits, Mint. You have been misusing them for all this time, but now it's time for you to put them to good use. And if you can do that, well..." Snap pointed his hand towards the boy. "You're okay by my book."

Mint found it hard to believe. Snap, the zoner he had terrorized the most, was actually extending the hand of friendship to him. He stared at Snap in shock, at his hand that he had outstretched towards him, like he wanted him to grab it.

At first, Mint did nothing but stare at him. He wasn't sure what to think. He was in total shock that Snap would even consider being friends with him after what he had done to him. He would have expected him to want him to leave. He would have understood if he did want him to go away. He wouldn't blame him. But instead, Snap had not only forgiven him, but said he wanted to be friends with him. That was completely unexpected, and it let Mint a little confused and uncertain.

This had gone further than a simple apology. This took him further than what he had expected. He had thought that the only thing that would have happened is that Snap would have understood he was sorry, but wanted him to get far away from him. His dad was indeed right that an apology was powerful, and that he shouldn't have underestimated it. Slowly, his smile came back, stretching further across his mouth than from before. This was going much better than he had expected.

Mint stared at Snap's hand. He took a step forward and raised his right hand. He hesitated a little, but then he slowly moved it towards Snap. He grabbed onto his hand in his and gently squeezed it. Snap's smile grew bigger, looking happy that he had accepted his gesture. The feeling was hard to describe. It felt...good. Like something was sucking the negative emotion out of his back. Great relief spread through his body, and he felt more tears stream down his face.

Without thinking, but still managing to be gentle, Mint wrapped his arms around Snap, avoiding his back brace. He pulled him into a hug, pressing the side of his face against his. He could feel Snap hugging him back. The two of them stayed like this for a few seconds, embracing each other. This was so different than things used to be... Mint couldn't believe how much things can change in such a short time frame. He continued to hug Snap, further cementing the fact that, at last, things were going to change.

Soon the two pulled away. Silence fell upon the room again, but this time, it didn't last too long. From behind, Mint could hear Rapsheeba clearing her throat.

"You have twelve minutes left before the receptionist wants you out." She said in a soft voice.

"Okay, thanks." Mint said. Only eight minutes had passed? It felt so much longer than that. He looked towards Snap. He winced as he saw Snap's face temporarily contort in pain. "How are you feeling...?"

"It's a little better.." Snap said, riding out the pain. "The pain goes away little by little as the day passes. Each day, it becomes easier to handle."

"How long will you be stuck here?" Mint asked. "Did they tell you?"

Snap nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, they think about five to six months will be how long I'll be here. At most a year."

"A...year...?" Mint bit his lip.

"Yeah." Snap said softly. He gave Mint a smile and added, "But they say my prognosis is looking good and they believe I might recover faster than they expect. I still have to be in the hospital for a while for therapy, though."

"Sorry..." Mint said, a pang of guilt clenching at his heart. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable?"

Snap thought about this, turning his gaze slightly upwards. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A burger would be nice..." He pointed his hand in Mint's direction. "With a soda, too, if you don't mind."

Although Mint never drew those before, he did the best that he could. After he drew the items that Snap requested, he placed them on the desk that was next to his hospital bed. With the bed's railings down, it was easy for Snap to reach over and grab them. Although Mint wasn't sure if he did a good job or not, the zoner seemed to like what he drew.

"Thanks." Snap said as he started to eat the burger.

"You're welcome." Mint said. He paused for a moment, and said, "Would you..like to play a game of Uno?"

Snap stared at him in confusion. He swallowed the piece of food he had in his mouth. "Uno?"

Mint nodded. "Yeah, it's a card game. Simple to play. Did you want to try it out?"

Snap paused for a few moments. He took a few more bites of his burger and took a drink of the soda. "Sure, why not?"

"Okay then." Mint said, giving a small smile. He drew a deck of Uno cards and took them out of the box. As he began to deal them, he started to explain the rules of the game. "Here is how you play..."


	30. Forgiveness

Mint was impressed with how quickly Snap picked up the game. That was good news since he didn't have a lot of time left to talk with him. Uno was a simple game, so it shouldn't be hard to have one or two games with the zoner before he had to leave. He could try to get more time, but decided against it; he might be pushing his luck that way. He had done a lot of terrible things and it was only natural the zoners didn't trust him right away. Baby steps was required. He can always come back later.

Well with how simple the game was, he shouldn't be surprised with how fast Snap picked it up. Then again, he wasn't expecting Snap to pick it up within the first minute of talking about it. He was still glad he did though. The two sat on the bed. Mint had turned himself inward, facing Snap with his leg draped over the side. He put some distance between them so he could place the cards between them, dealing them both their own stack and started to play.

Snap was clearly having fun with this game, and performed much better than he thought he would since he was a newbie at this game. One pattern he noticed is that, whenever the zoner got a wild card, the one that lets the player change the color to any of the four they wanted, Snap would almost always say blue. He guessed it was because he was blue and that was his favorite color. The only time Snap wouldn't call blue is if he really didn't have any blue cards. Not the best strategy, but it was just a game.

Snap was down to his last two cards. He placed the first one on the pile of discarded cards. He looked over at Mint with something of a smug look on his face. "Uno!" He called out, smiling at Mint with his arms crossed lightly.

Mint looked down at the card and then his own pile. He gave a smirk of his own, returning Snap's. The zoner didn't let up. He looked confident that, no matter what card Mint threw down, he would win. Mint picked up his card and placed it down. It was a wild card that he had been saving just in case.

"Yellow!" Mint called out.

"What?!" Snap spluttered, staring at the wild card in shock. He looked at his card, then the wild card. He alternated a couple times before letting out a soft groan. "Oh man.. I was so close too!" Having no choice, he reached over and started picking up cards until he got a yellow one. He placed it down. Now he had six cards in his hands, double the amount Mint did.

Mint let out a soft chuckle. "Better luck next time." He looked through his cards and placed another yellow one down. "Keep it up. I'm sure you'll win."

"I know I will!" Snap said, his eyes furrowed in determination. He put down his next card. This one had the same number but was green instead of yellow.

The two of them continued to play for the next couple of minutes. Mint knew he didn't have much time left. He hoped that they could finish their first game together, but he understood that there was a chance it'll be left unfinished, with no winners. He could always come back another time to play another game with him. Maybe he'll be allowed to stay longer, so long as he behaved himself. He just needed some time to convince the zoners that he wasn't going to do any harm.

The game went on a little longer than he thought. Two times, he had been close to winning, only for Snap to make a move that forces him to draw a card or two. And Snap almost won a second time, but is stopped when Mint makes a move that stops him. As the minutes passed, the two of them were down to their last three to four cards. They both looked determined to win. Their moves became better planned out, taking care to choose wisely what their next card they'd play would be.

Then, finally, Mint called out 'uno' once more. Snap, who still had two cards in his hands, tried to figure out which card he could play. Mint could see the frustration written on the zoner's face and he smirked. It seemed Snap had run out of options. Judging from his expression, Snap didn't have any moves left. He watched as the disgruntled Snap took another card, ending up having to two three before he finally found something he could use. He placed it down. It wasn't enough to stop Mint from winning.

Placing his final card down, Mint declared gleefully, "I win!"

"Oh..." Snap groaned, looking annoyed. "What about another game? I bet I can win the next round!"

Mint was about to reply when he heard Blocky speak up from beside the door. He turned his head to the green rectangular zoner.

"We hate to interrupt, but time is up." Blocky said.

"You have to leave now." Rapsheeba said softly. "We're sorry."

Mint nodded his head in understanding. He looked back down towards Snap. "Sorry, I have to get going." He straightened himself up, stretching himself. "How about I come back later for round 2?"

Snap gave him a determined smile. "You're on!" He pointed his round hand in his direction. He then gathered the cards in his hands and pushed them back in the box. He held it out to Mint. "Here, these are yours."

Mint stared at the box of Uno cards he had drawn. After a few seconds, he waved his hand dismissively, confusing Snap. "No, you keep them. Consider it a gift." He said with a small smile on his face. "Maybe one of your friends would like to play with you sometime. Rudy and Penny are coming soon, aren't they?"

The zoner nodded. "Pretty soon. About ten to fifteen minutes."

The boy nodded his head. That wasn't too far from now. He wouldn't be able to speak to them in the hospital, but he might be able to catch them on his way out. He hoped he would have the courage to speak to Rudy. As hopeful as he had been since Snap accepted his apology, he was still frightened to face Rudy. He had gone too far and broke his friend's back. The boy had every right to yell at him again if he saw him walking around in ChalkZone.

But still, he should talk to him should he run into him on his way out. Snap had mentioned, during their gameplay, that Rudy was indeed just trying to talk to him during that incident at school. And now knowing this, Mint did feel bad about running away with his tail between his legs, more or less. He had no idea for certain if Rudy wanted talk or not, and he had let his imagination get the better of him. A part of him thought that Rudy was going to hurt him, regardless of how irrational it would have been considering it had been a public place. He would try to do better this time around.

However, there was a chance that he'd still run or panic. When he saw Rudy before, his mind just...almost shut down and fear had overtaken him. He wasn't able to think clearly and he turned and ran out of instinct. He had to fight against that, somehow. He was terrified of Rudy, and he had no idea what the boy would do if he saw him again. Would he try to apologize like Snap said, or would Rudy become angry that he had visited his friend without him there and attack him?

Mint thought about how Rudy acted at the temple, when he had lost his temper. Mint really thought that Rudy was going to hit him. He didn't know Rudy very well, so he had no idea what his limits were. Would Rudy beat him to a pulp out of shere rage? Should he truly be scared when Rudy came towards him in their next encounter? How far would Rudy go to avenge his friend? The thoughts chilled Mint, filling him with more fear of Rudy than he had before.

He tried not to think about it. He had to face the boy sooner or later. He had to try to get over his fear of him, and the only way to do that was to confront him. Perhaps Penny...no she would be with him. She hadn't reacted in quite the same way as Rudy. She might be the 'voice of reason' and keep Rudy calm while he attempted his apology with him. Yeah, Penny seemed like she'd be reasonable enough to do that and not immediately jump to conclusions.

Not wanting to push his luck any further and risk having security called to haul him out, Mint walked up to Blocky and Rapsheeba. He turned to Snap and waved to him. "I'll see you around!"

"Bye!" Snap waved back as he took another drink of whatever was left of the soda.

Mint walked along side Rapsheeba and Blocky as they headed down the hallway. They were quiet for a few moments. They moved along the middle of the hall, no one bothering to speak. It wouldn't take too long for Mint to get to the waiting room. He wondered if there would be more zoners in there, and he wondered if they would panic and cause a riot at the sight of him. Hopefully, Rapsheeba and Blocky can calm them down like they had before.

Even though it had been only a minute since they started walking away from Snap's room, to Mint, it felt like a long time. Maybe it was the silence that was getting to him. Maybe he was a little uncomfortable around these two because he wasn't sure if they trusted him or not. Maybe it was the fact that this building housed so many zoners he had harmed, causing him to become surrounded in his own mistakes. Whatever the reason, the silent was a little uncomfortable as they made their way towards the front of the hospital.

Rapsheeba finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"You know..." She said in a soft voice. She paused for a second. She turned her head a little so she could look at Mint with the corner of her eye. "That was really brave...what you did." Mint looked over at her in surprise. "It must have been really hard to apologize."

"Yeah." Blocky said, prompting Mint to look at him. "That was really nice."

"We're still not sure what to think of you, but..." Rapsheeba said. "...if Snap is willing to trust you, we'll give you a chance."

Mint smiled at this. "Thanks, I..."

He never got a chance to finish the sentence. There was a sudden, loud explosion that rattled through the entire hospital. The trio let out a scream of surprise as the ground beneath them shook and wobbled. Pieces of the ceiling started to fall down, crashing all around them. When a particularly large one began to fall, Mint jumped towards the two zoners and pushed them out of the way. The debris fell behind them, kicking up dust into the air. The three of them, startled, remained quiet, their heavy breathing the only thing keeping the silence away.

Then there were panicked screams all arond them. Zoners sounding confused and uncertain, screaming out commands and trying to get everything straightened out. It was scary to Mint how fast things had delved into confusion. The zoners in the rooms all around him were calling out for help. Buzzing filled the air. Doctors came rushing down the halls. At first, Mint thought they were going to accuse him, but even if they did think it was his fault, they ignored him and rushed into the rooms. Mint could see the damage as the doors opened up. Bits of the ceiling had fallen and some of the zoners were knocked out of their beds.

The building shook again, forcing Mint to fall down onto his knees. He gripped the ground, trying to keep himself from being thrown again. He had no idea what was going on, other than someone was attacking. But how? It couldn't have been him, or his dinosaurs. The dinosaurs he had drawn wouldn't attack unless he willed it, and since he no longer wanted to attack the zoners, the dinosaurs would not engage. The only one he could think of who would do this was...

...Skrawl.

His eyes widened in horror at the thought. Had that jellybean followed him here? The thought that he might have inadvertantly led Skrawl to where Snap was trying to recover filled with him with guilt and dread. Snap was already badly hurt to begin with. If Skrawl tried to grab him, he had his doubts that he was going to be very gentle with him.

As he helped Blocky and Rapsheeba to their feet, there was another rattle, and the collapsing of a wall. This sounded really close, making Mint's heart beat faster. And then came the confirmation that he needed to know exactly what was going on. The hallways filled with screams. Snap's screams...

"Snap!" Mint called out as he rushed back towards the room.

"Oh no!" Blocky called out.

Rapsheeba shouted, "Someone's attacking him!"

The three of them rushed back to the room. Through the open door they ran, and they froze at what they saw. Sure enough, it was exactly who Mint feared it was going to be.

The room that Snap was in had a large hole in it. It looked like it was drilled through, but there was no signs of a machine being used. And when Mint looked at the damage more closely, it looked a little more warped and twisted, like someone stuck a giant finger in there and twirled it around a little to get something of a round shape in. In addition to the hole, the bed was flipped on its side and the machinery was torn apart. The IV fluids were ripped open and the liquid spilled everywhere. The television had fallen down and smashed into pieces. Dust filled the room, making it a tad harder to see.

Floating in the middle of the room was Skrawl. He was wearing and wielding about six artifacts, including the crown. He was surrounded in a golden glow, which he assumed is what allowed him to float above the ground. He stared down gleefully at the two zoners and human child. Clutched against his chest was Snap. The zoner appeared to be awake, but wasn't moving. The IVs had been ripped out ruthlessly, blood dripping from his arms. To Mint's horror, Skrawl was putting pressure on Snap's back, which prompted some screams of pain to come from the zoner's mouth.

"Skrawl...!" Rapsheeba said, narrowing her eyes. "Put him down!"

Skrawl let out a cold laughter. "Oh I can't do that. You see, I need him to set a trap for Rudy Tabootie. With his broken back, he was such an easy target." He looked down at Mint. His evil smile broadened. "And I have you to thank for that, Mint Zandophen. Congratulations..." He squeezed Snap a little harder, prompting another cry from him. "You learned how to be merciless."

Mint growled at this. A pang of guilt swept through his body when Skrawl said that. But along with that, anger. He was angry at how this zoner had used him as a tool for all this time. He was angry that this zoner had wanted to destroy parts of ChalkZone and had wielded him like a stick to do it. He had played on his beliefs of this being a video game. Well no more of that.

He took out his magic chalk and took a step forward. "Let him go, Skrawl!"

Skrawl widened his eyes and blinked at this. He certainly wasn't expecting him to turn on him like this. Soon the jellybean narrowed his eyes dangerously. He gritted his teeth, looking angry at Mint's betrayal. "So you want to be that way? Fine..." He raised his free limb, a ring attached around one of the fingers.

Before Mint could react, Skrawl activated the ring. A whirling distortion shot out, bending parts of the ground in his favor. A strip of floor came up. Skrawl controlled it like he was pulling the strings on a puppet. The piece of debris slithered towards Mint at an astonishing rate. So fast, that Mint found himself pinned against the wall by the debris, now shaped sort of like a hand. He gritted his teeth and pushed against it.

"A shame it has to come to this, Mint." Skrawl mused as he watched Mint struggle to get free. "And after all I've done for you, too..."

"Fuck you!" Mint shouted.

Skrawl's eyes filled it anger. He pulled back his free hand, clutching it tightly into a fist. "You will not speak to your superior that way!" With that, he started to press the rock against Mint harder, prompting a cry of pain to come from him. "It seems you need another lesson!"

Mint struggled to get free. He looked over at Rapsheeba and Blocky. With one eye shut from the pain, the other open partway, he started to speak to them. His voice came soft and strained due to the presser against his chest.

"Get...Rudy...now..." Mint said before he let out another grunt of pain. "Hurry...!"

The two zoners wasted no time. They disappeared out of the room and ran down the halls. As they ran, Mint turned his attention back to Skrawl. He needed to find someway to delay Skrawl long enough to give Rudy and Penny time to get here. But how? He was trapped and his left arm was pinned at his side. He couldn't get free...

...or could he? He recalled in one of his previous battles with Rudy, how he was still able to draw even though his arms were pinned. Maybe he could replicate that again... Holding the magic chalk in his hand, he twisted his arm as far as he could make it, jerking his hand to start to draw. It was hard for him to see, but still he moved his hand around, and soon he managed to draw something. Something small and fast...

An oviraptor landed on the ground next to him. Following Mint's gestures, the little dinosaur rushed over towards Skrawl. It jumped off the ground and bit down on his arm before the jellybean had time to react. The distraction caused the debris hand to loosen up enough to allow Mint to pull himself free. He brushed himself off and looked on as Skrawl struck the oviraptor down. There was a sickening crunch and he knew that the dinosaur's leg was broken. He looked on in horror at this and turned to glare at Skrawl. Holding his magic chalk again, he rushed over.

Mint wanted to grab onto Snap, but knowing that would cause more damage as he could inadvertantly stretch his broken back, he opted instead to grab onto Skrawl's wrist. He yanked back, trying to pull the jellybean further into the room, trying to get him on the ground. He hung on tightly, no matter how hard Skrawl shook him. Mint bit down on Skrawl's arm, prompting the jellybean to let out a scream of pain, his saliva obviously doing some damage considering he is made of chalk. It was clear neither of them were going to let go. Both were determined to hang on.

Before long, Mint could hear footsteps pounding the hallways. He looked over and he could see Rudy and Penny rushing in through the door. The sight of Rudy caused Mint to freeze in terror. His body started to shake. He tried to stop, telling himself over and over again now wasn't the time for him to panic. It was hard fighting back the fear, though, and in his momentary lapse, Skrawl seized the opportunity and threw Mint into Rudy before the boy could use his magic chalk. Mint let out a soft groan, now fully realizing how Snap and his friends felt when he threw him into them.

While Rudy and Mint struggled to their feet, stunned by the sudden blow they both recieved, Penny rushed forward. She reached out and grabbed onto Skrawl, trying to pull him back, just like Mint had been doing. Growling in frustration, Skrawl grabbed onto Penny and threw her into the ground. She let out a cry of pain. But instead of just leaving her there, Skrawl did something else.

He grabbed onto Penny and slammed her against the wall, hitting her in the back of her head. Another scream of pain and she fell unconscious. He held Penny with his other arm and sneered down towards Rudy.

"Your friends are mine now, Master Tabootie! And to make sure you don't try to interfere before I have time to...finish setting up..." Skrawl's ring glowed again. He pointed it out towards the two boys without having to loosen his grip on Penny. "I will give you something to keep you entertained for a while."

Before Rudy and Mint could react, the ground around them rose up in all directions. They both rushed towards the circular opening as it became smaller and smaller. Soon it closed up completely, trapping the boys in a small, dark area with rounded walls and no light, save for a few cracks that let in bright white light. They could hear Skrawl's maniacal laughter and then a loud crumbling sound as he fled the area, getting quieter until soon, it was silent.

sss

Rudy couldn't believe what just happened. Everything had gone by so fast, it was hard for him to register. One minute, they were walking towards the hospital to see their friend. They had just reached the doors when a panicked Blocky and Rapsheeba came to them. And the next minute, as they found out, they rushed down the hallway towards Snap's room. And there was Skrawl, holding their then unconscious friend, and Mint was there...

Rudy didn't question why Mint was there and rushed over to help Snap. Skrawl had thrown Mint against him and the two of them fell on the ground. Rudy tried to get up, but before he know it, Penny had been hurt and she was taken, along with Snap, by that terrible jellybean. He tried to go after him, but now he was sealed up in this place with Mint and Skrawl had gotten away.

He tried to open up the ground, but for some reason, any time he drew an opening, it would seal itself shut before he had a chance to crawl through it. He was completely trapped, with no way out. He was stuck here with Mint until, somehow, this debris shield was taken down.

The realization that he was trapped and unable to go after his friends weighed down heavily on his mind. He couldn't believe that this had happened. Just as Snap was showing some promising signs of improvement, this had to happen. Of all the times...why did it have to be now...? Snap was in no condition to be out of the hospital. He needed to be brought back. He needed to recover. It would be just like Skrawl to take Snap at his weakest hour. And Penny was in danger now too. He had no idea where Skrawl was taking his friends and what he had planned to do with them.

With no knowledge of Skrawl's hideout, how was he ever going to find them? There was Mint, but..no he wouldn't tell him. Mint was still acting. He was probably going to take Snap himself and Skrawl just turned on him because he displeased him. Yeah, that was it. Everything was fine until Mint showed up. He bet that he was the one who led Skrawl to Snap in the first place. How else could the jellybean have showed up suddenly, when he had shown no signs of appearing before? Mint must have been working with Skrawl on the sidelines in secret, and had just been pretending to be upset.

He glared in the boy's direction. Mint kept to himself on the opposite side, his head turned away, not looking at him. He wondered how long the boy would keep up this act. He wondered how much he'll go through before he'll revert back to his usual jerkish attitude. He knew the boy was just waiting for the chance to 'return to normal', so to speak. Acting like he actually was sorry for what he did must be tiresome to the Enemy Creator. And Rudy himself was getting tired of playing this game. It was going to stop here and now.

Mint was not going to tell him willingly where Penny and Snap were. He would either refuse to tell him or he would just tell him the wrong way. He couldn't just outright ask him where his friends were taken, where Skrawl's hideout was. He would have to make him tell. He needed to make sure Mint didn't lie to him. And to do that, he would have to be firm with him. He first needed to disarm him so he can't fight back, and then interrogate him afterwards. He would also make the boy tell him how to free himself from this shield, and once Mint did that, he would leave to go rescued his friends. He'd leave Mint trapped until later when he can drop him off in the real world and seal him out of ChalkZone.

He was going to attempt to apologize to him before, but not now. The kid didn't deserve an apology after what he had done. His mind played with thoughts on what happened. He bet Mint had lulled Snap into a false sense of security, and then he contacted Skrawl and helped him get to Snap before he and Penny could get to the hospital. It had struck him as odd at first when he saw Mint was pinned down and one of his dinosaur creations appeared injured. But he reasoned with himself that the kid was just putting on an act to fool him. Why else would Skrawl create this shield to keep him stuck with this kid, unable to get out?

Rudy got up from his knees, ceasing his attempts to get out. He would make Mint tell him how to get out, and if he had to fight him to do it, he would. He got out his magic chalk and he took a step towards Mint. He stomped his foot to get the kid's attention. Once Mint turned his head to look at him, Rudy pointed his magic chalk in his direction.

"On your feet. Now." Rudy told him, eyes narrowing. "I know what your plan is, and I am going to stop you. I challenge you to a duel!"

Rudy was a little confused when Mint's eyes widened in horror and he started to move back away from Rudy. He noticed the boy start to tremble, looking at him in fear. Rudy shook his head. Wasn't this kid being a little dramatic? He knew the boy wanted to put on a good performance, but now he was starting to take it a little too far.

Ignoring Mint's fake behavior, he started to make his way towards him. With each step, Mint appeared to get more and more afraid. But Rudy knew better. It was all just an act. He was not going to let Mint get away with hurting his friends again. He was sick and tired of him always managing to get away, to run from his responsibilities. It was his fault this happened, and if he wasn't going to take responsibility for his actions, he was going to make him.

When Rudy got a foot in front of him, Mint jumped to the side. Rudy watched, eyes narrowed, as Mint rushed over to the other side of the sealed away. Mint pressed his hands against the wall. Just like he had, Mint tried to open up a hole, only for it to seal before he could squeeze through. He looked around, perfectly imitating a panicked child, before he looked back at Rudy. His eyes grew larger and he pressed his back against the wall, teeth bared.

Rudy rolled his eyes. Very convincing acting, but he wasn't going to buy it. Keeping his magic chalk raised, he advanced on Mint again. The closer he got, the more frightened Mint started to get. And then he started to hear whimpering, low and soft. Rudy growled. The bastard was trying to play with his emotions. Rudy was not going to allow him to do that. No, Mint was not going to get away from him this time. He ignored the whimpers, getting louder as he got closer, and continued advance on Mint, this time, taking care to ensure that the Enemy Creator could not try to escape him again.

"Come now..." Rudy said, stopping three feet in front of Mint. "I know you're just acting. Now come on, fight me!" Mint opened his mouth to speak, but Rudy cut him off. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses, Mint! Fight me so I can defeat you, and once you tell me where my friends are, I'll go save them, and then I will get you out of ChalkZone permanently!" He took another step forward. "I will not let you harm ChalkZone anymore!"

"But...but I..." Mint tried to say.

"Shut up!" Rudy snarled at him, eyes narrowing further. "You've caused enough damage, you asshole! I won't stand for it any longer! Because of you, both my friends are captured! They're both in danger! Don't try to deny it because it's true!" He exhaled slowly, a low growl emitted from his throat as his anger started to flare up again. "I am going to make you talk! Now get up and fight me, or are you too much of a coward now to fight back?!"

Rudy realized he was being a little too harsh again. He knew that calling Mint names was not the right thing to do. He had tried to hold himself back, but failed. Being in the presence of the kid that broke Snap's back, and now was responsible for both Snap and Penny to be kidnapped, boiled his blood, making it hard not to feel intense anger in this boy's presence. He had caused so much harm, so much damage, terrorized ChalkZone so much... He just wanted to make sure he couldn't get a chance to do it again. He tried his best to fight back against his anger, tried his best to keep it in check. Yet it still overtook him, making his body shake in anger.

When Mint still didn't get up, Rudy growled and moved a little closer. This act was getting old and he was getting tired of witnessing it. He glared at Mint as the boy trembled and whimpered in front of him. He had to admit, this was a very convincing performance. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Mint was being serious about it.

But no, he knew the truth. He did know better. This was just a ruse. Just an act. All he had to do was push the right buttons, and he could force the kid out of his acting, to return to the jerk he knew was hiding underneath. Sooner or later, he would have to break out of his acting. He couldn't keep this up forever. Soon, yes, soon, any time now, Mint was going to return to being a nasty, cruel kid.

"P-Please...don't..." Mint said softly, a few tears escaping his eyes. "I...I had nothing to do with this...I swear..."

Rudy shouted, "Don't lie to me, Mint! Don't fucking lie!" He pointed a finger accusingly at Mint. "I know you are behind the ambush! Now tell me where Skrawl has taken them!"

Mint shook harder. He pushed himself further against the wall. He turned his head away and put his arms over his face. "Please...don't hurt me..."

Rudy froze, staring at Mint in confusion. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me where my friends are." He demanded, his eyes still narrowed into slits. "Or if you don't want to do that, fight me. Accept my challenge. And if I win, you must tell me."

Mint just trembled in the corner, trying his best to get away from him. Rudy could see more tears flowing down the kid's face, and his low cries were getting louder. Rudy was confused when Mint refused to get out his magic chalk to duel him. He knew the kid had at least one piece. He saw him hold it before. So why wasn't he using it now? Mint was making absolutely no attempt to fight back, which was perplexing considering that he was always so eager to fight him before.

And as he took a few more steps, Mint shrank into a trembling ball on the ground, pressed up against the corner. Okay, now he was taking things a little too far, much further than he thought he would. Rudy just shook his head as he stared at the nearly believabe performance. Mint really was a good actor, he would give him that much credit. He took another step, his magic chalk still raised in the air to prepare to fight. He was not going to use his until Mint drew his out. It would not be a fair fight. He knew that Mint didn't care so much about fairness, but Rudy was going to prove he was a bigger person than him by waiting for Mint to take a fighting stance.

Still, Mint never got up and never attempted to fight him. He continued to look at Rudy in fear. Rudy could see how much the boy was crying and soon, something clicked with Rudy. He felt a bit of his anger start to go away. Not much. He was still filled with rage and ager at this kid for what he did, but something was telling him to lighten up a little. Perhaps he was being even harsher than he had realized. His expression softened up a tiny bit.

"Mint, let's get this over with." Rudy said in a stern voice. "I know you want to fight me. I know you're just acting. So come on. Fight me."

Mint shook his head rapidly. "No. I don't want to fight you anymore.. Please.. I had nothing to do with this..."

Rudy shook his head slowly. Although he was still very angry, he was happy with himself that he was able to keep himself more restrained than before. He didn't want to risk spilling out something else similar to that 'I wish Skrawl would hurt you' comment. He didn't want to go that far over the line again.

"Look kid, these lies are getting tiresome." Rudy let out a soft sigh. "I know you want to fight me. I know you'd rather do that first than spill out information regarding what your boss is up to. So just fight me already. I'm waiting."

Again, Mint shook his head. "N-No...you'll hit me!"

Rudy's eyes widened a little at this. "What?"

"You'll hit me! You'll punch me!" Mint cried out, his eyes widened further. "I know that's what you're going to do! I know you want to get revenge on me for what I did, and I know you're going to do that by punching me! Or kicking me, whatever comes first!"

Rudy looked at Mint in confusion. Punch him? Kick him? Where was this kid getting these ideas? He didn't want to hurt him. He just wanted to stop him, get information from him, and get him out of ChalkZone. At one point had Rudy made it clear he wanted to hurt him?

Mint cringed back further. He turned his head a little more so he was looking directly at Rudy. He made no attempt to hide his tears. "Just please...d-don't hurt me.. Please... I just wanted to apologize to Snap.. I didn't know this would happen... Please, you've got to believe me..."

Rudy started at the trembling boy, listening to the words he just said. Mint had come here to apologize? Mint thought he was going to hurt him? No, that didn't sound like the Mint he knew. He was too much of a coward to apologize, wasn't he? Too hight and mighty to realize when he did wrong. And Mint had never hesitated to hurt him and Penny before. He was not above attacking them. It angered Rudy that the kid was messing with his mind like this.

But then, was it really acting? The more Rudy looked at the kid, the more frightened he really seemed to get. It was hard perfectly replicating emotions, and either this kid was a genius, or this was real. Rudy shook his head, trying to tell him it was all acting, that the kid was just faking it. But...could he really keep believing this was nothing more than acting? It was starting to look awfully real to him.

"Get out your magic chalk." Rudy spoke again. This time, he made an effort to sound more gentle. "Let's get started. I know you want to fight me."

"Don't hurt me..." Mint begged him, putting his hands out in front of him in self defense. "Don't hit me..."

"I'm not going to hurt you, Mint. I just want to save my friends and get you out of ChalkZone." Rudy said.

"Then why..why don't I believe you?" Mint said in a soft voice, his body still shaking hard.

Rudy couldn't believe the way Mint was acting. "You're being irrational. I won't hit you."

"It certainly seemed like...you were going to..." Mint said. "Back at the temple..."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. His mind flashed with images of what occurred at the temple. The breaking of Snap's back, and the temper flare that followed soon after that. Rudy could recall everything in distinct detail. He could remember pushing Mint down...something that he normally wouldn't have done. Rudy was not a violent person, and looking back, knowing he has shoved another human being into the ground, it was a little unsettling, but still, it was understandable given the circumstances. Mint had hurt his best friend after all.

But soon things got a little more disturbing as he recalled the things he had said to Mint. The names he had called him, like 'friendless loser' and 'self absorbed brat'..it all came back to him and he flinched at just how harsh they actually sounded. And wishing harm to Mint, telling him he deserved whatever Skrawl did to him...that caused his blood to chill as he realized the full impact of what he said. He knew he was harsh on Mint, but looking back, he didn't realize just how far he actually went. He was downright hostile to the kid. No wonder he thought he was going to hurt him.

Rudy hadn't given Mint a reason for him to believe anything else. He had pushed him into the ground. When Mint tried to talk to him, he just chewed up what he said and spat it at him. He never gave Mint a chance to apologize or make up for what he did. He just...chased him off, calling him a coward. He not only told Mint to run off, but he had started advancing on him to make sure he did run away. And now, looking back, Mint's reaction to him made sense. Mint reacted the same way he did at the temple. He ran because, perhaps on a subconscious level, he thought he wanted him to run away.

Penny's words sifted through his head. One line in particular stood out to him.

"Rudy, I do think your words hurt him more deeply then you are willing to accept."

Rudy looked down at Mint again, and this time, he got a whole different picture. He didn't see a cowardly child trying to hide from his mistakes. He saw a frightened kid who had been mentally scarred by his words and had a hard time facing him again. And thinking back, he began to wonder if Mint really had apologized to Snap, and realized that it must have taken him a lot of courage to do such a thing. Snap was the one he had hurt the most, after all...

Guilt began to wash over Rudy as he realized just how damaging his words really had been. Thinking back to what he said, he couldn't believe how much venom was laced with each word. He hadn't realized he had been that angry, that foul at the kid. And now he had almost done the same thing. He started calling the kid names again. He started accusing him, judging him...just like how Mint had done in the first place. Was that really the right thing to do? No...Rudy knew it wasn't right. And yet he let his anger get the better of him. He had snapped...and the kid was frightened to death of him.

He could see why Mint thought he was going to hit him. He didn't know enough about him to realize Rudy would never deliberately harm someone else. He had no intentions on punching Mint, even if he had ruthlessly attacked Penny before. And now he realized that this kid was sincerely sorry for what he did and was trying to make amends for it. As his anger lifted up, shame started to envelope him. He felt guilty about believing this kid was still a coward, after he had made an effort to do something about it. He felt guilty about jumping to conclusions about the involvment the kid had with Snap's kidnapping. Perhaps he really wasn't involved after all.

The more Rudy thought about his actions at the temple, and his actions now, the more he realized just how much of a jerk he himself had become. All he wanted to do was help Snap and Penny, but in the process, he had turned himself into a bully. He had frightened Mint to the point where he actually silenced the kid from trying to explain his story. He told him to shut up...that wasn't right. That wasn't something he should have done. He didn't want to be the bully.

He looked into Mint's eyes, full of fright, and he started to see his parents. His heart stung as he remembered how hard he was on them before. He remembered those horrible words... 'I hate you'... They still echoed in his mind, still haunted him. And now, here he had Mint, who looked just as hurt as his parents had. Except Mint's reactions were worse...because Rudy's worse were much worse...

Rudy put his magic chalk away. He had to make things better. He had to try to mend things. That's what he always did when he knew he did something wrong. And he was going to do that same thing here. He moved over towards Mint, who cringed further back. Rudy was determined to show Mint that he was not going to hurt him. And there was one way he thought of he could do that.

Rudy reached out and placed his hand on Mint's shoulder. Mint trembled harder and looked at Rudy in fear. It was clear that the kid was expecting him to hit him or throw him to the ground. When Rudy did none of these things, Mint began to look a little confused.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Mint. I don't want to. I don't like being the bully. I don't like hurting others. I don't like frightening others. I just want to do what's right." Rudy said as gently as he could. He gave a smile to Mint, a way of trying to show him that he is being truthful with his words. "I'm sorry about the way I acted at the temple. I was just so angry at you for hurting my friend...so angry at myself for not being able to stop you... But that doesn't excuse the names I called you, nor does it make right the fact that I wished harm upon you. I'm sorry, Mint. I never meant to say those things. I didn't mean what I said, about wanting Skrawl to hurt you..about you deserving whatever he does."

Mint stared at Rudy. He still trembled, still looked afraid. He appeared to calm down a little. He looked down at Rudy's hand cautiously. "How...how do I know you won't...?"

"I won't hurt you. I promise I won't hurt you. If you think I would, then you don't know me that well. It's not my style." Rudy said in a calm and gentle voice. He squeezed Mint's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. I'm sorry I chased you off. I should have realized that you would become so afraid of me that you'd run...I'm sorry I kept believing that you were just acting. I promise...I will not harm you."

To further establish his honestly and try to get Mint to truly understand he won't hurt him, Rudy moved a little closer to Mint. Before the boy could respond, Rudy wrapped his arms around Mint and pulled him into a hug. Mint stiffened up at first, but soon relaxed. Rudy could feel Mint, slowly but surely, stop shaking. Then the boy started to hug him back.

"I forgive you..." Mint said softly, sniffling. Rudy smiled at this. Mint continued, "And...and I'm sorry too..." Rudy's eyes widened slightly at this. "I've...I've treated you and your friends like crap and there was no excuse for that.. I'm sorry for breaking your friend's back. I...I didn't mean it...I never meant to cause this much harm.. I should have listened to you and Penny. If I did, none of this would have happened... I'm so sorry..."

"I know..." Rudy said as he continued to hug Mint. "I know you are..."

"And I'm sorry about...all the things I said to you and your friends... I take back what I said. I..I was wrong. You're not a failure, Rudy. I'm so sorry I ever said that. I was wrong...I was so very wrong..." Rudy could feel his shoulder get wet as Mint cried against it. "I'm sorry I attacked Penny back at the Future Dome... It was wrong of me to do...I knew it was wrong and I still did it anyway. I'm sorry..." He paused for breath. "And I am so very sorry about the problems I caused for you with that stupid fire alarm trick... I'm so sorry about everything I did..." He spoke in a soft voice. "I'm so sorry..."

Rudy pulled back away from Mint. He stared at his tear-stained face. He continued to smile at him. He could tell that the kid was being serious this time. This wasn't a panicked apology, him trying to worm his way out. No, this was an honest apology. And though he was still angry at the kid, he was willing to give him another chance.

Rudy said, "I forgive you, Mint. I accept your apology."

Mint managed to smile back and wiped away his tears. He looked very happy that he had accepted his apology. Rudy smiled at him, but he knew that they couldn't sit here anymore. Penny and Snap were in danger. They had to get out of here, somehow... But how?

"What are we going to do?" Mint asked. "I...I don't know how to get out of here..." He looked at Rudy intently. "What should we do?"

It did feel a little weird that Mint was now willing to take orders from him instead of Skrawl, especially after all he has done, but it was a refreshing change of pace from how things used to be. The fact that Mint shifted loyalties and was now willing to listen to him meant that they had a better chance of going after Penny and Snap now. Rudy had some help in facing Skrawl.

"I'm sure there is a way out of here..." Rudy said. He stood up and reached his hand down towards Mint. "...if we work together."

Mint stared at Rudy's hand. For a few seconds, he did nothing. Then, slowly, he reached out towards it. Mint grabbed onto his hand. As he did so, Rudy pulled him up, helping Mint up to his feet. The two boys stared at each other for a few moments, then Mint smiled at him.

"Yeah...you're right..." Mint said. He then turned his head towards the nearest wall. He raised up his magic chalk. "We'll get out..somehow. Together."


	31. Teamwork

Penny let out a soft groan and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was dark at first. Colors soon came into play. She blinked a few times, her vision becoming a little more clearer. Shapes began to take form, the image growing sharper. Soon, she was able to recognize she was in some large room. She let out a few more groans as she turned her head a little, letting her eyesight get even sharper.

Her head felt muggy and her thoughts distorted. There was some kind of pain in the back of her head. It was like a migraine that just decided to settle in one spot. Her head was resting against something hard, irritating that sore spot. She tried to think of where she was, and how she got here. Just what had happened? Why did she feel so painful and tired and muggy all at once? In an attempt to soothe the pain in the back of her head, she lifted it up. She then tried to get up, but, to her surprise, she could not move.

At this realization, her eyes snapped wide open, her thoughts suddenly clearing as the horror settled in. Her vision now completely clear, she could tell she was in a somewhat dark room, with some lighting dancing along the walls. It looked sort of like a cave almost, with some flatter walls like an actual building. She could hear the humming of machinery and the glimpse of wires with lights moving through them. She thought she heard the bubbling of some kind of liquid, and there were tanks somewhere in front of her, lined up. From the angle she was at, it was hard to tell for certain, but she was positive that these tanks were filled with fluid.

She soon realized she was laying on her back. Her head looked up towards the ceiling. She was right below what looked like a stalactite. She felt dread fill her heart as she realized the pointed tip was placed right above her chest. The stalactite didn't look very strong either, like it was going to fall down any second. Her breathing quickened. She looked up at the stalactite in fear. One wrong move, and she could die...

She realized that what was holding her were thick metal straps. Her arms and legs were spread out at the sides and held down by the cuffs, securing them in place. She tried to get hersef free, tugging as hard as she could against the metal cuffs, but it was useless. And she realized, in horror, anytime she made a really hard tug, the stalactite above her wobbled a little. It was so loose that too much vibrations would send it falling down on her. Even if it weren't sharp, just the shere weight of it would kill her. She was only ten years old; she would be easily crushed.

Penny looked over at her side and she gasped at what she saw. There was Snap. He was unconscious on a large, wooden table, which Penny guessed it what she was on as well. He was strapped down in a similar manner, with his limbs out at the sides. Just like her, there was a stalactite above him. But the way Snap was strapped down was different. He was on his stomach rather than his back. The stalactite above him was positioned in the middle of his back, right where the break was. Her eyes widened in horror.

Penny quickly realized why he was secured on his stomach and what had happened. Memories flooded her head. Lightning flashed in her mind as she remembered it all. She and Rudy were going to the hospital to visit Snap when they were informed of a dangerous attack. She and Rudy rushed into the room and found Skrawl and Mint, and the jellybean had Snap. Skrawl threw Mint into Rudy and she had tried to stop him herself. She remembered him grabbing her, throwing her, and then...nothing. He must have hit her in the head. That was why it was so sore.

Skrawl had taken them here. He was the one who cuffed them down like this. He was the one who must have created the stalactites with that power that was granted to him. He must have purposely made them weak so that they could easily be knocked down. Likely to make their rescue and escape even harder, most likely. And the way he had Snap on his stomach, exposing his back... That was cruel. It meant that Skrawl might have intentions on hurting Snap's back more because that was currently his weak spot.

She wanted to try to struggle again, but what was the point? It was too dangerous. If she struggled too hard, she could kill herself or Snap. She was stuck here until Rudy hopefully found her and Snap. She wasn't sure how they were going to get out of here, though. Skrawl was nearby and she couldn't imagine it being that easy disabling him without causing enough ruckus to dislodge the stalactites positioned above her and Snap.

She soon heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the walls. She flinched as they got louder. She looked up at the sharp, rocky structures above her, looking to see if these footsteps were causing any vibrations. To her relief, it didn't seem that bad. The footsteps got closer, a little louder each time. And soon there was a shadow forming on the wall, playing over the formations as the figure got closer.

She narrowed her eyes in hate and anger as Skrawl came into view. He wasn't wearing any of the artifacts at the moment. He must have put them away. Made sense. Why use the artifacts when she and Snap were completely defenseless? The jellybean wore a nasty smile. He walked slowly towards her, one arm placed behind his back. The way he looked so smug, so arrogant, and he hadn't even spoken a word yet, it made her want to fight him. She wanted so much to struggle, but she was in no position to do that. Literally.

"Well well...it seems you're finally awake, little Penita..." Skrawl mused as he came up to her, standing by her side. He sneered down at her strapped form. "I was wondering how long you were going to be out. If you didn't wake up soon, I would have...found my own way of making you wake up..." He chuckled darkly.

Penny glared up at him. "What do you plan on doing with us, Skrawl?!"

Skrawl walked away from her until he was right in front of her. He closed his eyes and gave a dark chuckle. He gave her a sideways glance, staring at her with one of his mismatched eyes. "I am not a fool. I know that Master Tabootie might, just might, have a way of beating me. I might have all twelve artifacts, but if there's one thing I learned about that boy, it's that he never gives up. He's a pest... like a cockroach that won't stay dead."

Penny growled at this. She watched as Skrawl came back around, up to her side again, this time, the opposite of where he was before. He pointed a long, clawed finger at her. She flinched at just how close he was pointing it at one of her eyes. She was certain that, if it weren't for her glasses, he'd nearly poke her eye out.

"So I decided to...even the odds a little..." Skrawl turned his back towards her. He began to move towards where Snap was strapped down.

Penny's heart began to clench. "Wh-What are you doing...?"

Skrawl stood next to Snap. He positioned himself so he was facing Penny on the other side of Snap. He smirked down at the zoner's unconscious form, letting out a dark chuckle. He turned his eyes to look at Penny. "Another thing I know about chalk boy is that if there is one thing he values above all else..." He turned his eyes slowly towards Snap. "..it's the lives of his friends..."

Skrawl began to run his hand lightly along Snap's back. Penny watched, her eyes wide with fear, as Skrawl stroked the back brace that Snap still had on. She wanted to struggle and get over there. But even without the stalactites, she was still not strong enough to get free. She felt so helpless, not able to do anything but watch as Skrawl stroked Snap's back gently.

Then, to Penny's horror, Skrawl undid the straps on the back that held the brace together. He pulled it apart, letting the ends hang on the side. The sight of this made Penny's blood chill. Snap needed that brace, and Skrawl just unhooked it. Now his back was more vulnerable than before. Her blood practically turned to ice as she realized just what Skrawl was planning to do.

"No, Skrawl! Leave him alone!" Penny called out to him, her eyes wide with desperation. "Please...leave him alone..."

The jellybean looked at her. The sight of her tears made him smile broader. He didn't say a word; he just laughed coldly at her. He then looked back down at Snap. He reached down again. Penny let out a fearful scream as Skrawl pulled up the light blue leotard and sliced his claw through it. He pulled it apart, exposing Snap's back. There was a dark purple spot from where Mint had struck him.

Penny couldn't believe it. Snap was already vulnerable from before. But to purposely expose the wound like that... She glared hatefully at Skrawl as tears of fear streamed down her face. He wasn't going to get away with this... No way he was going to get away with this...

She watched with dread as Skrawl placed his hand on the bruised spot. He didn't apply any pressure. He just ran his hand lightly over it, being uncomfortably gentle. She bit her lip and watched, her body shaking, as she knew that Skrawl could get rougher any second and cut Snap with his claws, or even slam down on his back. Skrawl was a strong zoner. He could easily break Snap's spine in two, doing even more damage than Mint had at the temple.

"Don't touch him!" Penny called out to him.

"You're in no position to tell me what to do, genius girl." Skrawl drolled as he continued stroking Snap's vulnerable back. "And once chalk boy sees this, I can get any deal I want out of him. I'll make him surrender, in exchange for his friends' lives of course." Penny shuddered at how cold Skrawl's voice sounded, more so than what she was used to. "I'll...offer him a trade..."

Penny looked at him fearfully. "What kind of trade?"

"Simple." Skrawl moved away from Snap and back towards Penny. He stood next to her, his face a little close to hers. "I'll let you and Snap go..." He reached down and lightly placed his claws against her face. "..in exchange for his life..."

Penny's eyes widened in horror at this. Oh no... Rudy... No... Penny didn't want to lose him. She couldn't lose him, or Snap. Rudy couldn't do what this jellybean said. He just couldn't... He couldn't die... He didn't deserve to die... None of them did.

Her body started to tremble as Skrawl's nasty words filled her head. The implications of them weighed down heavily on her mind, making her filled up with dread and chilling horror. Skrawl...she couldn't believe he would sink this low... Well then again, she should have expected it. Still, it came as a shock to her that he was so willing to do this... And she knew, without a doubt, he'll kill them too after Rudy was out of the way. He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't let them go.

She felt tears stream down her face, shaking her head slowly. Skrawl looked satisfied by this. He moved his hand away from her face, taking care to lightly rake his claws against her face, leaving no marks. When he touched her tears by mistake, he did flinch a little, irritated. But his smile never faltered and he let out a low chuckle as he watched her look at him with a mix of despair, horror, and anger on her face.

"When Rudy gets here, I'll let him have a few minutes to talk to you and Snap." Skrawl said as he started to move away from Penny's table. "After all..." Penny glared hatefully at him, gritting her teeth. He gave her a sideways glance. "...it'll be the last time you three will get to talk to each other..."

Penny watched as the evil jellybean made his way out of the room. As soon as he disappeared, Penny turned her attention back to Snap. He was still out cold. She was kind of glad. Just touching the wound would have hurt him a lot, no matter how gentle Skrawl was being. Snap was already in pain, but without that medication, he's going to feel the full force of that wound as soon as he wakes up. She felt so bad for him. She was more worried for his sake than hers. She was mostly fine, but he had mortally injured and needed to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. She turned her head and stared up at the stalactite positioned above her.

She couldn't believe this was happening. It all seemed so hopeless... No it wasn't. There was still hope. Rudy was out there... And maybe if he can convince Mint to help him somehow... That might turn the tides. Maybe Mint could help Rudy forge a plan to get them out of here and stop Skrawl without being forced into this terrible gambit, without risking himself getting killed. She hoped things would turn out okay. At the moment, that was all she could do. Hope...

She let the tears continue to fall. She let herself start to cry. The emotions were crashing in all around her. She was scared, not sure what might happen to her and her friends. She didn't want to lose her life, but he also didn't want to lose her friends' lives. She loved them... They didn't deserve to die. None of them did.

Still, she remained hopeful that things would work out okay in the end. There was still a chance that they could turn everything around, and make Skrawl's plans fall flat on his face. They had succeeded in the past. They could succeed now. Yes, there was still a chance.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a soft moan. She turned her head to the side and noticed Snap's eyes were fluttering open. He moved his head a litte and attempted to move his legs. When he realized he could not, she saw his eyes snap open wide. He tried to struggle harder. Penny made a loud 'shush' sound, drawing Snap's attention.

"Penny? What's...what's going on..where am I..?" Snap said in a panicked voice. His wide eyes looked in all directions. "This...this isn't the hospital. Where...?"

"We were kidnapped by Skrawl." Penny said in a saddened voice. "He's using us to bait Rudy."

Snap's eyes widened at this. "R-Rudy...? No..." He started to struggle again.

"No, Snap." Penny said quickly. "If you struggle too much, the rock above you will break loose and crush you." Snap stopped immediately at this, looking at Penny with wide, shocked and frightened eyes. "Skrawl removed your back brace and tore open your leotard so your injury is more vulnerable."

Snap shuddered at this. "No wonder I feel a chill..."

Although it was clear he didn't want to just give up, Penny was glad to see that Snap did follow her advice and stop struggling. He realized that he had a chance of living longer if he didn't try to free himself. The zoner forced his tense body to relax. He shut his eyes tightly, and it was then that Penny noticed some tears forming in his eyes. Not of fear, but of pain. The pain from his back was returning, the medicine that kept it at bay long gone.

Penny watched as Snap started to struggle again. He was trying so hard to keep still, but the pain was clearly overtaking again, just like at the temple. His body shook in agony and he tried to shift himself, trying so hard to get away from the pain. She knew it was so hard for him to keep still with that pain. She was kind of glad that Skrawl had him strapped down as it limited his movements, but he was still in danger from that stalactice. Her heart clenched in dread as she saw it start to wobble a little.

"No Snap." Penny said in a soft voice, trying to soothe him. "Please, hold still. You can't move around too much. The stalactite...it'll crush you if you keep struggling."

Although Snap was clearly making an effort to hold still, it was clear that he was having too difficult a time. He kept twisting his body, pushing himself hard against the cuffs, doing whatever he could to escape the agony that was sweeping through his body. He let out a few low whimpers, the tears staining his face and coating the wooden table he was on.

"It hurts... It hurts too much..." Snap let out a low cry. Even though some of the pain had diminished, that wasn't saying much, considering just how much agony he was in to start with. He looked over at Penny with wide eyes. "H-Help me...please.." He pleaded with her. He shut his eyes tightly, more tours pouring from them. "Help..."

"Shhh..." Penny said in a soft voice. "Help is coming... Don't worry... We'll be out of here soon."

She watched as Snap continued to cry. He was making more of an effort to hold still, but despite his hardest, it was near impossible for him to stay still for too long. She looke at him sympathetically, wanting so much to help him feel better. There was nothing she could do right now. Their only chance of escape...Snap's only chance of returning to the hospital...

...was if Rudy could get them out of here without falling for Skrawl's trap.

sss

Mint felt so stupid. Why didn't he bring Ripclaw along? She'd be able to get them out of this. She was strong enough. But instead, he left her behind. He doubted she even knew where he was. He needed her now more than ever. Time was of the essence. He and Rudy had to get out of here..somehow...

He didn't know how long he and Rudy were trapped in this thing. Without watches, time just seemed to blur. It could have just been a few minutes. Maybe half an hour, forty minutes, an hour, hours... He had no idea. He and Rudy had been trying so hard to get out of this thing, but no matter what they did, how fast they moved, the dome just..always closed on them. He didn't know how they were going to get out of this. He..he had no ideas...

And sadly, neither did Rudy. The ten year old was hoping that he would have some kind of answer. Rudy mentioned that, since he had worked with Skrawl, that maybe he would have some information that could help. Mint could see how he could think that. There were a few things he knew that Rudy did not, such as where Skrawl's hideout currently was. But sadly, he knew nothing about this regenerating linoleum dome. If it had just been a shield like he used...at the temple... He might have an idea of how to break it down. But this was new, different... He had no ideas on how to get out of here.

And they didn't have a lot of time. He had no idea what Skrawl was going to do to Penny and Snap at his place. He didn't know if they were going to be injured, tortured, or even killed. No, they wouldn't be killed. Skrawl wanted to set a trap for Rudy, so he was most likely going to keep those two alive. But...for how long...? That was still a big concern. There was little reason to believe that Skrawl wouldn't hurt them while Rudy was away. They were still in trouble, especially Snap.

A pang filled his chest as he thought about the blue and white zoner he had harmed. He remembered the way he looked at him just moments after he broke his back. Those pain-filled eyes, pleading with him... He tried his best not think about it. Snap had forgiven him. He shouldn't keep kicking himself in the head for this. Right now, he and Rudy had to focus on getting out of here.

Mint looked over at Rudy, who let out a loud growl of frustration. The sound of the linoleum crunching and reforming filled his ears. He knew, even if he hadn't seen it for himself, that it was regenerating. Rudy had attempted to draw another circle, even though that didn't work the last twenty or so times they tried. He couldn't blame him for trying it that way, though. It was one of the few options they had. They couldn't use too many tools; the enclosed areas would either make the tools so loud they could bust their ear drums, or cause other problems.

For instance, Rudy had thought about using a chain saw to cut through. He drew one and he attempted to slide through the linoleum, but there were two problems with this. The first one, the dome regenerated too quickly. As Rudy would slice down through the hard material, almost instantly, it would start 'healing' up again, preventing a large hole from being created. The other problem was that bits and pieces of the linoleum would fly every where, nearly hitting them. The sparks from the chain saw didn't help either, and Mint winced when one of them hit him in the arm. Luckily it didn't do much damage.

The regenerating trait was what was making things so hard for them. It would just close up so fast they didn't have time to get out. Mint had thought about going underneath the dome, but he realized, with a cold chill, that the floor also regenerated. He had attempted to draw a hole, but it closed up almost right away. They needed some way to get out of the regenerating dome and fast.

"I don't believe this!" Rudy snarled as another opening he tried to create closed up. "Nothing is working! We can't cut through this! We can't lift it up! We can't do anything!" He clutched his magic chalk tightl, his hand trembling a little. "It just had to have regenerative powers..."

Mint looked at him sympathetically. He turned towards the ground. "Yeah, it does seem pretty hopeless to get out."

Rudy shot him a glare. "We can't give up! Penny and Snap are in danger!"

"Yeah I know, but if we can't get out..." Mint's voice trailed off.

Rudy's expression softened up. "Yeah..." He looked back at the dome. He let out a sigh. "There had to be a weak spot here somewhere. There has to be a way out."

Rudy was right. There was a way out. They just had no idea what that was yet. Mint kept silent, his mind swirling with different thoughts. He thought about their efforts to get through the dome, replaying them over and over in his head. He tried to find some kind of pattern, something they could use to their advantage. There had to be a weakness somewhere. There had to be something that he or Rudy missed about this dome.

At first, nothing was coming to mind. The more Mint thought about it, the more hopeless it did seem. Skrawl really thought thorough with this trap. A regenerating dome that healed itself in a matter of seconds... That was definitely a tricky situation to get out of. It did seem like there was nothing they could do to get out of it. If the regeneration was slower, they might have a chance. But sadly, there was no way they could slow it down; they had already tried that by constantly drawing hole after hole. The slow down was kinda there, but it still closed up so fast it was hardly noticeable.

Then something caught Mint's attention. There was something they hadn't ried yet. It was risky, and he knew it might not help them much. But it was the only idea he could think of. They had to try it. With Penny and Snap in grave danger, they couldn't afford not trying out as many ideas as possible. He turned to Rudy. He wondered what he would think of the idea, if he would go along with it or feel it was too big of a risk. Well, there was one way he could find out.

Mint took a step towards Rudy. "I...think I have an idea."

Rudy looked towards him, his eyes slightly wide. "You do?" Mint nodded his head. "What is it?"

Mint looked towards the dome's walls. "It's pretty crazy, but I don't know if any other way." He looked back at Rudy. The ten year old was quiet, waiting for the older boy to speak further. "We draw a hole and one of us sticks our hand right through it, and let it close around us. Then one of us keeps drawing bigger and bigger holes, and the other keeps going through little by little. And once one of us is out, we repeat the same process, with the other person drawing the holes this time."

Rudy stared at him, his eyes blinking. Mint wasn't surprised. It was a pretty convuluted plan and there was no telling if it could work or not. But it was worth a try, right? At least this didn't involve another chainsaw or anything.

"That is pretty nuts..." Rudy said softly. Then, to Mint's surprise, a smile came onto the boy's face. "Let's try it."

"You're willing to do that?" Mint asked.

Rudy nodded his head. "We've exhausted our other ideas. I'm willing to give this one a go." Rudy smiled at Mint, who returned it. He then frowned and looked at the wall. "Who should be the one to do the portals?"

"I will. I'll get you out first." Mint said, holding up his magic chalk in his left hand. "Just remember, you have to move fast before it closes up."

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah, I know."

Mint moved his magic chalk over to the wall. He took in a deep breath. "Well...here goes nothing..."

sss

"Are you sure she's around here?" Rudy asked as he ran along side Mint.

The eleven year old nodded his head. "I'm absolutely positive! She should be close!"

Rudy hoped that Mint was right. He didn't know how long he had been running through this forest. He did keep up well with Mint, who was a little out in front of him. They were in some forest he did not recognize immediately. He did little to wonder where he was; right now, they were on a mission. He could worry about the location later.

He couldn't believe Mint's idea at the hospital actually worked. At first, it seemed like it wouldn't. It was hard for him to imagine actually how it would work. But he still gave Mint's idea a chance as they really had little to no options left.

The process was pretty slow. Mint drew a hole and Rudy slung his arm through, only for it to become trapped. Luckily the walls didn't crush his arm; it just formed around him. It was a little tight, but he was otherwise fine. Mint kept creating more holes, allowing Rudy to push his body further through the dome. At some points, it was very uncomfortable, but soon, he had made it out of the dome after a swift yank to free his foot. He stretched himself a little, feeling relieved to not be stuck in the enclosed area anymore. Then it was his turn to draw the holes.

The same method was repeated, only this time, he drew the holes and Mint was the one coming through. Little by little, more and more of Mint came through. Rudy's holes kept getting gradually larger, with Mint's arm coming through, then part of his body, his head, and soon, before he knew it, Mint was free as well. He brushed himself off and looked back at the dome. He grimaced slightly, clearly glad to be out of that situation.

Mint said he knows where Skrawl's hideout is and that he could take him there. He wanted to get Ripclaw, stating that she could be of some use to them when they get to the hideout. Unfortunately, Ripclaw wasn't anywhere near ChalkZone City and they would have to travel a little ways, and it had to be on foot. Mint mentioned that machinery could agitate Ripclaw since she has the mind of an animal. He also mentioned how Ripclaw could be very quiet and it would be easier sneaking into the hideout than with machinery or on their own. She was very light on her feet.

Mint suddenly stopped. Rudy almost ran into him. He looked at him in surprise. "What?" Rudy asked. When Mint didn't say anything, Rudy said, "What is it?" He stopped when Mint raised his hand up to silence him.

Rudy then heard it. Footsteps. Light...swift... He couldn't tell where they were coming from. There were so many trees here, the sound was bouncing off of them, making it hard to pinpoin the exact direction of the sound. He and Mint looked around, trying to locate the source.

At first, Rudy was worried. What if they had gone in the wrong direction? What if they had fallen into another trap? It was very well possible that the Beanie Boys were close by. They might be ambushing them...No, it couldn't be them. The Beanie Boys almost always are in the air. Could it be Skrawl? No... He would be at his hideout, probably taunting Penny and Snap about their predicament. Rudy's blood boiled at the thought. Skrawl better not have hurt them.

Soon, the sound became louder, and Rudy then heard what sounded like a snarl. His heart started to beat a little faster. The sound became recognizable, and it was getting very close. Flashes went through his mind, remembering the previous encounters, the sharp teeth, the claws, a massive feathered body pushing against him...

Then there was a loud thud and a crash. Something jumped from the forest and came veering towards him. Feet pounded on the ground, kicking up the dirt. Rudy turned his head just in time to see an orange color flash in front of his eyes, and before he knew it, he was in the ground. He struggled a little, but the figure above him, whom he knew instantly was Ripclaw, kept him pinned down. Her snout was close to his. Those yellow eyes were narrowed, her lips pulled back into a snarl. Rudy attempted to push back against her, but she wouldn't budge.

"No! Ripclaw!" Mint shouted, his eyes wide with panic. Ripclaw turned her head towards him, blinking. "He's a friend! Don't hurt him!"

Ripclaw tilted her head, looking a little confused. She turned her head back to Rudy. Her snarling expression was gone, replaced with what Rudy could describe as curiosity. She lowered her head. She began to sniff him. Rudy flinced a little as her breath hit against his face, moving his hair a little. Then she did something Rudy did not expect her to do. She opened up her mouth and started to lick his face. Rudy turned his head to the side, closing his eyes, as the large, slippery tongue moved along his face, coating it in saliva.

Mint chuckled as Ripclaw gave Rudy a few licks on the face. "I think she likes you."

"That's great, but..." Rudy tried to push the dinosaur's head away. "Can you please make her stop?"

"Down, Ripclaw. Off him." Mint said, snapping his fingers.

Ripclaw instantly got off of Rudy. She watched as Rudy climbed up to his feet. He wiped his face, grimacing in disgust at the saliva coating his cheek. Well it was a definite improvement over being cut or bitten by her, that's for sure. He looked at Ripclaw, who tilted her head from side to side, looking at him with a sense of curiosity.

Mint walked over to her. "Ripclaw will take us to the hideout." Ripclaw lowered herself. Mint gestured for Rudy to come over. "She can hold the two of us no problem."

Mint climbed onto Ripclaw's back. The dinosaur kept herself lowered, looking at Rudy intently as he walked over. Rudy wasn't so sure about this. He had been fighting with this dinosaur for so many days, it was hard to imagine doing something that didn't involve trying to keep her at bay. He was a little nervous with her yellow eyes watching him like that. He climbed onto her back, right behind Mint. Ripclaw rose up to her feet. Rudy grabbed onto Mint, holding on tightly so he wouldn't fall down. Mint's own arms were wrapped around the neck of the animal.

"You know what to do, Ripclaw." Mint said.

Ripclaw let out a screech. She shifted her body in a new direction. She pawed the ground, scraping her claws along the dirt. Then, with a snort, she started to run, heading in the direction that Rudy knew was going to lead them to Skrawl's hideout. He hoped that Penny and Snap were okay. They had to be okay...They just had to.


	32. Arrival

"This is Skrawl's hideout?" Rudy asked, staring in surprise. "This isn't his..."

"Isn't his what?" Mint asked, his arms still around Ripclaw's neck.

Rudy replied, "Well, when Penny was kidnapped and taken to Skrawl's hideout, it wasn't this. It was a...mansion of some kind, on top of a tall cactus."

Mint blinked at this. "I don't recall seeing a place like that around here." He shook his head. "Anyway, if that was where his old hideout is, this is his new one."

The idea of a mansion on top of a huge cactus confused Mint. He wasn't even sure how that could work. Then again, he's seen a lot of strange things in this world, so that shouldn't surprise him. He was glad that Skrawl didn't use that as his hideout again. He wasn't sure if he'd feel comfortable with being on top of something so large and prickley, and there was always the risk of falling off, too.

Skrawl's new hideout was definitely a lot different than that, and judging from Rudy's reaction, he guessed it was pretty recent, too. It was possible that Skrawl, due to his obsession with getting those artifacts, relocated his base somewhere that Rudy and Penny did not know of. It would explain why Rudy was so confused by the terrain as they got closer. This, in turn, confused Mint. Why would Rudy be confused by this not being the old hideout, but not know where to go? Then it hit him. It might be Rudy only went once and didn't have a handle yet on how to get to it. That would make sense.

Mint hung onto Ripclaw a little tighter as they headed towards their target. They were currently running through a generally flat area. Sort of like a desert, but not as hot. The ground had a few raised areas here or there, and off in the distance, getting closer, was a crack in the ground. Mint knew that it was deeper than it appeared, and he was going to have to rely on Ripclaw's feathers to keep her balance when running down it. He guessed Skrawl chose this area because it was a tad harder for zoners to come snooping around. It wasn't a problem for Skrawl since he had his Beanie Boys and that chair of his.

When they got to the ledge, Ripclaw paused, and looked down. They were now at the entrance of a tall canyon. The path was a little sloped, but mostly vertical. Ripclaw tentatively put her foot on the edge, like she was testing it. Mint could feel Rudy squeeze him tighter, which didn't surprise him. This...was not going to be an easy ride down. Mint had used this once before, and it was quite tricky.

"Are you sure we should go this way?" Rudy asked, peering over Mint's shoulder and staring nervously down the slope. "Isn't there another way?"

Mint shook his head. "This is the best place to go. Skrawl doesn't have this place that well guarded."

It was true. There weren't many Beanie Boys patrolling this area usually. And right now, there were none present. As difficult as this was, this was the best place for them to come in from. Skrawl wouldn't be expecting them to use such a dangerous path to get to the hideout. Ripclaw started to take a step down, but she stopped when Rudy spoke up.

"Wait!" Rudy said, a little louder than necessary.

Mint looked at him. "What is it?"

Rudy pointed out ahead of them. "I don't think it's a good idea to go this way."

"What are you talking about?" Mint said softly before looking to see what the younger boy was referring to. It didn't take him long to realize what it was.

The hideout was visible from where they were standing. It was placed in the rock itself, sort of like a building that was almost completely swallowed up by the earth. It was place on a corner of sorts in the canyon. The building had a mixture of circular and rectangular shapes. The fact that this building was swallowed by the cliff more or less does explain why the interior looks like a mix of building and cave. Because that is essentially what it was.

What Rudy had noticed were a row of large windows high above the ground, firmly set in a rocky portion of the hideout. There were bright lights on the inside, illuminating well even in the brightness of...what did Rudy say this place was...ah yes, the day zone. There were shapes floating around in the window. Mint's eyes widened a little as he recognized what they were. Beanie Boys...

"It might be too risky to go this way." Rudy said. "They could spot us and alert Skrawl. We should go another path."

Mint wasn't sure that was a good idea. Even though Rudy had a good point, he still thought this was the safest route. It was the least guarded, at least that he knew. Skrawl wouldn't expect them to come in this way. There were other, easier paths, but those would likely have cameras and sensors, perhaps some Beanie Boys laying in weight. It would be riskier not to go this way.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Rudy. All other ways in would lead to disaster." Mint said.

"This path would, too!" Rudy said to him, his voice full of urgency. "Why don't we go around along the edge or something? That would be safer, I think."

Mint shook his head. "You think? Look Rudy..." Mint turned his head to look at the boy. "I've been here enough times to know which path is the safest. And I'm telling you, going down the slope here is the best way to get in."

Rudy narrowed his eyes a little. "And I'm telling you it's too dangerous! Believe me, I fought against Skrawl enough times to know how he and his cronies think! There are Beanie Boys in that room!" Rudy pointed a finger at them. "They will see us!"

Mint looked back at the window. He watched the floating fat boys zip around in the room, probably awaiting orders. He understood the risk of coming this way. But he still didn't think they were in any immediate danger. He looked back at Rudy. "They hadn't seen us yet, and if we hurry, we might..."

"And what if we don't?" Rudy asked, raising his voice slightly. "If we move too fast, that might get their attention faster! And if they spot us and alert Skrawl, who knows what they'll do to Penny and Snap!" He pointed a finger at Mint. "We should go a different way! Around the edge over there would be better!"

Mint looked at where Rudy was suggesting. It took him seconds to realize that Rudy was implying that they walk along the edge of the canyon and get closer to the hideout that way. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at it. No, that didn't seem like a very wise choice. It would be harder for Ripclaw to get down from there, and the resulting fall might alert Skrawl anyway. No, that way was not going to work. If anything, it might make things a lot harder for them.

The only good thing about that way is that it's definitely not guarded. There was quite a drop and the slope was too dangerous for even climbers. There weren't many zoners in this area either, and if there were, they would usually be in the canyon which, for some reason, is more hospitable than the surface he and Rudy were riding on. So he could see the point of why Rudy wanted to go this way. He might have correctly guessed that the path around would be even less likely to be guarded. Still, Mint felt it was too big of a risk.

He shook his head. "No, we have to go this way. It's safer."

"No! We'll get spotted!" Rudy said as he held onto Mint tighter. He started to yank him slightly. "We have to go around! I'm telling you it's the safest bet!"

"It will alert Skrawl anyway!" Mint growled at Rudy. "I know this structure better than you!"

Rudy gritted his teeth at Mint. "And I've faced off against Skrawl more times than you! I know the way he thinks!" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the hideout. "He would have those ceilings reinforced due to the extra pressure from the rocks! He won't hear us landing! And we can climb down the edge away from the Beanie Boys and not be seen!"

"Or Ripclaw will trip and fall, break one or both legs, and the resulting screech she'll make will be loud enough to alert Skrawl and he'll kill Penny and Snap!" Mint hissed, his finger pointed towards Rudy. "No, we aren't going that way!"

Rudy narrowed his eyes further. He grabbed Mint by the wrist and held on tightly. "Why can't you listen to me?!"

Mint didn't answer at first. He just glared in Rudy's direction. He couldn't believe that Rudy still didn't trust him, apparently. He was trying to help him save the others, and he was stalling time by arguing with him. If he would just listen to him instead of trying to find another route, they would have been in the hideout already. He quickly grew frustrated with Rudy and he was this close to just running down the hill without a second glance. He knew this hideout well and he knew the best places to enter from. What did Rudy know about this? He hadn't even been here before.

Then a realization dawned on him. Rudy did encounter Skrawl more than him. He was a newcomer into ChalkZone, so his experience with Skrawl was much less compared to Rudy. The boy had faced off against Skrawl a number of times and managed to defeat him. He would understand the jellybean more than he did. And the whole point of teamwork was being willing to listen to each other. Perhaps it wasn't Rudy that wasn't listening, but him. Perhaps he should take Rudy's advice. They couldn't screw up on this, considering there were lives on the line.

Mint took in a deep breath, calming himself down. Yeah, he was getting a bit of an attitude. The whole 'I need to stand up for myself' thing.. Yeah that was a good quality to have, but only if he used it properly. And now he just let it out here by arguing with Rudy on what to do. He needed to chill a little. After a few moments, he stared at Rudy.

"Okay then..." Mint said. He turned his attention back in front of him. He pushed on the side of Ripclaw's neck, changing her direction. "I'll listen to you. I trust your judgement."

Ripclaw ran along the edge of the canyon. Mint made sure to keep her away from the ledge, not wanting to risk slipping over the edge. They made their way over towards the hideout, and soon they stood above it. Ripclaw looked over the edge and gave a few hisses. There didn't seem to be any footholds she can use. The edge instantly curved inward; she couldn't simply run down like she could with the slope. And the top of the hideout that jetted out was a good distance down. Even if Rudy was right and it wouldn't alert Skrawl if he needed it to be reinforced, the drop was still a risk for them, and for Ripclaw. What if she got hurt?

"Are sure this is the best way?" Mint asked nervously. He peered over the edge. "Ripclaw might get hurt." He looked back at Rudy. "And so would we."

Rudy peered over and looked down. He flinched. "Yeah, I can see your point. That is a bit of a drop. It didn't seem like that much from over there." Turning back to Mint, he said, "I still think this is our best bet. We just need to soften the fall somehow."

"Soften the blow, yeah..." Mint said, biting his lip. "Any ideas...?"

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah, but first, I need your permission."

"Huh? Permission?" Mint asked, looking at Rudy, confused. "What do you mean? Why would you need to ask my permission?"

"Because..." Rudy used his hands to gesture to all of Ripclaw. "It involves permanently altering your dinosaur. Do you mind if I change her forever?"

Mint's eyes widened at this. A part of him felt insulted. He liked the way Ripclaw was and the idea of some other artist altering her felt demeaning. He didn't like it when people try to change his ideas, his creations. He loathed it when someone attempted to alter his character designs to make them 'cooler' or 'more relatable' or whatever. It was worse when it came from another artist; he's had an incident in the past where someone did actually alter a drawing of his without his permission. Rudy's suggestion brought back those memories.

He felt angry at Rudy for such a suggestion. He couldn't believe he would even suggest such a thing. He was upset with the younger boy for wanting to change his creation from how he had envisioned her. He didn't know why it was necessary to change Ripclaw. And besides, if they had just gone his way, they wouldn't have needed to stop and think about how to get down. They couldn't need to alter Ripclaw in anyway.

But then... Rudy was a more varied artist and been around the block more times than him when it came to art, despite being a year younger. He had comics published at such a young age. He was definitely more prolific than him. And he had been protecting ChalkZone for sometime now and knew how to use art as a means of doing that. He had to remind himself that Rudy wasn't changing Ripclaw because he felt she was a bad design. He was doing so to help them get down safer and to get to Penny and Snap. He had to learn to trust Rudy more with these things.

And Penny and Snap's well being was more important than keeping his dinosaur the way he wanted it. They had to get to them and fast. He didn't know how long Skrawl was going to keep them alive. For all he knew, he might have gotten bored and killed them already. He and Rudy had taken a long time to get here, probably longer than Skrawl was willing to wait. Yeah, best to put aside his feelings and get down there as soon as possible.

Mint nodded his head once. "Okay...go ahead."

Rudy raised up his magic chalk.

sss

The halls were strangely empty. Mint guessed that the Beanie Boys were placed at different areas of the hideout, awaiting orders or doing whatever else. Skrawl probably didn't want them roaming around the place too much while he was busy with..whatever he was doing with Penny and Snap. Well, this did make the hallways easier to move through, though he still had Ripclaw be as quiet as she could.

Ripclaw was doing an amazing job not making a sound as her feet touched the ground. Not a squeak or scrape to be heard. Though the hallways were empty, it was best that she didn't make a sound. Neither he nor Rudy spoke either. Mint had made it clear when they entered that none of them speak. It was still possible that a lone Beanie Boy might be moving through the place, and if they heard, their positions would be given away.

It was a little awkward riding on Ripclaw with her newest addition. She now possessed bird-like wings. They were folded up against her body. This put pressure on the back of his legs as he rode on her. Even when she was moving at a slower speed, he could still feel her wings move against his legs. Rudy wasn't fairing much better. His legs were draped across her wings and it looked like it was starting to ache him. They still managed to move through the hideout quietly regardless.

Drawing wings on Ripclaw wasn't exactly what Mint thought Rudy was going to do. Then again, he had no idea what to expect from the younger boy. Having wings did make things easier for Ripclaw. She had spread her newly drawn bird-wings and flapped in the air. She had managed to land on top of a rocky structure of the hideout without much problem. She then moved down the slope, the wings being better suited in helping her keep her balance than her feathered arms.

Soon they were on the side of the hideout. Ripclaw moved quietly along the side of the building. Knowing it was too risky to use his voice, Mint used his hand gestures instead to guide Ripclaw through, heading towards where he believed Skrawl might be holding Penny and Snap. He guessed that Skrawl would want to place them near the 'power source' or whatever it was of the artifacts, so that when Rudy came, Skrawl could more easily manipulate and control him.

Mint knew they couldn't come in the front way. Skrawl would see them for certain. It would be difficult to ambush him or sneak around. Instead, they needed to go another way. And luckily, he knew of a secondary path. It was a bit out of the way, requiring to go up a level and then through a tunnel. He had been that way once before, when he was awaiting orders from Skrawl. It would lead them through a hidden passageway that would take them to a higher area in that 'power source' room, one that Skrawl would not be looking at or pay attention to.

He was glad that Rudy was willing to go his way this time. They had done things his way before, and they worked out fine. Now it was his turn to lead the way. Rudy agreed that sneaking around was their best bet. Getting Penny and Snap out without Skrawl seeing would be a good idea. How they were going to pull that off, he wasn't certain. It all depended on how the situation was for Penny and Snap when they got there.

Suddenly, Mint heard something. He quickly ushered Ripclaw towards a space set deep into the rock. He motioned for her to lower herself onto her haunches, and she kept still on the ground. Mint could feel Rudy moving a little closer to see what was going on. Even though Mint knew it wasn't necessary, the urgency of the situation prompted him to turn around and grab Rudy into a headlock and gag him with his hand. Rudy's eyes shot open and he looked at Mint in shock. Mint refused to let go, glaring ahead for what he knew was about to come.

A group of Beanie Boys zipped along in the hallway. Mint knew it was them. Though faint, he had been here long enough to recognize their propeller sounds from a good distance away. There were a lot of them. He had no idea what they were going to do, but he had no intention on finding out. He didn't let go of Rudy until the last Beanie Boy went by. Happy that none of them appeared to see them, he released Rudy. He looked back and his expression softened as he saw the boy rub the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure they wouldn't hear us." Mint whispered in a low voice.

"Next time, give me a warning." Rudy said. "I..." Rudy paused. Mint looked at him, getting confused as Rudy's eyes widened. "Mint..." He pointed a finger towards Mint.

Realizing what Rudy was trying to point to, Mint turn his head. His eyes snapped open wide as he saw a Beanie Boy there, staring in shock in his direction. Mint's heart started to race as he realized they had been spotted. If this Beanie Boy was allowed to get away, he'll tell Skrawl and their rescue mission would fail. They had to stop him somehow.

"Grab him." Mint whispered to Ripclaw.

The utahraptor did what she was told immediately. Before the Beanie Boy could call out to the others, Ripclaw grabbed onto him with her hands. She pulled him into the space with them. She pushed him against the ground hard, knocking the wind out of the Beanie Boy.

With the boy-like zoner temporarily unable to call for help, Mint and Rudy went to work tying him up and gagging him. Once they were certain he couldn't make any noise, the two boys pulled the Beanie Boy to the back corner and pressed him against there. Mint knew that someone would find him soon enough so he wasn't worried about him dying of starvation or anything.

With that threat removed, he and Rudy got back onto Ripclaw and continued on their way. They were getting close to the back way he had mentioned to Rudy. He warned him it was going to be bit of a tight squeeze, but Rudy didn't seem to mind, as long as they were able to get to his friends soon.

sss

Rudy was glad that was over. He didn't want to complain to Mint. He was grateful that he knew another way to reach that room where his friends might be held. But that didn't make it any easier having to cope with moving through that thin tunnel. Mint promised that it would widen a little bit at a time as they moved along. But to Rudy, it felt like it was taking forever.

The tunnel was a little round, a little flat at the same time. It was very narrow, to the point where, for a time, Ripclaw was having a hard time moving through it without scraping herself along the sides. Rudy and Mint both winced, sometimes yelping in pain, as their legs, heads, and arms were somethings banged against the hard walls. Ripclaw had to move more slowly, otherwise she'd risk getting stuck or tripping into a difficult-to-get-out-of position. And this went on for a little while. Maybe a few minutes, but to Rudy, it felt so much longer.

When the tunnel finally started to widen, it was of a great relief to Rudy. Soon, Ripclaw had an easier time moving around. It was still a bit of a tight fit. Still better than how it initially was, though. The tunnel started to curve a little, and suddenly it got even wider. Ripclaw looked relieved to finally have even more room to work with. Rudy and Mint were also happy about this. The feeling of being so tightly cramped was not exactly a pleasant feeling.

Up ahead, there was a long gap in the wall. It was sort of like a long window, except there was no glass. Strange lights shined through, partially illuminating the tunnel some more. Ripclaw's steps slowed and she lowered her head, like she knew they were entering a dangerous place. She kept as quiet as she could, her feet stepping on the ground even lighter than before. As they came up to the long gap, Rudy could start seeing in the room.

The first thing he noticed was some kind of raised platform with lit wires connecting to it. There were multiple fluid-filled tanks and when Rudy noticed what was in them, he knew this is where Skrawl had kept those artifacts he stole. He could see an item in some of the tanks. He guessed Skrawl didn't want to use them all at once, or maybe some of the artifacts didn't work. Either way, this did mean that Skrawl didn't possess every single power, so he might be easier to face. Still, he knew he and Mint had to be careful.

Ripclaw stopped walking on Mint's gesture and they looked through the gap. Rudy wondered what Mint spotted, but when he saw how horrified the kid looked, Rudy knew it wasn't anything good. He followed Mint's stare to see for himself. It took all his strength not to scream in horror.

There, a bit further way from the tanks, were Penny and Snap. They were strapped down on two large wooden tables. Both of them had large stalactites hanging over them. Rudy realized that they looked a little unstable, and with how they were positioned, they would skewer and crush his friends if they were to fall down. This was going to make things a lot harder. And to Rudy's horror, Snap's back brace had been removed and his leotard torn. This made Snap's back even more vulnerable to attack. Even from here, Rudy could see the dark purple bruise that spread across the middle of his friend's back.

The sight of it temporarily caused anger towards Mint to resurface in his head. Mint was the one who broke his friend's back. Snap's predicament was made worse by this kid. The anger didn't last long though. Mint had apologized for it and he was here trying to help him out. He let the anger slip through his mind and he shifted his focus on trying to figure out a way to get to his friends.

Rudy found it hard to tear his eyes away from his friends for long. He couldn't believe just how cruel Skrawl was being. It wasn't enough to just tie his friends down. No, he had to put stalactites over them, which he didn't doubt he used his newfound powers to do. And he poured salt in the wound when he exposed Snap's back and had the stalactite positioned right over it. Skrawl could rebreak Snap's back and this time, the damage might be much more severe than what Mint had caused. And no doubt, if the stalactites hit them, both of them would die. They would get crushed, and there would be nothing Rudy could do to save them.

Before he and Mint could decide on what course of action to take, they saw a familiar shape walk in. Both boys narrowed their eyes as they watched Skrawl walk into the room from an unseen door. He was going up to Penny. The two boys moved in closer, trying to listen in on what he was saying.

"It won't be long now..." Skrawl said as he walked around Penny. He stood behind her, towering over her menacingly. "I suspect Master Tabootie will be here. And when he does, I'll be ready for him." He grinned nastily at Penny, who glared defiantly back at him. "This game of cat and mouse will soon be over."

"Rudy will find a way to stop you." Penny growled at him. "I know he will."

Skrawl chuckled darkly at this. He then moved over towards Snap. Rudy's eyes widened in horror as Skrawl stood next to Snap. The jellybean turned his head to face Penny, that same nasty grin still on his face. "Even if he does have a way, I still hold all the cards. I'm the one in charge here." Skrawl raised up his hand, positioning it over Snap's back.

"No...what's he doing...?" Mint whispered in a low, terrified voice.

Rudy didn't answer. He felt ice flow through his veins as Skrawl kept his hand elevated above Snap's back. His body started to shiver. No..Skrawl couldn't be thinking of... He knew he was cruel, but...to do this... Rudy wanted to burst through and save Snap, but even if he jumped into action, there was no way he could reach Snap in time. He was forced to watch with horror-filled eyes as Skrawl raised his hand a little higher.

"You and I both know Rudy wouldn't want to risk you two getting hurt, genius girl." Skrawl drolled. He flexed his claws. "He would do anything to protect you two, even if it means giving up his own life..."

Rudy's heart stopped at this. He slowly looked at Mint in shock. Both boys had the same thoughts on their mind. Skrawl had sunk really low this time. He wasn't going to get away with this.

Mint leaned in close to Rudy and whispered softly, "I'm going to head down a different path. Up ahead it forks. I'm going to come in from a different angle. I'll go and free your friends. You can take the other path and try to lead Skrawl away from those stalactites so they won't fall on your friends while I'm freeing them. Okay?"

Rudy contemplated Mint's plan. He didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Time was of the essence. He quickly nodded his head. He and Mint started to move further down. Ripclaw was instructed to stay low and quiet. Mint would call her if he needed her help.

They didn't get that far when they heard Skrawl's dark laughter, chilling them to the bone. Then they heard him speak.

"Let me show you just how helpless you two are..."

At this, Rudy and Mint looked back through the gap. And what they saw, they could not believe. Skrawl struck down as hard as he could. The hand became a blur for a few seconds. There was a thud sound, and a loud cry of pain coming from Snap. Rudy's heart clenched tightly and his eyes widened in horror. Skrawl had struck Snap across his back, slashing his claws into his bruised skin. Blood splattered on the table and coated his claws. In response, Snap let out multiple screams of agony, and appeared to be trying his best not to struggle against the pain, knowing full well of what will happen if he did.

Rudy couldn't believe it. Snap...no... Skrawl had attacked Snap's back... How low could that horrid jellybean sink? Snap was hurt badly enough was it was... The sight of the bloody gashes on Snap's damaged back chilled him deeply. His body shook in anger. His mind began to cloud. He lost sight of his surroundings. He didn't even notice when Mint slipped away to do his part, which was free his friends.

Right now, the only thing on Rudy's mind was Skrawl...and making him pay for what he did. Rudy felt tears flow down his cheeks, dread filling his heart, as he stared at Snap. The zoner was struggling a little, and he could tell he was trying so hard not to move around too much, lest he dislodge the stalactite above him. Skrawl was laughing cruelly at his pain. Penny was calling out Snap's name, trying to comfort him. And Snap was sobbing uncontrollably. This...this was unforgiveable...

"Skrawl...you monster..." Rudy hissed under his breath. Grabbing his magic chalk out, its end sparkling for a few seconds, he rushed down the path to confront the monster.

As Rudy got to the exit of the tunnel Mint told him about, he stared over at Skrawl. The jellybean's back was turned towards him. At first, he wondered if showing himself was going to cause problems, but Skrawl was expecting him, not Mint. And as long as he could keep Skrawl's attention on him, Penny and Snap would be freed.

Skrawl turned his attention to Penny. "You see? I..."

Rudy didn't allow the jellybean to finish. "Hey, Skrawl!" The surprised jellybean looked over behind him. Penny looked shocked as well, her head raised up and looking over. Rudy stood there, a furious look on his face. "Looking for me?"

Skrawl blinked a few times, and then he smiled evilly. "Well...Rudy Tabootie..." He tapped his claws together. "So nice of you to show up..."

"No! Rudy!" Penny called out. "It's a trap! Don't..." She was silenced when Skrawl gagged her with his hand.

"Silence! This is between me and chalk boy!" Skrawl growled at her. He released her and turned his attention back to Rudy. "What took you so long to get here? I would have suspected the Great Creator to be able to get out of that trap in half the time!"

Rudy growled at him. He glared as Skrawl advanced on him and began to circle him like a vulture. "Let my friends go, Skrawl!"

"Oh I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, they're my guests..." Skrawl drolled as he continued to pace around Rudy. "But..." He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "I might be willing to let them go..." He took a step towards Rudy and reached out for his throat. He pressed his claw against it gingerly, not even scratching the skin. "I'm all for a trade. So..what do you say, Master Tabootie? Your friends' lives..." He put his face close to Rudy's. He spoke again, in a darker, more gravely voice. "..in exchange for yours..."

Rudy glared hatefully at Skrawl. "You're a sick, twisted monster..."

Skrawl chuckled evilly at this. "Why thank you...now..." He pushed his claw harder against Rudy's neck. "..choose..."


	33. Confrontation

Mint moved along the tunnel, keeping himself as quiet as possible so Skrawl didn't see him. Once in a while, he would turn to see how Rudy was going. He was doing a good job at keeping Skrawl faced away from where Penny and Snap were. Mint was unsettled by the conversation Skrawl was having with Rudy. The whole 'trade your friends' lives for your own' thing... He was impressed at how well Rudy was handling that. Mint didn't think he could do as well if the roles were switched.

He kept moving along, keeping his mind focused on getting to Penny and Snap as fast as he could without making a sound. The exit was up ahead. It wouldn't take him long to get there. He sometimes turned his head to watch the confrontation between Rudy and Skrawl. This didn't last long as, soon, the tunnel moved behind some of Skrawl's equipment. He was a little unnerved that he couldn't see them anymore; he had less of a way to know if Skrawl still had his back turned. But the ongoing conversation at least assured him that Skrawl's attention was still on Rudy.

He hoped that this plan would work. He should have thought it out more thoroughly to take note of anything that could go wrong and do something about it. But they had little time for that. If they spent too much time wondering how to go about things, it may have ended in disaster. Penny and Snap didn't have a lot of time. Especially Snap. That attack on his broken back made things worse for the zoner. Now there's a risk of infection if it's not treated.

He was concerned that Skrawl would take notice of him freeing the pair if he didn't make it quick. Seeing just how cruel Skrawl could be, he wouldn't doubt that the jellybean would deliberately cause the stalactites to fall on them. And he wouldn't have enough time to get them out of the way or draw something to protect them. He hoped that he would be able to free them quickly before Skrawl took notice. He hadn't thought of yet how to get Snap back to the hospital, but maybe Penny would have an idea for that.

He soon got to the exit, which led him between two large pieces of machinery, and he was now standing several feet away from Snap's right side. For a moment, he froze, staring at the zoner. He watched sympathetically as Snap squirmed a little on the table, trying his best to hold still. The claws had struck him deeply, much deeper than what Skrawl did to him. There was a considerable amount of blood staining the zoner's back and the table, a bit on the floor too. And there was a steady flow of blood coming from the deep gashes. Poor Snap... He could see why he couldn't hold still that well.

The sight of the wounds caused guilt to strike through Mint's chest and stomach. Seeing Snap like this took him back to the incident at the temple. Snap looking up at him in fear, trying to crawl on the ground, hardly able to move without pain... The guilt snagged a hold of him again, gripping him tightly. He shivered, grimacing the sight of Snap in such agony. He knew that Snap's condition would not be as bad if he hadn't broken his back. He tried his best to control his guilt. At least he was doing something about it now.

Mint moved over quietly, his mind swimming with thoughts of what he should do. He wanted to help Snap, but he didn't know what to do. Should he unhook him first? Wait, that might not be a good idea. Snap might move around too much and he'll get hurt. Well, he could secure the back brace on him to provide some protection... But wait. What of the wounds? Shouldn't they be treated? That was going to be hard with him strapped down like that. His head started to hurt as he tried to think of what he should do.

He decided to go to Penny first. She might know what to do. He thought he heard once that her mom was a vet. Maybe she knew something about first aid perhaps? He walked behind Snap's table, looking over cautiously at where Skrawl and Rudy were. The jellybean was still talking with the boy. Mint heard part of their conversation, but he did his best not to let him distract him from getting these two off the table. His heart pounded with each step he took, glancing up at the stalactites above. One wrong move and they'll dislodge.

Mint was soon upon Penny's table. He moved up behind her, remaining as quiet as he could. He sometimes glanced over at where Skrawl was, making sure the jellybean wasn't looking this way. He then reached out for Penny. As he started to tap her shoulder, he realized that he should have thought this through better.

Penny started to let out a surprised cry, not expecting someone to be behind her. Mint quickly clamped his hand over her mouth to silence her. Her widened eyes turned up to look at him. He looked down at her. Using his other hand, he put a finger against his lips. Penny still looked shocked, but she seemed to understand what he was trying to tell her. She nodded her head quickly, and Mint removed his hand.

"Sorry, couldn't let you give me away." Mint said softly. He looked down at the cuffs that held her down. He tried to see if there was a keyhole or something. "How do these open?"

Penny shook her head. "I don't know. Try drawing a screwdriver."

"A screwdriver?" Mint had never tried drawing that item before. What would happen if he messed it up?

Penny said, "Yes. Unscrew the nails that are holding the shackles down." Her gaze turned briefly at where Rudy and Skrawl were. It seemed to click with her what was going on. "I don't know how long it will be before Skrawl turns back this way. Hurry."

Despite not knowing if he could do it or not, Mint still did what Penny told him. He took out his magic chalk and started to draw a screwdriver. He grabbed it as it materialized. It wasn't the best and it didn't look like it would work. Still, he tried. He looked down at each shackle, locating at where the screws were fastened in. He began to rmove them. It was difficult and it took longer than he knew it should take. But, slowly, it was working.

Every nail removed was placed in his pocket so they wouldn't clang against the ground. He worked on each cuff one at a time. He first undid the ones that held down Penny's hands. He then worked on her legs. The legs were the hardest to remove for some reason. Soon, they came off. When he lifted them up, he was careful not to let them drop on the ground. He would gently set them down, ensuring that there was no clang that would alert Skrawl to what he was doing. When the last cuff came off of her, Mint helped her sit up slowly. They both glanced over at Skrawl, ensuring he still didn't see what was going on, and they headed towards Snap's table.

Penny had tears form in her eyes. Mint watched sadly as Penny stood by Snap and began to stroke his head gently. Snap was a little startled, but thankfully he kept quiet. He was obviously smart enough to know that right now would be a very bad time to make a lot of noise. Mint moved a little closer, moving over to the other side of Snap. The zoner looked at Penny and then at Mint. There was a pleading expression on his face.

"Help me...the pain..." Snap whimpered softly. His body gave a shudder. "I-It's getting worse...please...help..."

"Shhh..." Penny whispered soothingly at him. She put her arm around the back of his head and pulled him into what Mint could best describe as a hug. Her head was pressed against the zoner's. "It will be okay... We'll get you out of here..."

Mint looked at them sympathetically. His gaze turned upwards. He bit his lip, wondering if the stalactite will hold long enough for them to free Snap. If it wasn't strong enough... He wasn't sure what they could do. He had no ideas on how to stop that thing from falling, and they couldn't just grab Snap and run. He was mortally wounded. They had to move him slowly. There had to be something they could do.

And he still had no idea on what to do regarding Snap's back. The wounds had to be treated, but with him strapped down like that, it was going to be hard. They would have to lift his body up to pull the bandages through, and that wasn't a good idea because of his back. They couldn't afford to let it arch and bend that much doing moving him. Maybe there was another way of going about this that he wasn't thinking of. He knew they couldn't just slip the back brace back on, not while the wounds were still exposed. It would cause the zoner a lot of pain. Well it would still anyway, but more so with his wounds exposed like that than if he just covered the wounds in bandages somehow.

Mint turned to Penny and said, "How should we go about this? I...I don't know what to do..." He turned to look down at Snap. "Those wounds have to be at least covered but... With him cuffed like this, I don't know if it's possible... But if we uncuff him, he might struggle harder and hurt himself more." Feeling a loss, he looked back at the ten year old. "Please, I...I don't know how to help..."

Penny released Snap. She looked down at her friend, stroking his head a few more times. She then turned around to face Mint. She took a step towards him, and then eyed Snap's injured back. She grimaced at the sight of the blood and the extent of the damage dealt to her friend. She turned back to Mint.

"I know you might not have as much experience as Rudy, but you have to try to do this. Draw some disinfectant, cloths, a cloth pad, and surgical tape." Penny said.

"Surgical tape?" Mint inquired. He knew so little about this sort of stuff, at least compared to Penny.

"Yes." Penny nodded. "So we can bandage the wound without moving him too much."

That relieved Mint. But there was still another problem. He glanced at Snap. "What if he screams?"

Penny opened her mouth to speak, but realizing what Mint was saying, she turned to Snap. She moved closer to his head again. Placing her hand on the back of his head, she lowered herself and whispered to him, "Snap, Mint and I need to treat your wounds a little before we can unhook you. We need you to keep still. Whatever you do, try your best not to scream, okay? We don't want to draw Skrawl's attention."

Snap nodded her head. His eyes were wide as he looked at her, tears of pain streaming down his face. "Okay..I'll try not to scream..." He let out a soft whimper, closing his eyes tightly. "Just please..h-hurry..."

Mint wasted no time. He drew the items that Penny asked of him. He wasn't sure if they were good enough. He never drew them before. But like the screwdriver he created, these seemed to work just fine. Penny didn't tell him he did anything wrong. Once the items were drawn, Mint brought them over to Penny and they quickly got started.

The first thing they did was wipe the blood carefully. Using the cloths that Mint drew, the pair wiped away the blood carefully. Snap was doing a good job with keeping quiet, though Mint could tell it was taking all his strength not to cry out. The cloths soon became soaked in blood, becoming almost all red and pink, vastly different from their original white color. Soon, with a combination of teamwork, Penny and Mint were able to wipe most of the blood away and stop the bleeding altogether.

Due to lack of time and the risk of the sound of water splashing on the ground, Penny could not wash Snap's wounds. She could still disinfect them. She grabbed the bottle that Mint had drawn and she spayed a couple times on Snap's back. Each one caused the zoner to stiffen up and stifle a cry of pain. It must really sting him, poor guy. Penny whispered soft apologies each time he cried out in agony. The disinfectant soon went to work and the stinging apparently began to fade, as Snap's pained expression slowly disappeared.

Then Penny instructed Mint to place the cloth on Snap's back gently. Mint felt guilty about doing this as even the lightest touch hurt Snap horribly. He did his best to be very gentle as he placed the pad on the zoner's injured back. He applied just enough pressure, careful not to cause more pain than necessary. Under Penny's guidance, Mint managed to tape the pad down carefully, holding it in place so it wouldn't slip off.

Then came the back brace. It was still on the table, the ends hanging off the side. Mint grabbed one side and Penny the other. They pulled the brace back together, careful not to jerk it or make it tight too suddenly. They redid the straps, resecuring the back brace around Snap's injury.

With the back brace now secured, the two could then start to undo the cuffs that held him down. Mint removed the screws from each one while Penny removed the cuffs and set them down quietly. When Snap was completely freed from the table, the zoner didn't move; he held still, knowing that he could still end up hurting himself if he moved around too much. Although Snap's back had its protection back on and he was no longer hooked to the table, Mint wasn't sure of what the next move should be.

Penny seemed to read his thoughts.

"Draw a stretcher." Penny told him.

"But I don't know if I can..." Mint said softly.

"Try, Mint. You were doing well before." Penny said to him. "Please try."

Mint looked at Penny, biting his lip. He wasn't sure if he could do it. He was really pushing his limit, drawing things he hadn't before. He then glanced down at Snap. He knew Penny was right. He did have to try. And he was doing so well before, like Penny said. He had to at least try.

He raised the magic chalk and, hoping for the best, started to draw. Lines formed in the air as he did his best to create a stretcher. He had so little experience that what he ended up drawing, he couldn't even tell was a stretcher. But it was still on wheels, it was big enough for Snap, and it had straps that could hold him down. It would have to do. He helped Penny lift Snap up and place him on the stretcher, onto his back. Snap let out a few soft moans but was otherwise as quiet as he could be. They secured him to the stretcher, firm but not too tight.

"We have to get out of here." Penny said softly. She touched Snap's cheek gently. "Do you know the way out of here?"

Mint nodded. "Yeah, I can lead you to the exit. I'll come back to help Rudy."

Penny smiled briefly. Then, with a worried expression, she said, "Do you have any magic chalk I can use?"

Mint stared at the piece he used to draw the stretcher. "Afraid not. This is the only one I brought with." He paused for a moment. "I could break it in half.. would that work?"

Penny nodded. "Yeah, it will."

"Okay, hold on." Mint grabbed the two ends of the white stick and began to apply pressure.

He did not get very far.

"Mint Zandophen?!"

Skrawl's booming cry was the last thing Mint heard before his ears were echoing with the sound of electrical currents. Something that looked like an electrical snake, kind of, wrapped around his body. The thing coiled around him, keeping his hands pinned flat against his side, which prevented him from dropping the magic chalk. He let out a surprised cry and was ripped away from Penny, who stared at him with a horrified expression. Mint soon found himself being held above Skrawl, who was holding a small oddly-shaped rod, the source of the electrical coil.

Mint struggled in the air. The coil around him tightened slightly. He winced as the electricity danced over his body. It wasn't electrocuting him oddly, but that might be because Skrawl was not allowing it to go that far. It was still hurting him, though. The heat of the electrical archs started to burn his skin a little. He glared down at Skrawl, who kept him raised high above him. There was a look of shock, anger, and disgust on the jellybean's face.

Mint wondered what happened to Rudy. Then he saw it. Skrawl had used his ring to form another rock-like hand. This time, he used it to press Rudy against the wall. The ten year old was trying to get free. His arms were completely pinned, and, like him, he was not able to draw anything.

Horror soon filled Mint's heart as he realized the implication of their situation. Skrawl had figured them out. He had found out about their plan. He spotted him. He stopped him from helping Penny get Snap out. And now, he and Rud were pinned against the wall, none of them being able to use their magic chalk. And Skrawl had powers granted to him by the artifacts. They were at such a disadvantage now. What were they going to do?

"I should have known this was all a trick!" Skrawl snarled, glaring up at Mint. "And I should have known you were going to be trouble from the start! I should have known that you were going to betray me, just like she did!" His odd-colored eyes glanced at Penny for a moment, looking at her with intense hatred. He then glanced up at Mint. "I am not going to allow this! I am not going to let you make a fool out of me, Mint!"

Mint tried to struggle again. He jerked his way from side to side. Unable to get free, he stopped squirming around. The stinging pain was getting worse the longer he was kept in this tight coil. He shot a death glare at the jellybean, baring his teeth at him. "You used me, you overgrown lima bean! You made a fool out of me first!" He narrowed his eyes further. "So consider this payback!"

Mint let out a scream as Skrawl tightened the electrical coil around his body. Rudy and Penny gasped in horror at what was happening. Mint continued to scream as he was squeezed tighter and tighter. The electricity arched over his body and now it was starting to get inside him as well. The electrocution soon begun and he screamed louder.

This, fortunately, didn't last long. Feet pounding on the ground, a loud screech in the air, Ripclaw had come from her hiding spot. She raced down across the room. Skrawl noticed her, but was unable to react in time. She slammed against Skrawl, knocking him back. The utahraptor pinned Skrawl against the ground, holding him in place. The jellybean struggled, but Ripclaw was doing a good job with keeping him pinned. She put her face close to his and snarled viciously at him.

Thanks to Ripclaw's intervention, the powers that controlled the electrical coil and rock hadn were disrupted. The two boys fell to the ground. Rudy grunted as he landed on his back. He struggled to his feet, staggering a little. Mint landed on his feet, but soon buckled onto his knees. His body trembled from the pain. The electrocution..it hurt so bad... He tried to straighten himself up, but he was too shaky and he found himself on his knees again.

He looked up to see Rudy rushing towards him. Behind him, he could see Skrawl still on the ground, struggling against Ripclaw. This was not going to last much longer, he knew. He attempted to get back up, but he fell forward again. This time, Rudy, who had gotten close enough to him, grabbed onto him and held him up, helping him keep his balance.

"Are you okay?" Rudy asked.

"Yeah..." Mint said, teeth clenched. "I-I'm fine...I just need to catch my breath..." He rubbed his head, which throbbed with pain. He then looked over at where Penny and Snap where. He still needed to give her half of his magic chalk so she could take Snap to the hospital. The zoner needed to get there as soon as possible.

Once he believed he got his footing, he moved away from Rudy and started to head towards Penny and Snap. Rudy looked at him worriedly and was about to call out to him. He was suddenly interrupted by a loud, painful screech, causing him and Mint to freeze in their tracks. The two boys looked over just in time to see Skrawl holding Ripclaw above the ground, just like he had with Mint. To their horror, Skrawl threw the dinosaur away...and right towards where Penny and Snap were.

"No!" The two boys shouted. They rushed over, hoping to get there in time. But they were too late.

Ripclaw crashed against the stalactite above Penny and Snap. She fell into the ground, landing in front of the pair. There was a loud cracking sound. Bits of rock started to fall, hitting against the hard ground. Then a creak came and the stalactite gave way, coming down towards Penny and Snap.

Time seemed to slow down. The stalactite dropped lower and lower, the sharp end faced right at the girl and zoner. With no magic chalk, Penny could not draw a defense. And Ripclaw was unable to move. She had hit her head and was now unconscious. There was no way that Mint and Rudy could reach her in time. Mint's heart froze, wondering what was to become of Penny and Snap. Would they be able to make it away in time? How were they going to get out of this?

Penny wasn't the type to give up. He knew that from experience. She would find a way out. And he turned out to be correct.

Everything happened so fast. Mint barely had time to register it. As the stalactite came crashing down, Penny grabbed the stretcher that Snap was on. She then ran as fast as she could forward. Seconds after she did this, the stalactite hit the ground with a heavy thud. It broke into pieces, shattering on the ground and kicking up dust and dirt into the air. Then, shortly after, the vibrations of the first stalactice caused the other one to fall as well. Another crash, another loud crack, and more dust rose in the air. Cracks here or there still occurred, the sound of rocks rumbling filling their ears.

Everyone coughed and wheezed as the dust hung strungly in the air. They squinted, trying to keep the dust out. They looked at where the stalactites had fallen. As the dust cleared, they could see the damage. There was now a large rubble of rocks laying on the ground. The tables that Penny and Snap were on were shattered, splittered in all directions. Mint winced as he realized that could have been them easily if no one helped them get out.

Then he saw something that made his heart freeze. His eyes widened in horror.

"Ripclaw!"

The utahraptor had not been able to get away in time. She was partially buried under the rubble. She laid on her back, her eyes closed and mouth partway open. There didn't appear to be any blood, but he couldn't tell just from that if the damage was severe or not. The utahraptor let out a few hisses of pain and moved her head a little, but was otherwise unmoving on the ground.

Mint's body shook with emotion. He stared in shock at Ripclaw on the ground. He felt his heart tightening, an uncomfortable sensation overwhelming him. His creation...No...his friend was injured. And it was all because of Skrawl... Anger filled his mind. He now knew just what Rudy felt like back at the temple. His body trembled in anger at the sight of Ripclaw's unconscious body and the realization that Penny and Snap were nearly killed. Skrawl...was going to pay for this.

He turned to face Skrawl, but then stopped when something else caught his eye. There was something moving in the corner. It was kinda thing...looked really sharp...and it was.. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what was going on. The throwing of Ripclaw..was nothing more than a distraction. Skrawl was going to..oh no... Without thinking, he ran towards Rudy as fast as he could.

"Look out!" Mint shouted.

"What?" Rudy asked.

Mint slammed against Rudy and shoved him into the ground. No sooner had he done that, a sharp pillar of metal, stretched out from one of the machinery, shot out above them, nearly missing the pair. The two looked on in horror as the sharp end rammed against the ground, its sharp tip going deep into the floor. The two boys frozen and stared at the object, their breaths quickening from the shock.

They both slowly stood up, their bodies trembling. That was close...too close. Mint winced at how close the metallic thing nearly sliced into them. If he hadn't acted, this would have gone straight to Rudy's back. Skrawl could have killed him. He looked at Rudy worriedly, his eyes scanning his body to see if he had sustained any injuries.

"Rudy!" Penny called out. She was remaining by Snap's side, not wanting to leave him alone while Skrawl still wielded the artifacts' powers. "Are you okay?!" Her voice sounded terrified and filled with concern.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine..." Rudy said. He looked over at Mint. "Thanks for the help..."

Mint nodded his head and gave a soft smile. He opened up his mouth to reply, but he didn't get a chance to. The electrical coil slammed against the ground next to the boys. They both jumped back in shock. They looked to see Skrawl standing there, glaring at the two boys.

"I will not allow you to ruin my plans, Mint. You should have stayed with me. You were the best addition I made to my team. However, there's still a chance... Come back to me, Mint, and I'll show you what true power feels like!" Skrawl declared, using his hand to beckon Mint to come forward.

"No..." Mint growled at him, taking a step back.

This didn't seem to faze Skrawl. It was like he was expecting that answer. "Very well then, Mint. But just to let you know, I do not intend on...forgetting the lessons of the past. I learned from experience what happens when two creators fight against me instead of one..." He glared at Penny, who narrowed her eyes in defiance. He turned back to Mint. "So I won't give you and Master Tabootie the pleasure of that. I was going to save this for later but..." He let out a dark chuckle. "...what's the point in waiting?"

Mint didn't understand why Skrawl didn't continue trying to get him to come back. He would have thought that, because he liked his skill so much, he would keep tring. Instead, he appeared to give up so easily, so suddenly. And what was this he was going to do? What was his plan? There had to be a reason for Skrawl's actions, but what?

He got his answer.

Moments after Skrawl had taken out a new artifact, this one being what appeared to be a sceptre of some kind, Mint some kind of strange, dark purple energy envelop him. It was coming from the sceptre, and it was closing in around him. He let out a cry of surprise when he felt his body move without his permission. He fought against the control, but it was no use. His muscles and tendons were bending and flexing at the will of someone else, no longer his own.

Mint felt himself being forced to turn around and face Rudy. He tried again and again to get free, but he was no longer in control. Skrawl was. He was helpless to stop the evil jellybean from using him as a puppet. He gritted his teeth and he stared at Rudy. He looked at the horrified boy pleadingly.

"H-Help..." Mint let out a soft whimper before his body was forced to straighten up, his arms placed firmly against his side.

"Mint!" Penny called out.

"Let him go, Skrawl!" Rudy ordered the jellybean.

Skrawl chuckled evilly. "Oh I'm afraid I can't do that. You see..I still have use of this boy's talents.." Skrawl forced Mint to walk over towards him. "And if he will not let me harness them willingly.." Soon Mint stood beside Skrawl, his body frozen from the sceptre's powers. "I will use it by force..."Skrawl's claws moved gently along the top of Mint's head, running through his hair. "You see..he still belongs to me..."

Mint's eyes widened in horror as the full realization of his predicament kicked in.


	34. Controlled

Initially, Penny had no idea what to think of the situation. She was glad that Rudy and Mint appear to be getting along a little better than before. But despite that, she still wasn't sure what to think of Mint. After all that time fighting him, all that time going up against this kid, she was still expecting him to be something of a jerk. The past few days, that's all he had been to them. A bully who tried to do whatever he could to get his way. He had even gone as far as try to kill Snap right before their eyes.

And yet now here he was, trying to help them get away from Skrawl, trying to go up against the crazed jellybean. She had no idea what had happened between the two, but whatever it was, it worked out for the best. Maybe Rudy managed to convince Mint that Skrawl was evil after all. Or maybe Mint figured things out on his own. Whatever the cause, Mint had decided to help them this time, instead of fight against them.

This didn't mean, when he came up to her, that she trusted him completely. Far from it; she was still a little wary of him. Unlike Rudy, though, she didn't let her anger overtake her. He did seem genuinely upset that Snap was in pain and he hadn't lifted a finger to harm him. She wasn't sure if there was an excuse for that if he genuinely did care. And then he asked her how he could help Snap. That was a little unexpected and it had her wondering if he really had changed.

She didn't really know what Mint was doing in the hospital. He might have apologized Snap, maybe to Rudy as well. She might not have seen it, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. With how much Mint appears to be willing to help, it does seem like they finally got through to his head. Maybe he really had realized how wrong he was and wanted to try to make amends. And maybe Rudy apologized as well. She didn't see any signs of Mint showing fear towards Rudy like he had for the past two weeks. That was an improvement.

What completely convinced Penny that Mint really had seen the light was how he had reacted to when Ripclaw had been injured. She could tell, from the expression on his face and the tone of his voice that he was sincerely angry at Skrawl for hurting Ripclaw. That moment convinced Penny that Mint did understand that zoners were real and that his whole view on them changed. She was glad that Mint finally understood what they were trying to tell him all this time. She just wished that he had listened to them sooner.

Well nothing they can do about that now. At least he was helping out. He would make a good ally for Rudy against Skrawl. They might be able to take him down with teamwork, despite Skrawl's new powers. Penny wished she could help, but with no magic chalk, she couldn't do much of anything. She opted to stay by Snap's side and comfort him. She moved the stretcher away from the center of the room where she guessed the battle would take place. She didn't want Snap getting hurt and she didn't want to risk leaving him alone, lest Skrawl decide to attack him. Snap couldn't defend himself in his current condition.

During her time here before Rudy and Mint arrived, Penny had learned from Skrawl that he couldn't figure out all the artifacts. He had removed the ones that he hadn't learned how to use yet and put them somewhere safe for further study. About half the artifacts weren't in use, so that was something of a relief to Penny. Though Skrawl was still a threat with what new powers he did acquire, he was at least not as powerful as that ancient zoner Atlas that they were informed of.

And with Rudy and Mint here together, it was unlikely that Skrawl would try to fetch the other artifacts, especially if he didn't know how to work them. It made sense that he would hide the ones he didn't know how to operate. He didn't want to take the chance to lost them in this encounter. Right now, the only artifacts he was using was the ring, the cape, the rod, the sceptre, and of course, the crown. And if Rudy and Mint could destroy them one by one...they might stand a chance.

Then things took a turn for the worst. Penny didn't see it coming. She doubted Rudy and Mint could either. She watched in horror as it happened, not believing what she was seeing. Just when they thought that they had the upperhand, Skrawl did something to 'even the odds' to his favor. Penny had suspected he would try to turn the tides, but the way he had pulled it off... Penny couldn't believe how low of a move it was.

Skrawl had taken over Mint's body. He raised the golden sceptre and its dark purple energy surrounded Mint, and took a hold of him. She watched in horror as Mint was forced to walk over to Skrawl and stand next to him. The way Skrawl was treating him...like he was just an object for him to wield...it was sickening. Penny might still harbor some anger towards the kid for how he had acted, but he didn't deserve this. Even if he was still a jerk, she still wouldn't believe that he deserved that kind of fate. And the way Skrawl said that Mint 'belonged to him', like he was just his property... She could feel her hatred for the jellybean rising.

Penny felt so sorry for Mint. It must be horrible not being able to move on his own. It must be terrifying feeling his legs and arms move to the will of another. There was nothing Mint could do. The only way to free him was to destroy the sceptre. But with Skrawl now in control of Mint, that was going to be easier said than done. She remained by Snap's side and watched, her eyes widened, as Mint was forced to do whatever Skrawl wanted him to do.

Penny was horrified when Mint was forced to draw a spiked bat. She could tell he really didn't want to do it. She could see how his left arm was shaking, trying to pull itself back and stop himself from drawing. It was a failed attempted, as the power Skrawl possessed allowed the jellybean to force Mint to draw it. And when he finished, Mint held the bat in his hand, wielding it in a threatening posture. He took a step towards Rudy, gritting his teeth and trying so hard to fight back.

"Mint! Fight it! Don't let him control you!" Rudy cried out in desperation. He held up his magic chalk. From his expression alone, Penny knew that he didn't want to fight Mint. "Fight back!"

Mint tried to stop himself from moving towards Rudy. He tried to pull himself back. But except for a few jerks here or there, Mint was not able to hinder Skrawl's progress with forcing him over towards Rudy. Mint looked at Rudy with a somewhat tearful expression.

"I...I can't...I'm sorry..." Mint said in a soft voice before his arm pulled back, gripping the bat tightly. Mint's eyes widened. "Look out!" He cried before he suddenly swung the bat at Rudy.

Rudy managed to get out of the way, the bat's spikes barely grazing him. He moved around, letting Mint rush past him. He then rushed forward and pushed against Mint. He managed to pin him on the ground, holding him in a headlock. Mint's controlled body started to fight back, trying to force him off of him. Mint tried whatever he could to stop, but nothing was working. He was completely at Skrawl's mercy.

"Mint!" Rudy cried as he held onto the older boy tightly. "Fight back!"

"I tried!" Mint called out in panic. His eyes were wide, wild, looking absolutely terrified. "I tried!"

"Try again!" Rudy shouted at him.

Behind them, Skrawl was laughing cruelly. He was clearly enjoying the show. He waved the sceptre in an almost taunting manner, a nasty grin on his face. Though he didn't speak, Penny knew that Skrawl was going to show Rudy and Mint just how much control over Mint he has. Skrawl forced Mint twist his body around and punch Rudy in the face. Then Mint got back up to his feet and punched Rudy again, knocking him into the ground. Mint pinned him down, his eyes wide in fear as the spiked bat was raised over his head.

Penny looked on in horror. There had to be something she could do. She glanced down at Snap. She couldn't leave his side. She couldn't leave him open. But, as she turned to Rudy and Mint, she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. She had to figure out something, a way to help. She had no magic chalk, but she could think of something else. All she needed to do is provide a distraction of some kind. A way for Skrawl to temporarily lose his hold on Mint. As the fight went on, she looking around in desperation for some kind of solution.

When she dared to look over as a loud clang ran out, she was relieved to see that Rudy drew something to protect himself. A long metal pole. As Mint struck down, the bat hit against this metal, clanging loudly. Again and again Mint struck, only to be stopped by this pole. Rudy got back up to his feet and started to push back. Mint's body pushed forward, despite the kid's best efforts to let Rudy pin him down. Skrawl was getting frustrated, his teeth gritted. He jabbed the sceptre in Mint's direction, causing the boy to knock Rudy's pole into the ground before delivering a kick on his left foot.

The damage to Rudy's left foot hadn't been obvious until Mint was forced to kick him there. Rudy's eyes went wide, tears formed in them, and he let out a horrible scream. He staggered and limped backwards, his left leg and foot shaky. Unable to get much of a footing, Rudy was helpless to stop Mint from pushing him back into the ground. He still held the magic chalk in his hand, but before he could draw anything, Mint slammed his foot down on his right arm, keeping it pinned and causing Rudy to cry out.

Mint threw the spiked club aside. Penny was confused at first, but then she realized, as dread filled her heart, that Skrawl was forcing Mint to draw something else entirely. A new weapon of some kind... She let out a gasp as she realized it was a chainsaw. Mint turned it on, the loud whirring filling the room, and he moved towards Rudy. The spinning blades got closer to the boy, moving at such a rate that Penny wasn't sure if Rudy could get out of the way or not.

She tore her eyes away, looking around for something. There had to be someway she could help them. Something...anything...

Then she spotted something. There, on the ground... Yeah that might work. It wasn't much and it wouldn't do much damage. But all she needed to do was create enough of a distraction for Mint to get free, at least for a short time. Maybe, if she was lucky, the distraction would be enough for Rudy to get rid of that sceptre. She glanced one more time at the pair before she turned and hurried to where she saw that object on the ground. Not far from Snap. It would work...it just had to work...

sss

Rudy couldn't believe how low Skrawl was willing to sink for this. He and Mint were ready to fight the evil jellybean. Their combined strength would have been enough to stop him, he was certain. But then Skrawl decided to pull a dirty trick. Rudy had nearly forgotten about that body control thing that Atlas had with creators. If he had known that, he would have been more prepared. Then again, how could he have prepared for this?

He was absolutely horrified as he watched Mint quickly lose control of his body. He had pleaded with him to fight back. Mint tried, oh how he tried. Rudy could see how hard he was struggling. He could see his body trembling from trying to regain control of himself. It was no use and Mint was forced to attack him.

Having no choice, Rudy fought back. He did his best not to hurt Mint. He went on the defensive, opting to block Mint's attacks rather than try to fight back. He managed to keep Mint from hurting him for the most part. He could see the fear in Mint's eyes as the spiked bat came down on him again and again. He could see his eyes practically shining of fear, apology, and a silent cry of help. Rudy tried to get a clear shot of the sceptre. If he could just destroy it, he would be able to free Mint from Skrawl's body control power. But how was he going to do that when Mint kept blocking his path and forcing him back?

Then Skrawl forced Mint to attack his left foot. Rudy screamed in agony as he felt himself being knocked into the ground. His left foot practically exploded in pain, making it hard to even move it without it hurting. His foot had been making a good recovery the past couple weeks, but that kick aggravated the still healing injury, reawakening the pain and forcing him to the ground. He tried to get back up, but his left foot felt like it was twisted, and he fell back down.

He looked up in horror as Mint held the chainsaw in front of him. The whirring, buzzing sound filled Rudy's ears with fear. He moved back on his hands, wincing in agony every time his left foot hit the ground. He had attempted to draw something, but Mint's foot stomped down unwillingly onto his right arm, pinning it down effectively. Rudy hissed in pain and he looked up at Mint, his eyes widening in fear as the chain saw got closer to him.

And that was Rudy's current predicament. On the ground, pinned down, a chainsaw in front of him. He could hear Skrawl's laughter and he tried to block it out. His eyes shifted from the chainsaw, to Mint, then back again. His teeth were gritted in fear and he attempted to move back further. Mint, or rather his controlled body, would not allow it. The chainsaw was getting closer as the seconds went by. Skrawl was really drawing this out, like he wanted to savor the moment. The sick, twisted fiend...

Rudy looked into Mint's eyes. He could see the shere dread in those kid's eyes. Mint really didn't want to do this. The idea of losing control of his body frightened him, and Rudy couldn't blame him. He'd be scared, too, if his body were controlled like that. Anger towards Skrawl rose in his heart. He couldn't believe that Skrawl would go as far as take control of Mint like he was just a puppet. Mint didn't belong to him. He wasn't an object to be used. Skrawl had no right to do this to him, or to anyone for that matter. He would make sure Skrawl paid for this.

But how was he going to get himself out of his mess? He couldn't use the magic chalk. He couldn't try to punch or kick Mint. Not just because he didn't want to hurt him, but because Skrawl could swing the chainsaw over and slice off one of his limbs. He needed some other way to get free. Despite how hopeless it seemed, he didn't give up. There had to be a way, something he wasn't seeing.

"R-Rudy...I'm sorry.." Mint whimpered in a low voice. His arm jerked forward, getting dangerously close to Rudy's chest. "P-Please...I-I don't want to do this.."

Rudy looked up at Mint sympathetically. "Just keep trying to fight back..." Rudy said softly. He knew that Mint had been doing that the whole time, but he wasn't sure what other advice to give Mint. "Don't let that hideous growling jellybean control you...You can do it..."

Mint jerked his head back, gritting his teeth tightly. "I'm...trying...!" He managed to move back a little, but it wasn't enough for Rudy to get away and soon Mint lost control of his body to Skrawl again. He pulled the chainsaw back and Rudy knew what that meant.

Skrawl's dark chuckle filled the room. "Time to end this..." He waved the sceptre as Mint's arms were forced to draw back. "Say goodbye, Master Tabootie!"

Letting out a scream of terror, Mint suddenly struck forward. Rudy let out a scream of his own and turned away, waiting for the pain to grip him. Then something unexpected happened. It all happened so fast that Rudy barely had time to register it.

Something struck Skrawl. He knew this because the jellybean let out a shout and there was a clunk sound, something slamming against his body. Whatever it was, it wasn't that big, prett light. But it was enough to distract the jellybean. The purple glow around Mint ceased for a time, allowing the boy to move on his own free will. He was not able to stop the chainsaw from striking forward, but he did manage to move it away at the last second. The chainsaw dug straight into the ground. Rudy flinched and the two boys coughed as dust was kicked up. Soon the chainsaw died, unable to turn in the rocky ground.

Rudy turned his head to see what had happened. He could see Penny standing near Snap, but there was something different about her. Her arm was positioned in a way that suggested that she had thrown something. He realized that's exactly what had happened. He turned his head towards Skrawl. He could see what looked to be a thick clump of dirt on his face, covering his eyes. The jellybean was struggling as hard as he could to get the clump off of him. His mind had shifted away from the sceptre and now that artifact was, currently, inactive. For the time being, Mint was free from Skrawl's control.

Mint realized this quickly and he, upon releasing the chainsaw, moved back a little, giving Rudy some room to get up. Climbing to his feet, Rudy staggered a little as his left foot touched the ground. Agony swept through it, and he knew he was going to limp for a while. He could see the sorrowful expression on Mint's face. He gave him a small, reassuring smile in an attempt to comfort him.

"It's okay, Mint. I'm fine. You didn't hurt me that much." Rudy said softly.

Mint's eyes looked warily down to his foot. "H-How is your...?"

Rudy glanced down briefly. "It's fine. I...can manage." He seethed briefly in pain, causing Mint to take a step towards him, like he thought he was going to fall or something. Rudy waved his hand in front of him. "No, don't worry. I'm okay. I can stand."

"Are you sure?" Mint asked with concern.

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah..."

Mint looked at his magic chalk. Rudy looked over and saw that Skrawl was getting close to getting that gunk off his face. They needed to attack the sceptre now. He turned to Mint to try to tell him something, but he froze when he saw Mint staring at Penny and Snap. Rudy could see a look of guilt on Mint's face, especially when he glanced over at Snap. The boy's gaze quicky alternated between the two, as well as his magic chalk. Mint bit his lip and he took a step forward.

What happened next, Rudy could not believe. His eyes widened as Mint threw the magic chalk over towards Penny. There was no hesitation. As soon as Mint pulled his arm back, he thrusted forward, and the magic chalk left his hand, and Penny caught it. Rudy was stunned by this. Mint had just...given up his own protection so that Snap could get to the hospital on time. His mind filled with shock at this revelation. It was a bold move, a risky one. He could always give Mint half of his chalk, but he was still stunned that the eleven year old would willingly put himself at a disadvantage to help another.

Penny looked shocked as well. She was staring over at Mint. She glanced at the chalk and then back at Mint. It looked like she was asking him a silent question, and as if to answer, Mint smiled at her and nodded his head slowly. Penny took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak. Mint interrupted her, pointing a finger towards the exit.

"Get out now! Get Snap to safety!" Mint called out to her.

"But what about you?" Penny asked. "Shouldn't we...?"

Mint shook his head. "There's no time! Go! I'll..." He looked over nervously as Skrawl almost cleared the stuff of his face. The jellybean looked very angry, his growls sending chills down his spine. "...manage somehow..."

Penny hesitated. She looked uncertain and Rudy couldn't blame her. Mint had, for the moment, left himself defenseless. Penny wasn't the type to desert someone who may need help. But they all knew Mint was right. Snap had to get to the hospital and fast. His condition was only going to get worse the longer he stayed here. Penny realized that and she took Snap and made a run for it. Rudy wasn't certain if she knew the way back, but he trusted her abilities. They'd get back to the hospital. He knew it.

Rudy glanced over at Mint. He took a moment to reflect on how much the kid had changed. He was no longer the coward he had known from before. He wasn't the same kid that would run from his problems or force someone else to do the work for him. For him to give up his magic chalk in a fight against a super-powered Skrawl...that took guts. Rudy couldn't help but give a small smile of admiration. The kid had come a long way.

Just then, Rudy realized the hard way that they had missed their chance at destroying the sceptre. Mint's body was shot full of the dark purple energy again and he let out a surprised cry. His teeth were gritted and he was forced to walk back towards Skrawl. Rudy attempted to stop him, but Mint was forced to punch him again, leaving a deep bruise on his jaw.

"Too bad you didn't seize that chance, Master Tabootie..." Skrawl hissed at him. As Mint was forced to stand in front of Skrawl, the jellybean said, "Because that was your only chance. And you blew it..."

"Let him go!" Rudy demanded, holding up his magic chalk. He tried his best to ignore the pain in his foot as he took a step forward. "He doesn't deserve being treated like this! Let him go!"

A cold laughter emitted from the jellybean's throat. "Oh he doesn't?" He asked in an almost innocent sounding voice. "That's not what I remember..."

Rudy's eyes slowly widened at this. He stared at Skrawl, wondering what he was talking about. He watched as the jellybean scratched his chin thoughtfully, like they were merely having a casual conversation. And after a minute, the jellybean still didn't continue with what he was saying. Rudy narrowed his eyes, realizing this might just be some kind of mind game. Well it wasn't going to work. He took a step forward, prepared to take on the evil zoner.

"I have heard otherwise..." Skrawl drolled, an eerie smile on his face. Rudy stopped his advance and stared at Skrawl, confused. Skrawl smirked at this and he waved his sceptre. "Case in point..." Skrawl gripped Mint on the shoulder with one hand, and the other went for his left arm.

Suddenly, Mint's left arm was bent behind his back. Mint closed his eyes tightly and seethed in pain. Rudy watched in horror as his left arm was pulled further back, bending further and further. If Skrawl kept this up, the arm would break. Mint couldn't even fight back with the sceptre controlling him. Skrawl grinned nastily at the boy and then looked over at Rudy. His eyes flashed with triumph.

Rudy took a step forward. He stopped when Skrawl tugged even harder on the arm. The sudden increase in pressure caused Mint to scream, a few tears escaping his eyes. Rudy was horrified by this. He looked at Mint's pain-filled expression, the color red splashing over him as he fought against the pain. He looked at his arm. It was not going to be able to handle much more abuse. He had to stop Skrawl somehow. Then Skrawl started to twist the arm and Mint's eyes widened so much Rudy thought they were going to fall out of his head. He let out another scream.

"Stop it, Skrawl! Leave him alone!" Rudy glared hatefully at Skrawl. "It's me you want! Take me, and release him!"

Skrawl smirked at Rudy, tightening his grip further on Mint. "But Master Tabootie...what was that you were saying about wanting me to do something horrible to Mint...?"

At this, Rudy's blood froze. His eyes widened in horror. How...how did Skrawl know about that? His body started to shake and he shook his head slowly. His heart clenched as he looked at Mint's pain-filled expression. "I-I didn't mean it..." He took a step foward. "Let him go!"

"Oh, but I just wanted to give you what you asked of me..." Skrawl said. He pulled on Mint's arm even harder. Mint let out another scream.

Rudy called out in horror, reaching out with his hand. "No! I didn't mean it! I swear I didn't mean it!"

"I was informed you sounded completely serious when you said it. My Beanie Boys are usually good at telling when someone is lying and someone isn't." Skrawl said. He squeezed Mint's shoulders, prompting a cry from the boy as blood started to seep a little from where the claws punctured into him. "And according to them, you were very truthful when you said that."

When Mint grunted in pain, Rudy shook his head and took a small step back. "No..I..."

"You were angry. No, you were furious at Mint for hurting Snap, your best bud. And you wished harm on him, an act of vengeance. You wanted Mint to pay dearly for what he's done to Snap. You wanted him to suffer, and so you placed a wish. You wanted me to hurt him so he would fully understand what you went through. You wanted him to be in agony to satisfy your lust for revenge. You even tried to chase Mint, striking fear into his heart. Oh how I wished I could have seen it... The Great Creator actually threatening another living being. Why, I never thought I'd see the day!"

Rudy narrowed his eyes at Skrawl. He growled softly. He couldn't believe this jellybean was using his short temper from the temple against him like that. He...he didn't mean what he had said. He told Mint that he didn't really deserve being hurt by Skrawl like this. And he was being completely honest. He had been angry, yes. People say things they don't mean when they're angry. He hadn't meant to blow up at Mint like that. He didn't really want this kind of fate cast upon him. It was just like Skrawl to do something like this, just to get to him.

Mint hissed in pain, prompting Rudy to look at him in horror. He felt more of his blood freeze as Mint attempted to struggle. The sceptre forced him still and, to Rudy's horror, it was actually helping Skrawl bend his arm back. Rudy winced as he started to hear the sound of something giving way. No, he couldn't allow this to happen. He had to do something to help Mint. He...he didn't deserve this...

But what could he do? If he tried to draw anything or make his way over, Skrawl would break Mint's arm faster. He might even do worse. Mint was completely at Skrawl's mercy. The jellybean was big and strong. Breaking Mint's arm would be no problem, and Rudy didn't doubt that he would go for his neck next. Skrawl wouldn't waste any time. He would break Mint's neck before he could even reach him, no matter how fast he drew.

He refused to give up. There had to be something he could do. Something...anything... But no matter which way he looked, no matter what ideas crossed his mind, he couldn't think of anything that he felt would work. All of them would require being able to move fast enough, quick enough that Skrawl could not snap Mint's arm or neck before he had time to reach him. He didn't have Penny's help this time for a distraction. He was completely on his own, and he was at a loss of want to do. He had already tried to trade places with Mint, but Skrawl was more interested in hurting him psychologically right now.

"If you don't let him go right now, Skrawl," Rudy said through clenched teeth. "I am going to..."

"Do I detect a threat?" Skrawl asked, tilting his head to the side a little. He gave a mock look of surprise. "Why, I do! I'm impressed, chalk boy! You're becoming more like me..." He laughed as Rudy gave him a death glare. He merely shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just calling them as I see them, Rudy. You cannot deny...making a threat like that sounds more like something I would do... Then again, perhaps you changed a lot yourself and you're just too proud to admit it."

Rudy groweld at him. "I'm nothing like you..."

Skrawl sneered at him. "Or perhaps you are, and you just don't want accept it. Wishing harm on Mint woke up that darker side of you, and you are too ashamed to admit to it. It disgusts you, knowing that, at least in part, you're not so different from me. I want to hurt Mint for what he did..." He looked down at the sceptre on the ground. His foot was on it, allowing the control to still envelope Mint. He chuckled and looked back at Rudy. "And you want to hurt Mint for all the terrible things he has done."

Rudy didn't say anything. He just glared at Skrawl, eyes narrowed.

Skrawl said, "Admit it, Rudy. You want Mint to suffer..just like I do..." He gave a twist, making Mint scream again. "You want it...you crave it... You wanted to hurt him back at the temple.. And now I am hurting him for you." His evil smile spread across his face. "Admit it! You're loving this! A part of you must be swelling in delight right now! Admit it!"

"No!" Rudy shouted, his eyes blazing in anger. "You're wrong! I didn't mean it! I was just angry! I didn't mean it!" He pointed at Skrawl. "You're insane if you think I would actually wish harm on someone else! Yes I was angry at him! Yes I said those things, but only out of anger! I didn't mean them! I don't really want Mint to be hurt!"

Skrawl didn't push Mint's arm any further, but the jellybean didn't let him go either. He just held him there, his claws digging painfully into the older boy's shoulder. He glanced down momentarily at Mint, a low chuckle escaping his throat. He gave Rudy a sideways glance, a nasty grin spreading across his face.

"So...you really want me to let him go...?" Skrawl asked, feigning innocense. Rudy nodded his head firmly. "Okay..I'll let him go..Only if you do one thing."

"I'm willing to trade places with him." Rudy said, knowing that must be what Skrawl was going to say. He knew Skrawl wanted to take whatever chance he could to get rid of him. "Release him, and I'll come quietly..."

"R-Rudy..no..." Mint said in a soft voice.

Rudy looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry..."

"Well there's that, but..." Skrawl said. "...there is something else..."

"What?" Rudy hissed at the jellybean. Wasn't giving himself up to him enough? What more could this monster want from him?

Skrawl stared at Rudy for a few moments, just smiling darkly at him. Then he opened his mouth to speak. "I want you to admit it..."

"Admit what?" Rudy asked.

"I want you to admit you really do want me hurt Mint." Skrawl said. He laughed as Rudy's face became overwhelmed by horror. "Say it! If you admit that you wanted me to punish Mint, I'll let him go..."

Rudy's heart clenched, beating faster. His blood felt so cold. His mind filled with dread. He looked at Skrawl with a horrified expression. He...he couldn't be serious, could he? No way he was going to admit to that. It would be a lie... He wouldn't wish harm on anyone. He looked at Mint. The boy's eyes were shut in pain now, a few more tears escaping his eyes. Rudy shuddered at this. He had to do something...anything...

Skrawl tightened his grip on Mint, making the boy gasp in pain. "If you don't say you wanted him to get badly hurt, I will break his arm!" He threatened. To prove his point, he pulled on the arm harder, getting it close to its breaking point. Rudy took a step forward, holding out his hand. Skrawl pulled harder. Mint screamed and Rudy stopped. "Tell me the truth! You wanted me to inflict harm on this boy to teach him a lesson! Admit it that it's the truth! Do it, Rudy Tabootie! The truth will set him free!"

"I..I..." Rudy stammered. He couldn't lie. He wasn't about to say something as awful as that. No, he couldn't. He took a small step back, shaking his head in denial. "No..I..."

Another twist of the arm. A slight crack. A loud cry of pain. All this echoed through Rudy's mind, making him freeze and stare in horror. Then came Skrawl's demanding voice.

"Admit it!"

As Mint screamed again, as his arm was almost broken, as the older boy's body trembled in agony, more blood coming from his torn shoulder, Rudy couldn't take it anymore. His racing heart, his throbbing head, his quickening breath, it was getting worse each second he stared at Mint being tortured by this fiendish jellybean. He couldn't stand it any longer. Desperate to end his pain, he did the only thing he thought of he could do.

"Wait!" Rudy shouted. Skrawl froze and stared at him expectantly. "I...I..." He hung his head in defeat. "I meant it..." He said in a soft, barely audible voice.

"What was that?" Skrawl pushed his claws deeper into Mint, making him cry out. "I didn't hear you."

"I meant it!" Rudy shouted. He stared at the two with tears flowing down his face. He couldn't believe he was forced to say that. He didn't really mean it... He hoped Mint understood that. He stared at the boy's eyes, which were full of shock. Rudy's heart clenched. What if Mint thought that... He lowered his head in shame. "I meant it..." He said again, hoping that Skrawl would let Mint go.

Skrawl gave an evil laugh. "I knew you had it in you..."

Rudy glared hatefully at Skrawl. Of all the things he did, this was one of the lowest. Messing with his mind like that...making him say something that he didn't mean... This was disgusting, vile...

Skrawl did what he promised he would do. He let Mint go. He threw the boy into the ground, landing a few feet away. Mint shook his head and stared over at Rudy. His expression was unreadable. Rudy couldn't tell if Mint was hurt by what he said, angry at Skrawl for what he made him do, or if there was something else going on in the boy's head. Rudy felt a pang in his stomach when he looked at Mint, and he turned his head away. He felt ashamed of what he said. He should have resisted. He shouldn't have let Skrawl play with him like that.

And yet, he had given in. Granted, there wasn't much else he could have done. Mint was in trouble and he had to get him out of that mess. Still, he wished that he had stood up against Skrawl, and refused to say those horrible words to Mint. He should have been stronger. He should have not allowed Skrawl to use him like a tool. Now he had a small idea of just what it was like for Mint when Skrawl was his boss.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Skrawl smirked as Rudy glared at him. The jellybean picked up the sceptre. "Now...let's get down to business, shall we...?"

The purple energy wrapped around Rudy's body. He flinched and tried to fight back. He was unable to stop his legs from moving. He found himself being forced to walk over to Skrawl, most likely to be killed by him. As he walked by Mint, he glanced sorrowfully down at the boy.

"I-I'm sorry..." Rudy managed in a very light voice before continuing on his way over to Skrawl.


	35. Mortal

Mint was shocked at the disturbing turn of events. He wanted to say something, anything, to stop Skrawl from using that mind play tactic on Rudy. Anytime he had tried to speak, Skrawl would just tighten his grip further. It was unsettling watching Rudy being forced to give in like that. Mint was shocked that Rudy ended up doing what Skrawl said. And all for his sake, too.

He didn't understand why Rudy ended up doing that. Yeah he was being hurt, Skrawl was torturing him, but it was just an arm in the end. That was all that was on the line, wasn't it? He can always go to the hospital and have a cast put on it. It didn't seem like Skrawl was going to do anything else.

Or was he? Rudy knew Skrawl better than him. Would Skrawl have gone even further had Rudy not given in? Would the jellybean break other things besides his arm? Would he have gone as far as kill him...?

Mint's eyes widened a little at that realization. He had seen enough evidence to know that Skrawl would go that far. And Rudy knew this, even more so than him considering he had more experience with this crazed green zoner. Rudy must have known, on some level, that Skrawl would have done so much worse to him than just try to break his arm. Mint shuddered a little at that realization. If that were so, it scared him when he realized just how close to death he was. And Rudy gave into Skrawl to save him...he even traded places... Mint was getting a clear understanding of why Rudy was the guardian of ChalkZone.

Mint stared over at Rudy worriedly. Skrawl had him positioned in front of him, in a similar posture as he had been stuck in. Mint wasn't sure if Skrawl was going to force Rudy to use the magic chalk on him, or if he was going to do something else to the boy. The sadistic smile the jellybean was giving Rudy was...very unsettling, making Mint's heart skip a beat. There was intention behind that smile. Gruesome intention...

He started to pick himself off the ground. He let out a low yelp as his arm racked with pain. He sat down on the ground quickly and cradled his left arm to his chest. There were small puncture marks from where Skrawl's claws dug into his skin. There was a lot of pain situated in his elbow, where Skrawl was trying to bend out of place. The very act of moving his arm hurt him and felt like someone was constantly striking that 'funny nerve' there. He had doubts that he was going to be able to use this arm effectively for a while.

His other arm was fine, although it, too, hurt to move. The slashes on his shoulder stung every time he moved his right arm a certain way. Blood dripped from the wound and soaked his shirt. The cuts were much deeper than what Skrawl did to him during his 'punishment'. He looked at his shoulder and winced as he saw the torn skin underneath the tattered cloth. He is going to need to get this shoulder treated, otherwise he could get an infection.

He managed to get up to his feet. He let out a few hisses of pain as he tried to move his arms carefully. He stared over at Rudy. His eyes widened further when he saw Skrawl place a hand on Rudy's chest. Seconds later, he pressed them into the skin. Rudy let out a cry of pain as Skrawl slowly cut him across his chest, blood dripping out of the new wounds.

Although at a disadvantage, Mint took a step forward. "S-Stop it Skrawl.."

"Mind your own business, traitor." Skrawl snarled at Mint. "The boy was willing to trade places with you, and I have a bigger beef with him than you. But if you insist on being punished as well...I certainly don't mind.." Mint growled at this and took a step back. Skrawl's eyes narrowed. "For you see, Mint, it was a mistake to throw that magic chalk away... As you will soon find out."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror as his right arm, its hand still clutching the magic chalk, was lifted up into the air. "Run, Mint! Go help Penny and Snap! Get them out of here!" Rudy clenched his teeth as he appeared to be trying to fight the sceptre's control. "I-I'll be fine...! Just go..!"

Mint stared at Rudy, shaking his head slowly. He felt his heart pound against his chest. If he left Rudy, then wouldn't Skrawl...? No, he couldn't leave. Rudy needed help. Rudy was willing to help him get out of trouble before. It was time for him to return the favor.

"No!" Mint shook his head. "No, I'm not going to run anymore!" He took a step forward, clenching his hands into fists at his side. "This time, I fight!"

Skrawl let out a cold laugh at this. "Oh really now? Well then..." He pointed the sceptre in Mint's direction. Rudy was forced to take a few steps towards him, his chalk still raised in the air. "..I hope you do a better job than at the hospital. You could have saved Snap, but you failed. And now..."

Rudy's arm and hand were forced to flex and bend against his will. The ten year old boy grunted in discomfort and a bit of pain as he was forced to draw something in the air. Before Mint knew it, Rudy had drawn what appeared to be a...gun... Mint's eyes filled with horror as he took a step back, Rudy raising the gun to point at him.

"This time, it won't be someone else you're trying to save." Skrawl drolled as he raised the sceptre in his left hand. The dark purple energy flowed into Rudy more, causing his body to shake as the unwanted energy moved through him. "Let's see how well you perform...when it is your life that's one the line.." Skrawl grinned nastily at him. He made a flick of the sceptre and, almost instantly, Rudy placed his finger on the gun's trigger.

Mint had only seconds to react. He jumped to the side as a spray of energy bullets were shot at him. They moved at slower speed than regular bullets, just enough that he could see them as they came at him. They were still very fast and it was hard to dodge them. He jumped up, ducked, twisted his body ever which way to avoid the yellow bullets. Rudy was trying his hardest to fight back against the control, much like he himself had when he was the one being controlled. It was useless and Rudy was helpless to stop himself from shooting at Mint.

Mint wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this mess. He had no idea how he was going to free Rudy from the control. The only way was to damage the spectre some how. But Skrawl was holding it, and he doubted that, with Rudy being forced to shoot him, that he could get close enough to him. All he could do right now is dodge the barrage of bullets coming at him. He tried to hide behind the machinery and tubes to buy some time, but there wasn't enough space between them and the wall to fit through. And going there almost cost him his life. It was a miracle he was able to get out without being hit by those bullets.

He ran around the room, jumping and dodging the shots as they were fired. He was going to wear out soon. There was no way he was going to be able to keep this up. Already he felt his throat getting dry and he began to pant. His movements started to slow down, a worrying sign. He looked at Rudy fearfully as another shot was fired. With his movements a tad slower than before, Mint wasn't able to stop the energy bullet from slicing into his shoulder, the one that was already damaged. He let out a hiss of pain as he clutched that shoulder with his left hand. The sudden motion of his left arm sent more pain racking through his body and he suddenly stood still, trying to deal with the pain.

He turned his head to the side. His eyes were big. The gun was pointed straight at him. He heard a click. Another shot was fired. He ducked down, feeling the bullet graze over his head, doing nothing more than slice the tip of his brown hair. He heard the bullet clank against the stony wall and get stuck in it. Another shot, and this time he couldn't dodge it very well. It cut into his left leg, on the calf. He hissed at the pain and checked out the wound. The pants were torn and blood slid down his leg. He tried to take a step forward, but the pain caused him to immediately buckle, doing down onto his right knee and holding his left leg with his arm.

"Mint! Get out of here!" Rudy cried. Mint watched as the boy was walking over towards him. The gun was raised and pointed straight at his head. "Please...I don't want to hurt you! Get out of here! I'll deal with Skrawl!"

"No, I'm not going to leave you! You're not going to face Skrawl alone! He'll kill you if I leave!" Mint called out, struggling to his feet.

Rudy said, "Please..just listen to me. Leave now before it's too late... Find Penny and Snap and help them escape..." Mint shook his head. "Why won't you just listen...?" Rudy asked, his voice full of desperation.

"No, it's your turn to listen, Rudy! I'm not going!" Mint stood up now. Though visibly still in pain, he didn't run, even when the gun was pointed straight at his head. "I always believed that standing up for myself is the right thing to do... And all this time I was using it wrong. Well I'm using it now, and for the right reasons." He took a step forward, taking a fighting stance. "I will not back down."

"Mint..." Rudy started to say. He let out a cry of fear as the gun's trigger was pulled. "Look out!"

Mint dove into the ground as the bullets nearly hit him. He grunted as he hit the ground. He coughed a few times and raised his head. As Rudy was being forced to turn to face him, Mint noticed something on the ground. It was the spiked bat he had been forced to use against Rudy. He looked over and saw Rudy walking towards him. He then looked back at the bat. He grabbed it and climbed up to his feet.

Turning to face Rudy, Mint rushed over, both hands on the bat, careful to avoid the spikes. Rudy took aim and was about to fire another shot at him. Mint managed to reach him before Skrawl had the chance to make him do that. He pressed the wooden part of the bat, careful to avoid letting the spikes hit Rudy, and rammed him against the wall. Rudy let out a grunt of pain. Mint continued to push the bat against Rudy to keep him pinned.

With the boy pinned, Mint tried to take the gun away from him. Holding Rudy against the wall with his right arm, he attempted to use his left arm to reach for the gun. There was still pain in his elbow, causing this act to be particularly difficult. He fought against the pain the best he could, and he managed to grab onto the gun. He started to pull back, shaking and tugging the gun, making sure the barrel's end was pointed away from him and Rudy. He pulled again and again, trying to dislodge the gun from Rudy's hand. All the while, under the spectre's control, Rudy pushed back against him, making the task even more difficult.

Skrawl narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so..." He swung the spectre to the side, and as he did so, Rudy freed his left arm and punched Mint in the face. The boy staggered back, unable to read in time as Rudy swung his gun at him, the metal hitting against his forehead and knocking him into the ground. "You should have done what Master Tabootie said." Skrawl chuckled cruelly. "And now because of that folly..."

Rudy watched, terrified, as he was forced to slam his foot against Mint's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Mint wheezed and coughed. He looked up at Rudy in fear. The gun was pointed at him again. Rudy's body trembled as he tried to move out of the way, but it was all in vain.

"You're going to die..." Skrawl sneered.

Helpless, Rudy's finger started to press against the trigger. He stared at Mint sorrowfully. "I-I'm sorry Mint...I can't stop..."

Knowing he won't be able to get out of the way in time, Mint turned his head to the side and closed his eyes tightly. With his teeth gritted, he waited for the death blow.

sss

"P-Penny... I don't think this is the exit..." Snap said. He hissed as pain erupted on his back. "Where are we?"

Penny looked around. "I'm not sure..."

Snap wasn't sure what would have been worse. Being stuck in that room with the crazed jellybean trying to kill all of them, or traversing through his new hideout, having no way which way to go or when they would run into the Beanie Boys, or find themselves stuck in a trap. It was a pretty even toss up. Both would have been pretty much unpleasant. But at least looking through the hideout gave them a better chance to get to safety.

Snap didn't really want to leave behind Rudy and Mint. He wanted to help. But stuck like this, with a broken back, there really wasn't anything he could do to help. He couldn't even walk without experiencing pain, and after what Skrawl did, he doubted he would be on his feet anytime soon. He would have been pretty useless in the fight. Penny could have stayed, but she wanted to help him reach safety first. That was pretty admirable of her, he had to admit. Though it made him feel a little guilty as it meant that Penny wouldn't be able to help Rudy. He tried to shake the feeling off. He shouldn't feel guilty about this. It wasn't his fault this happened.

Penny had been pushing him along on the stretcher. They went down the hallways, thankfully avoiding the Beanie Boys. They were strangely absent from the hallways. He wondered if they were ordered to go somewhere else or if, with the artifacts, Skrawl didn't need them as much anymore. As odd as it was, he was still glad that they weren't showing up, at least for the time being. He didn't know how well Penny could take on a bunch of Beanie Boys herself, and with him in the stretcher, unable to move, he might as well have a giant bullseye on him and be used as target practice.

Penny was careful as she pushed the stretcher. It was clear, by her actions, that she was trying to push it as fast as she could without accidentally hurting him. There were a few times where there was an unexpected bump in the path, causing the stretcher to jerk suddenly. Each time, this would hurt, and each time, Penny would apologize, and then continue on her way.

Snap hated not being able to do anything. He still felt some anger towards Mint, although he was never as angry towards Mint as Rudy was. Even in his state of agony at the temple, Snap was surprised by Rudy's outburst. He was usually a nice kid, so to say those things was out of character for him. He understood why, though. Mint had crossed the line when he broke his back. And a part of Snap was still upset with him for that. However, Mint had apologized to him and he sounded completely sincere. Snap was glad that Mint gathered the courage to do that and he was able to get to know him a little better.

When all this began, he never thought that he would be sitting in a bed playing a game with Mint. He had been so scared of Mint for most of the time they had known him. Mint had been tormenting him, treating him terribly, trying to kill him... It was sometimes hard to sleep at night, knowing that Mint was on the loose and could hurt him at any moment.

And now things have changed. He was surprised when Mint showed up in the hospital, and even more surprised when he apologized to him for what he did. Not a simple 'sorry', but a full apology, saying sorry to many of the things he had done. Snap was fully willing to give the boy a second chance if he really was sorry. He still had some lingering fear of the boy, but that was to be expected, after being tormented by him so long. He knew that fear would fade in time as he got used to Mint treating him like a person, not as a 'useless piece of data' he once saw him as.

And Mint showing up to help him did prove he did care. He was glad that Mint came with Rudy and that they were working together now. He hoped that, with Mint's help, Rudy would be able to defeat Skrawl. With those artifacts, it wasn't going to be easy. He hoped that Rudy was able to free Mint by now and share his magic chalk with him. Skrawl won't stand a chance against two creators.

Snap hissed as another shockwave of pain spread through his body. Skrawl's slashes on his back just added to the pain he was already feeling. The pain had been getting worse when he was still strapped down. It had been getting worse for two reasons. Skrawl's attack being the most obvious one, as the claws had torn into his flesh and across his spine. The other reason was, when Skrawl removed the back brace, he lost that extra support and his spine wasn't able to stay straight as much. The bending of the spine, as much as he tried to avoid it, made the pain so much worse. He was glad he had the back brace on again. It did help take away a bit of the pain, even if it wasn't much.

As they moved through the hallways, they came upon a strange door. Hearing Beanie Boys coming down the hallway, Penny moved Snap into the room as quickly as she could and shut the door behind her. She took care to make sure it didn't make a lound banging sound, otherwise that would have drawn unwanted attention. She and Snap held their breaths as the Beanie Boys moved by. They could only tell they were moving past the door by the sound of their propellers.

When the sound faded away, they relaxed and looked at their surroundings. It was a room unlike they had seen before. They couldn't make sense of it. And even though they had been in here for a few minutes, they still hadn't been much closer to figuring out what it was.

The room was shaped like a long rectangle with a low hanging ceiling. Each side was lined with what appeared to be black-colored machinery of some kind. But to call them 'machines' was a bit of a stretch. The objects were pretty formless, in a way. Round in some areas, pointed in others, and covered in white and yellow sparkles. The only thing on them that appeared machine-like were the coils in the back that went straight into the walls. There was a constant sound coming from them, almost like computer beeps only faster and higher pitched. It sounded so alien to Penny and Snap, so confusing.

Penny took a few steps away from Snap's stretcher and looked around again. Her eyes were narrowed slightly. Snap could tell she was trying to study everything and see if she could figure out what this place was. He had a feeling she would figure it out soon enough. She was, as Skrawl would say, a 'genius girl'.

Then she paused. Her eyes widened in what Snap guessed was realization. She turned to Snap and said, "I think these are power generators!"

"To what?" Snap asked. He looked around the room the best he could without moving. "These don't look like any ordinary power generators, so I don't think it's to power this place."

Penny placed a hand on one of the generators. She immediately moved her hand away, sucking in a deep breath. "Ow..."

"What's wrong? Did it burn you?" Snap asked, his eyes furrowed with concern.

Penny shook her head. "No. It's cold. Ice cold..."

"What? Cold?" Snap was confused. How could these machines be so cold if they are clearly running?

"Yeah.." Penny looked around at the machines. "But I haven't heard of any machine, at least the more technical ones, being this cold...especially if they're turned on." She walked up to more of the machines and eyed them up and down. "They don't even have a power button. At least none that I can see. Their way of functioning seems...really strange. I hadn't seen anything like this before."

That answered one of their questions. This room could very well be a power source of some kind. It was giving power to some part of this place. But what? And just what were these machines specifically? How did they function while remaining so cold? So strange, so unusual... Snap had seen a lot of strange things in ChalkZone. Kids can draw some of the most bizarre things. But this was something that he hadn't heard of before. Don't most high tech machines run better when they're at least a little warm? Or maybe he was wrong about that. Technology was not his forte.

Then he noticed something about the wires when he had another look. There was something familiar about them. He could have sworn he had seen them before, even just briefly. He looked at them, the way they coiled across the ground and stuck through the wall. Then, realization dawned on him. He knew where he had seen these very wires before. He turned his gaze towards Penny.

"This is the power supply for those tanks and machines in that one room we were in!" Snap called out to Penny. She turned her head towards him, a surprised expression on her face. Snap did his best to point at one of the wires visible from behind the strange-looking 'machinery'. "Look! It has the same colored lights going out of it as those wires down there did!"

Penny looked at the cords. She soon realized that Snap was right. "Yeah...they are..."

"Cut them! Stop the power from going into those machines!" Snap told her. He winced in pain, and continued, "I'm not sure how it'll help, but it might buy Rudy and Mint some time!"

Though Penny looked unsure, she still did as Snap told her to do. She drew an axe with the magic chalk. It was a little difficult for her to weild, being a ten year old girl and all. But she managed pretty will. She went over to the wires and held the axe over her head. She started to hack away at the wires. Each one spilled some kind of fluid on the ground, clear and sparkling, though harmless to the touch.

Penny didn't stop hacking at the wires until all of them were cut. It took about two to three minutes, but soon she was finished. She placed the axe on the ground and leaned against it, panting heavily. As she did this, she and Snap were surprised to see the machines 'turn off'. The sparkles all over the machines just..disappeared. And the sound they were making was gone as well. It was dead silent.

"I wonder if this did Rudy and Mint any good..." Penny thought outloud, taking a look around the room.

"Let's hope so." Snap said, hoping that he didn't make a miscalculation. "Let's hope..."

sss

Rudy closed his eyes, a tear escaping them. He was about to be forced to kill another human being. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be a murderer. It wasn't in his nature to kill. He tried to something, anything, to move his hand away, but it was useless. He was about to shoot Mint, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He knew the reason why Skrawl was doing this. It wasn't just because Mint had betrayed him. No, it was because he wanted to mess with him more. He wanted to break Rudy by forcing him to commit a heinous act he normally would not do. He had been toying with him before, forcing him to say that he meant it when he said he wanted Skrawl to punish him. And now he was messing with him again by making him kill Mint.

He wished Mint had just listened to him before. He wished the boy had just run when he had the chance to. If he had just done that, he would have been safe. Rudy would have found a way out somehow. He didn't want to drag Mint down with him. Even if he was still enemies with him, he still wouldn't have wanted Mint to take the fall like this. It just wasn't in his nature to be like this.

But it was in Skrawl's nature to act this way. Rudy wanted so much to turn around and face Skrawl and fight him. He wanted to be free from this terrible control. Feeling his muscles bend and twist in ways he did not want them to... It was uncomfortable and even painful. He knew this is exactly what Mint felt when he was being controlled. He now could see just how Mint would have a problem fighting back. His muscles just weren't responding to his brain's commands anymore. They were bending to the whim of another.

Rudy was helpless as he aimed the gun at Mint. He watched as the boy cringed under him. His head turned to the side, eyes closed tightly. Rudy felt his finger start to pull on the trigger. He clenched his teeth fearfully, closing his eyes again as he did not want to look at the gruesome murder he was being forced to commit. The finger started to pull and he waited for the bang to come, followed by the horrific scream.

But that didn't happen. Instead, his body stopped moving, freezing where it was. He felt the rumble of the machines all around him suddenly lose power. Everything shut off except for the lights. The purple energy left him quickly and suddenly he could move again. He stumbled forward a little, taken by complete surprise when he got control of his body back. He stared down at Mint, both looking confused by what had happened. Rudy turned his head to look over at Skrawl.

The jellybean looked very unhappy. He was waving the sceptre in frustration. He tried using some of the other artifacts, but they weren't working anymore. They were no longer glowing like they had been before, indicating they had lost their power. Rudy's eyes widened as he realized what those machines were. They had been supplying power to the artifacts. Skrawl must have had to activate them artificially, and without that power source, the artifacts were useless to him.

Rudy realized that it must have been Penny who did something. She didn't leave like he thought she did. She had stuck around and she did something to help them out from the sidelines. He felt the corner of his mouth tic into a smile. Her help not only bought them time, but it was going to make things a lot easier for him and Mint to take care of Skrawl. With no working artifacts and no creator by his side anymore, Skrawl didn't stand a chance.

It was amusing watching Skrawl scream and grumble in frustration. He was absolutely furious and tossed the artifacts into the ground. He shouted about how they were useless and wondered out loud why he wasted time finding them just for them to break on him. Rudy wasn't sure if Skrawl realized the power had been cut. There was a chance he did not; he was so focused on toying with him and right now so focused on how the items stopped working that it didn't seem like he was completely aware of his surroundings.

Rudy turned away. He knelt down and helped Mint up to his feet. He looked at him up and down, making sure he was okay. He was about to break his magic chalk in half so that Mint had some way to fight back. But, without warning, Mint shoved him into the ground. Rudy was shocked by this action and wondered what Mint was thinking. He didn't have long to think.

Overhead, a tentacle of electricity shot into the air. Rudy was horrified by this. Didn't Skrawl just lose power to his artifacts? Then he realized..the crown had still been glowing. It must have enough juice to power one artifact. The sceptre must require too much power for the crown to handle. Well Skrawl certainly wasn't defenseless anymore. Rudy, still on the ground with Mint, turned his head to see Skrawl holding the rod out, firing at them mercilessly.

Rudy got up and attempted to draw something. He was knocked back by the rod. The electricity wrapped around him and Rudy started to scream in pain. He struggled against the coil's grip, but was only met with more pain. He wasn't even able to draw anything while in this state.

Opening up one eye, he saw Mint rushing over towards Skrawl. He grabbed Skrawl by the arm and bit him as hard as he could. Skrawl grunted in pain and looked at Mint with contempt. He tried to pull away from Mint and make him let go. But the eleven year old refused to release his grip on him. Skrawl lifted him up in the air and started to shake him. Mint responded by kicking his foot outwards, hitting the rod and causing it to temporarily lose power.

Rudy let out a cry as he fell into the ground. He shook his head as he looked over at Mint, who was still hanging onto Skrawl's arm. Rudy pulled his hand up to draw when he realized...he didn't have the magic chalk anymore. Panicking, he looked all around the ground, trying to find the piece. It must have rolled on the ground somewhere when he was attacked by that electric coil. It had to be around here somewhere... It just had to be.

But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find the magic chalk. It either rolled under somewhere and he couldn't see it, or it was destroyed by the electricity. Horror swept through his mind as he realized he was without a defense. He swiftly looked over at Mint, who was still hanging onto Skrawl, distracting him for the time being. Rudy knew it wasn't going to last long. And he was proven right.

Skrawl growled at Mint. "I have had enough of you, Mint Zandophen!" He raised his arm a little higher and threw Mint into the ground as hard as he could. "I am going to teach you a lesson that you will never forget! You will regret ever betraying me!"

"Mint!" Rudy shouted. "Get up!"

Rudy tried to rush over to help, but Skrawl just zapped him with the electric coil. Rudy hit against the wall hard and slid down. He was dazed for a few seconds. He shook his head he looked over at where Mint was. He tried to get up to his feet, but his legs were really wobbly and it was hard for him to walk. Though it was getting better as the seconds passed by, there was no way he could get over to Mint in time. He watched in horror as Skrawl aimed the rod at Mint.

"You're not going anywhere..." Skrawl hissed cruelly as he fired a shot.

Mint, who had been trying to get away, screamed in agony as the electricity struck against his left leg. A few burn marks and blood stains appeared as the coil tore into his leg. He fell into the ground. Rudy cried out in horror and rushed over to try to help Mint.

Skrawl, however, was too fast for him. Before Rudy could get over there in time, Skrawl kicked Mint so that he was laying on his back. He then took out the sword, a long, sharp golden sword, and steaded it over Mint. The boy stared at the sword with horror filled eyes.

"N-No..please.." Mint begged. He attempted to get away, trying to scoot back. "Don't..."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes hatefully at Mint. "It's too late now, traitor. Now...accept your punishment!"

"No!" Rudy shouted as he rushed over faster. But he was too late.

Skrawl swung the sword down as hard as he could. There was a sickening crunch, the sound of something slicing through an object that was wet. Liquid splatter sounds could be heard, along with the clang of the metal hitting the ground. There was a loud scream filling the air, echoing off the walls. Rudy stood there, frozen, in complete and utter shock at what had just transpired. His body shook, and he took a step back. He shook his head in absolute disbelief.

Rudy couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Skrawl had...he had attacked Mint with the sword. It had cut into his leg... No, it didn't just do that. It had hacked a portion of the leg clean off... About half of Mint's calf along with his ankle and foot, it was disconnected from his body, the piece laying not far from him on the ground. The cut had been perfectly clean, like Mint's leg was just a stick of hot butter. The golden sword had splatters of blood all over it now, the edges dripping with the red liquid.

And there lay Mint, writhing in pain. Skrawl moved away and smirked in satisfaction as Rudy rushed over to Mint's side. Rudy stared down at Mint, his body still trembling in shock and emotion at what had happened. He watched as Mint tossed and turned on the ground, tears of pain flowing down his face. What remained of his left leg was rapidly losing blood, pooling into the ground. There was so much blood that it was staring to dissolve the chalk a little.

Mint let out low cries and whimpers. He tried to reach down and touch his leg. But it would hurt him too much. He'd scream in agony and throw his head back. He let out a few sobs as he tried desperately to get away from the pain. He looked up at Rudy pleadingly, his lower lip quivering. Rudy wanted to say something, anything, but he was so stunned he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Seeing Mint like this caused those painful words to come back to him. Even though Rudy had apologized for it, even though Mint had forgiven him, he was painfully reminded of what he said to Mint back at the temple.

"I hope Skrawl does something horrible to you, Mint, because anything he does to you, you deserve it!"

Those words echoed in his head over and over again as he stared down at Mint's injured form. He looked at the dislocated piece of leg on the side. He then looked at what remained of the leg. He could see the red flesh and the bone peaking out. He stared at Mint's tear-stained face, listening to him sob and whimper in agony. He took in a shuddering breath, shaking his head slowly. He didn't want this... He didn't mean it...He didn't mean what he had said... No... He...he had never meant for something like this to happen.

The way Mint was looking at him, with those wide, fear-filled eyes, it reminded him of how Snap had looked at him back at the temple. Now, another living person was on the ground before him, horrifically injured and losing a ton of blood. He trembled harder and he dropped down to his knees. Mint didn't deserve this... Even when he was a jerk, he didn't deserve something like this to happen to him.

"M-Mint I..." Rudy started to say. He sucked in a sharp breath. He felt a few tears form in his eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen..."

Mint managed to smile. "I-I know..." He said in a soft voice. His face soon contorted in agony and he let out another cry of pain. "P-Please...help me..." Mint begged him in a barely audible voice.

Before Rudy could say anything, Mint suddenly passed out. His body went limp. Rudy's eyes widened in horror. No, he couldn't pass out now. He had to stay awake. Passing out..it was going to make things worse. He grabbed Mint's shoulders and shook him.

"No Mint! Wake up!" Rudy cried, tears flowing down his face. "Open your eyes! You can't pass out! Mint!"

He shook him harder, trying in desperation to wake him up. Tears dripped from his eyes and he clenched his teeth. He stared down at Mint's still form, looking for any signs of life. Mint was still breathing, but there was no movement otherwise. He continued to shake him, hoping that, somehow, it would be enough and he'd wake up.

"No..come on..." Rudy pleaded, his shaking getting slower and softer. "Please...don't die on me..." He took in a shuddering breath. "Please...I never meant to wish harm on you...please..."

There was no response from Mint. Rudy let go of him, letting his body shudder a few times as the realization dawned on him. He looked at the boy's hacked off leg, the blood still flowing profusely from it. Sorrow overwhelmed Rudy. Even though he hadn't meant those words, those awful words he said to Mint at the temple, they still echoed in his head, stinging him horribly. He had wished harm on Mint when he was angry and not thinking straight...and he got exactly that.

Rudy did what he could about the bleeding. He ripped off a large piece of Mint's shirt and used it to try to stop the bleeding the best he could. He then tore a piece of the boy's pant leg from his undamaged right foot. He wrapped it around the edge of his leg and managed to tie it up. It wasn't much, but it should buy him a little bit of time.

He let a few more tears stream down his face as his mind whirled with the events that happened. Mint was going to need help and fast. But he wouldn't be able to get him help in time without the magic chalk. And there was no way he was going to leave Mint alone with this...this monster of a jellybean... Rudy wiped away his tears and he turned to glare at Skrawl. Feelings of anger and hatred took over the sorrow that had struck him before.

Rudy stood up from the ground and he glared daggers at Skrawl. "You..." He formed fists with his hands. Anger boiled through his blood, creating an unpleasant chill on the back of his neck. "You're going to pay for this..."


	36. Monster

"Snap? Are you sure...?" Penny asked. She stared at Snap, her eyes wide with bewilderment and confusion. Had she heard right? Did Snap really say that?

To confirm this, Snap nodded his head once. "Yeah, Penny. I am."

"But...you're back..." Penny grimaced as she stared at the back brace secured around her friend. "If you don't get back to the hospital, you could get worse."

"And if you don't go help Rudy and Mint, they might just as hurt...or worse. Don't worry about me. I'll be..." Snap winced in pain for a second. "..I'll be fine.. Just draw me some kind of shelter so I can hide. Go help Rudy and Mint, and when Skrawl is defeated, come back and we can leave together."

Penny couldn't believe it. She knew that Snap was a selfless zoner, but... no... She couldn't just leave him behind. He was gravely injured and he had to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. She couldn't leave hime alone in enemy territory. What if the Beanie Boys found him? They could easily capture him with that broken back of his and take him to Skrawl. Skrawl could force Rudy to do anything if it meant keeping Snap safe.

It was better that she find a way to get Snap to the hospital. She wouldn't feel at peace until she knew that he was on his way. Leaving him alone in a place she was not familiar with would be a disaster. She still had not found the exit yet. If she left him alone, she might not be able to find him again. There was a good, strong chance that they would be wandering through these halls for hours before they found him again. And by then, he might be in even worse condition.

She to figure out something she could do. She knew that he did have a good point. Rudy and Mint probably do need her help. With those artifacts, Skrawl had become a lot more dangerous than ever before. Rudy and Mint only had one piece of magic chalk to share. That wasn't that much. It would be used up quickly if the two are reckless in what they draw. Well, Rudy would be more conservative. Mint on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about. He was relatively new to ChalkZone and has much less experience. She could see him making some easy mistakes and using up his chalk well before Rudy did.

That would leave him vulnerable to attack. If she could find her way back, and she wasn't sure if she could, she would be able to share her piece of magic chalk to whoever needed it the most. She hoped that it would be enough. The piece she now carried and the one Rudy had were the only pieces of magic chalk they have. Once they were used up, they would be defenseless against Skrawl.

She did find it admirable how Snap was willing to give up his well being for the sake of the others. That was Snap alright. Always so selfless. It wasn't that he liked being hurt. It was that he hated seeing his friends hurt a lot more than he hated getting himself hurt.

No...no she couldn't leave him. She thought things through and she decided that no, she won't leave him behind. She would think of somethign. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she would think of something soon. There had to be a way that she could get Snap out of this place and on the way to the hospital, and still allowing her enough time to go back and help Mint and Rudy. She just...had to keep thinking.

"Go on, Buckette..." Snap said, a small smile on his face. "I'll be okay. Go help them. I'll wait here."

Penny shook her head slowly. "No, Snap. I'm not leaving you alone. I have to get you to the hospital."

Snap's eyes widened a little. "But...that might take too long and by the time you get back, something bad might have happened to Rudy and Mint..."

Penny knew he was right. She knew that Rudy and Mint may be in great danger. But then so was Snap. She couldn't just choose between the two like this. It wasn't fair. She wanted to help them all. She didn't want to abandon one in favor of the other. That just wasn't like her. She'd never do a thing like that.

"I know, Snap. But you're in danger, too. And I don't think I can live with myself if I let you be all alone here." Penny said. "What if one of the Beanie Boys finds you, even with shelter? What if they hurt you?" Penny shook her head slowly. "I can't allow that to happen..."

"Penny..." Snap started to say.

Penny gently gripped his shoulders and gave him a serious look. "Snap, please... Don't make me do this..." There was a slight hint of tears in her eyes. "Please...I don't want to leave you alone here..." She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. "I'll think of something... I know I can do it... I just need time..." Her voice became a bit of a whisper. "I just need some time..."

She felt a hand on her arm. She opened her eyes and looked down at Snap. The zoner stared up her with a smiling face. He was shaking his head slowly from left to right. Penny's eyes widened as she realized the significance of that head shake. Snap was telling her to go. He was urging her to go help the others, and leave him. But...but she couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right. She..she had to help him get to the hospital. His back...it was in dire need of treatment. If he didn't get back soon, he could...

Snap spoke up. "Listen, Buckette. I know you don't want to leave me behind. I know you don't want me to get hurt more. But right now, Rudy and Mint need your help. Just draw me something to hide behind and I'll be fine. I promise, I'll be okay." He tightened his grip on her arm. He continued to smile the best he could, in spite of a few twitches of pain. "Please...help them..."

Penny stared at Snap, her body trembling with emotion. She felt a few tears escape her eyes, letting the gravity of the situation weight down on her. Snap was still so willing to sacrifice his well being for others. That selflessness part of his nature really shined here. Snap knew he was in big trouble if he didn't get back to the hospital to resume treatment, and to have those gashes looked at. Yet he was still willing to halt going there so she could go and help Rudy and Mint fight against Skrawl. It would be too dangerous to take him back, hence why he suggested drawing him a hiding spot.

There was still the chance that it wouldn't work. He could be inadvertantly putting himself in more danger. The Beanie Boys weren't stupid. If they searched hard enough, they would find Snap, no matter what kind of shelter she drew. She had no idea how good their senses were, but she didn't have any doubts in her mind that they could, possibly, find her friend.

And what then? There were a lot of things the Beanie Boys could do to her friend. Horrible thoughts filled her mind. They could beat him up. They could torture him. They could take him to Skrawl. They could kill him. She didn't feel comfortable with leaving him alone, with no way to defend himself. He couldn't take on all those Beanie Boys alone before, but now the odds were ridiculously against him with a broken back. He wouldn't be able to run, even. He'd be completely defenseless against them.

She wanted plan this out better. She wanted to think of something she could use to help them all. Something that would get Snap to the hospital and help Rudy and Mint as well. She wanted to help Rudy and Mint, but she also wanted to make sure Snap was safe. She couldn't very well take him back with her; that would be putting him in the line of fire again. It was too risky. Skrawl could sneak in a cheap shot and kill him, or at the very least, maim him further. She couldn't allow him that opportunity. She couldn't leave Snap where he could be hurt. He...he had to get back to the hospital and fast.

Penny was not giving up. She understood Snap meant well, but all this talking was just going to slow them down in getitng him to the hospital. If she could just concentrate and think, she might be able to come up with something that would help them.

"I'm not leaving you." Penny said firmly, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Snap looked up at her with a pleading expression. "Penny...please... They might need your help. With those artifacts, Skrawl is a force to reckon with. They might be just barely able to hold him off. Please go help them."

"And what about you?" Penny gazed down at his back brace, biting her lip. "If they found you, they might..."

"Draw me a place to hide. I've been telling you that." Snap said, cutting her off. "I'll be quiet and they won't find me." Before Penny could say anything, it seemed that Snap knew what she was going to say next. "I know you'll be able to find me in this place. I trust your skills." He smiled gently at her. "I know you can do it, Penny. You'll see. Everything will work out just fine."

When Snap flinched in pain, Penny felt her heart skip a beat. The pain was still plaguing her friend. Snap was trying to hide it the best he could, and for a little while, he was succeeding. But Penny was never fooled and Snap could not hold that 'I'm okay' facade for long. Twitch after flinch, she knew he was experiencing agony. It was a wonder he could talk more or less okay, with just a strain in his voice.

Penny gripped Snap's hand on hers. She pressed her face against it, letting out more tears. She didn't think she could bring herself to leave him. It was going to be so hard to do... She just wanted to make sure he was okay. She wanted him to get to safety. She didn't want to lose any of her friends. Not like this...not here...

"Snap, I..." She said in a soft voice. "I don't want to lose you..."

"I know you don't..." Snap said. If he could move more without hurting himself, she bet that he would be attempting to pull her into a hug right now. "But..."

He never got a chance to finish that sentence. As he attempted to say the next word, there was a loud, echoey scream bouncing off the halls of the hideout. It started out soft at first, but then it increased in volume. As the seconds passed, it got louder and louder, until it finally started to fade again. Remnants of the scream echoed off the walls for a while before it faded into silence.

Penny and Snap were frozen in shock. They stared towards the door of the power room, which was still closed. They didn't know what to think or say at that point. The scream had come so suddenly, so abruptly, they weren't sure how to react at first. It took them a while to realize just whose scream that was.

"Mint...that was Mint!" Penny cried in horroric realization. It quickly dawned on her that, in order for Mint's scream to be heard all the way over here, he had to have been in enough pain to emit such a cry. And from the sound of it, he was in pain. A lot of pain. Penny swerved her head in Snap's direction. "Skrawl must have done something to him!"

"Oy caloy!" Snap cried, his eyes wide with horror. "Go help him! Quickly!"

Penny still wasn't sure what she should do, but right now, she didn't have time. Mint was hurt, and quite possibly Rudy. She had to help them. She had to come up with a plan, and right now. Her thoughts reeled, ideas swirling in her head as she tried to quickly think of something. No time to argue or sift through her doubts. She had to act now. She raised up her magic chalk and set to work. She hoped that she wasn't going to be too late.

sss

Rudy knew it wasn't a smart idea. He knew that, without the magic chalk, he was at a disadvantage against Skrawl. The zoner was larger and stronger than him. He had already been stuck with Skrawl chalkless before, in their first encounter. He bore witness to how strong he could be, or at least a taste of it. Skrawl could easily have killed him right then and there. There was nothing stopping him. Heck, the zoner was strong enough to lift him off the ground with one arm no problem. It wouldn't take Skrawl much to break his neck.

He had never wanted to experience a situation like that again. Rudy felt defenseless without his magic chalk. He could still fight, but he was greatly weakened. If Skrawl, or any enemy, decided to hurt him and he had no magic chalk, he wouldn't be able to defend himself that well. And it wasn't just Skrawl he had to worry about hurting him. There was that crazy Jacko guy, the Halloween-esque zoner who is obsessed with getting a bride.

Jacko had taken advantage of him when his arm was broken. There was no way that zoner could have known he was coming into ChalkZone with a broken arm, but it seemed like Jacko felt it worked into his favor. Rudy had been weakened and, though he could still use the magic chalk, he had trouble fighting back because his left arm was not very good at drawing. And when Jacko had pressed that bony claw into his chest, it hurt. It thankfully didn't draw blood, but it still caused him pain, enough to make his left hand twitch.

It was at that moment that Rudy realized just what big of trouble he was in. Jacko was larger than him and definitely stronger. Those claws were very sharp; Jacko had to show a lot of constraint not to cut him when he poked him like that. He knew, when Jacko started to advance on him in the maze, that he was fully intending on using those claws against him. He could have done some serious damage if Jacko really intended on killing him.

And now he was going up against another zoner with sharp claws, Skrawl. He had no magic chalk to help him. He just had himself and his wits. He had to watch out not just for the artifacts, but Skrawl's claws, and to avoid getting grabbed by him. Skrawl's claws might not be as large as Jacko's, and they might not be able to cause as much damage by comparison, but they were still dangerous had to be avoided. Getting caught in those hands would be worse, as Skrawl could then use his physical strength to cause internal damage.

But he wasn't going to back down now. Mint needed help and Skrawl needed to be stopped. He couldn't find his magic chalk anywhere, and if he spent too much time looking, Skrawl might kill Mint or try to injure him. He had no choice but to fight him chalkless.

He dodged Skrawl's attacks. The crown was still active, but as time went on, it started to fade. If he could just keep dodging the attacks, he might be able to make Skrawl lose power to them. And then he could fight him head on. It wasn't a decision he enjoyed; attacking others was not something he wanted to do, even if they were someone like Skraw. But in this situation, he didn't have much of a choice. He had to neutralize Skrawl before he could get the power on and reactivate those artifacts.

And he had a limited time in doing this. If he took too long, Mint would die. The cloths didn't stop the bleeding; it only slowed it down. If the bleeding didn't stop soon...

He moved to the side as Skrawl shot another electrical beam in his direction. It coiled and arched along the ground, trying to wrap around him. Rudy jumped into the air and landed a foot away. The arch came back towards him. It snaked along the ground like a serpent, and raised its head, about to strike. Rudy pressed his back against the wall. Skrawl smirked evilly and the electric 'serpent' struck forward. Rudy moved out of the way, letting the electric coil crash into the wall, becoming stuck for a moment. Rudy ran off in a different direction. The electric coil soon freed itself and went after him.

Rudy wasn't sure how long he could keep dodging the electric coil. He was hoping he would last long enough for the crown to drain. But he could already feel himself getting tired and worn out. He couldn't keep this up forever. Skrawl wasn't likely going to run out of energy any time soon. He was just standing here, letting the artifacts do all the work. And that's when Rudy realized something that nearly caused him to freeze in place.

What was his plan after the artifacts wore out? It was very unlikely Skrawl would just stand there while he apprehended him. He would need to fight back. But if he didn't stop the crown from powering the rod before he wore himself out, he was in trouble. Even the sword, which was rendered powerless thanks to the blood, could still be used against him. So could any of the artifacts more or less. Skrawl could use them as blunt weapons. And with Rudy's energy used up so much, and Skrawl hardly moving, the jellybean was going to have more energy left to fight him than he did. Rudy was in trouble no matter what.

Yet he wasn't going to give up. He formulated a new plan in his head quickly. He stared at the crown as he dodged another attack from the golden rod. If he could somehow get the crown knocked off of Skrawl, then he might stand a better chance. The crown powers the artifacts. If it were knocked off or damaged, Skrawl would be weakened. There was still the chance that Rudy would be exhausted by the time he manages to pull this off. But it would be faster than simply waiting for the crown to drain. That worked in his favor, especially since he had no idea how long it would take for the crown to completely drain of power.

Suddenly, the electric coil struck against the ground in front of him. He tripped forward, falling into the ground. He hissed in pain as his chest injury was irritated. He pushed himself up and put his hand on his chest. He pulled it back and he looked at his hand. It had a thin coating of blood. The bleeding had stopped earlier, but that knock into the ground caused them to start bleeding again. Ignoring the pain in his chest the best he could, he started to climb up to his feet.

Before he could get up, the electric coil struck him in the side. Rudy let out a scream as he was tossed into the ground. He rolled across the hard floor a couple of times before landing on his back. He sat up, clenching his teeth as pain shot up and down his side. He glanced down to examine the damage.

There was a large bruise, with a little bit of burning, on his side, visible thanks to a tear in his shirt the coil had given him. He gingerly touched it, only to pull his hand immediately back. It stung him horribly. He attempted to get up, but the pain in his side made it difficult to do this. And when he did manage to get to his feet, the act of taking a step forward hurt him. It would irritate that side injury and he found himself staggering a little. He glared over at Skrawl, who was smirking at him.

"Give it up, Master Tabootie! Without the magic chalk, you stand no chance against me! You're just a little boy...you're mortal, just like everyone else here." Skrawl sneered. "It won't take much for me to kill you. I'm just toying with you right now. I could end your life here and now, with a simple twist of the neck. It will be like breaking a tooth pick..." He raised the rod a little higher. Electricity danced all around it. "I might run out of power soon, but I'll have more than enough energy and time to finish you off!"

Rudy took a fighting stance. "I'm not backing down, Skrawl.. I'll beat you..!"

"Oh really?" Skrawl chortled at this, sounding amused. "And if you do beat me, do you think it'll be fast enough save him?" Skrawl pointed a claw in Mint's direction. The older boy was still out cold, breathing slowly. "He doesn't have a lot of time, you know."

"You're the one who put him in that position!" Rudy snarled. "You're not getting away with that!"

"Why do you care so much about him?" Skrawl inquired. He contorted his face into a nasty, evil smile. "He was the one who hurt Snap. So doesn't he deserve some retribution? Doesn't he deserve to feel some of the pain your friend felt?"

Rudy took a step forward. "No...I would never wish harm like that upon anyone!"

"And yet you had. Angry yes, but you still did. And you got your wish." Skrawl sneered at the boy. Rudy's glare deepened. "Deny it all you want to, Rudy." He turned his attention to Mint. He glanced at the rod, stroking his claw up and down it slowly. "It is a shame it had to come to this. Mint really was a good addition. It's too bad he threw it all away. If he had just stayed by my side, he would not be in this position."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Skrawl! He's in that position because you chose to put him there!" Rudy fumed, baring his teeth. "Don't you dare try to shift the blame onto him!"

Skrawl stared at Rudy for a few moments. The smile stayed on his face. He kept quiet, looking like he was in silent contemplation. Rudy expected Skrawl to come back with a retort of some kind. That's what he would usually do. That's something that he had expected of him in all their times they had fought. This time, however, Skrawl surprised him with something else.

"You're right..." Skrawl said softly. "I did put him in that position..."

Rudy was confused. Skrawl admitting fault? That didn't seem like him. He detected something strange about that tone. It filled him with apprehension. There was something there, something hidden. What was Skrawl going to do? Rudy took a step forward, preparing himself for a surprise attack.

Skrawl turned his head away from Rudy. His mismatched eyes stared at the rod up and down. It looked like he was simply admiring the reflection of himself in the golden rod. But Rudy knew better. The jellybean was up to something. But what?

"And it was indeed my choice.." Skrawl traced a claw down the rod. The scraping sound irritated Rudy's ears, causing him to flinch. Skrawl, however, remain unaffected. He slowly turned his head to Rudy as he raised the rod a little higher. He moved in a new direction. A nasty smile spread across his face. "Just like this is my decision..."

Rudy realized, in horror, what Skrawl was doing. The rod had been moved to face Mint. The tip of the rod began to glow with electricity. In seconds, it would be fired at Mint. Rudy didn't hesitate for a second. He rushed towards the fallen boy just as Skrawl fired his shot. The coil sizzled in the air as it zipped towards Mint at an alarming rate. Rudy pushed himself to go faster, his feet pounding against the ground. He ignored his pain the best he could.

He jumped in front of Mint and stood there, arms out, protectively. He narrowed his eyes as the electric coil came. He didn't move from his spot, even while knowing full well if he got caught in the coil, he wouldn't be able to get out of it without help. He was not about to let Skrawl hurt Mint again.

The electric coil slammed into him. Rudy let out a horrific scream as the electricity arced over his body, leaving small minor burns on his skin. The coil wrapped around him tightly. He was lifted off the ground quickly. His feet kicked in the air and he jerked himself left in right to try to free himself. It was of no use and he found himself being pulled in the direction of Skrawl. The jellybean smiled at him triumphantly. Rudy glared daggers at Skrawl as he was positioned a foot in front of him.

Skrawl reached forward and pressed the tip of his claw against Rudy's throat. "Your concern for others may be an admirable trait, Rudy Tabootie..." He pushed his claw a little harder, causing Rudy to wince. "But it can also be a weakness to be exploited."

"Fuck you..." Rudy growled under his breath.

Skrawl's eyes narrowed at that comment. He growled lowly, "You will not speak to me that way." The electric coil tightened around Rudy further, prompting the boy to let out a cry of pain. "It's time you learned a little bit of respect."

"Why would I respect you...when you...don't respect anyone...but yourself?" Rudy said through clenched teeth. He stared at Skrawl with one hate-filled eye. "You're a monster...I'll never bow down to you..."

Skrawl gave an eerie smile. "Just as I would expect from you, Master Tabootie." He rose the boy a little higher into the air. "You are so caught up in your erroneous sense of justice that you decide you will defy someone like me instead of doing the smart thing and doing whatever it takes to save yourself. That is how the world works, Rudy. There's a reason they say only the strong survive..." At this, Skrawl shifted his gaze towards Mint's limp body, and then back at Rudy, his grin broadening to deliver a silent message.

"You're a monster..." Rudy snarled at him. He struggled against the coil, but it was too tight. Once in a while, an arc of electricity would go over his body. "Mint's stronger than you'd ever be..." His eyes tightly squeeze shut as more electricity was shot through his body. He stifled a scream, barely able to hold back. Tears of pain began to form in his eyes.

"Stronger than me? Oh sure... That's why he's laying on the ground dying!" Skrawl said with heavy sarcasm. A cold laughter emitted from his throat, making Rudy growl in anger as a response. Skrawl tilted his head slightly to the side, grinning maniacally at Rudy. "Don't you worry, chalk boy..." He pulled Rudy closer to him. He pulled his free hand back, the claws glinting in the light. "...you will soon be joining him...He won't be dying alone!"

Rudy's eyes widened in fear as he stared at Skrawl's claws, poised to slice into him. He knew there was no way he could escape the blow. As Skrawl tensed up his arm and struck down, Rudy closed his eyes and turned his head, waiting for the blow.

But it never came.

Rudy opened his eyes as Skrawl let out a scream. The claws were so close to his face. So close... Rudy shuddered at how close he was to having his neck and throat torn open. The claws just barely touched his neck. He barely had time to register this. Whatever caused Skrawl to cry out like that resulted in the jellybean losing his grip on him, and of the rod as well. There was a clang as the rod fell and a loud thud as Rudy hit the ground. Standing up shakingly to his feet, twitching a little as a result of the electricity being pumped into his body earlier, he looked over to see what had caused Skrawl to cry out like that.

His eyes widened at what he saw. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, standing right behind Skrawl, was Penny. She was holding what appeared to be a pipe, similar to what Mint had used at the temple. It was positioned in such a way, Skrawl bending in such a way, that he knew that she had struck him in the side.

"P-Penny...what are you doing here...?" Rudy asked, incredulous. "What about Snap?"

"Don't worry, he's safe!" Penny told him. "I..."

She didn't have time to continue. Skrawl, who recovered from the blow, seized her by her neck. Penny let out a gag as she was lifted off the ground.

"Penny!" Rudy called out in horror.

Skrawl put his face close to Penny's, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Hello... my little chalk queen." He said with dark contempt and sarcasm. Penny glared at him, struggling in his grasp. "If you wanted to die first, you should have just told me. Because I'll be happy to obligue..."


	37. Struggle

Penny glared hatefully at Skrawl. If he was going to try to intimidate her, he would have to do a lot better than that. She wasn't going to be frightened that easily. She had faced off against this jellybean before. She had been able to outsmart him in the past with the 'chalk queen' ruse. She could do it again.

Her eyes moved up and down Skrawl, her mind whirling with thoughts on what she could do to get out of here. There was always a way out of a situation. Even if it wasn't that clear at first, there was always a way. She had learned that when she had to fight Mint back in ChalkZone City. Ripclaw had her pinned down and it looked hopeless, but not only did she pull through, she was able to send Mint packing. He sure didn't take her lightly after that.

And it was time Skrawl learned a similar lesson. Though he had her by the neck now, that was not going to last long. She would see to that. She would make him release her, and she was going to help Rudy fight against him. Skrawl was going to be stopped once and for all.

And then after his defeat, she was going to take Rudy to where Snap was. The plan she had figured out was putting Snap in a corner of the room where the Beanie Boys aren't likely to go, and then creating a one way mirror. Snap could see them, but they couldn't see him. Snap was instructed to call out to them when he sees her, Rudy, and Mint come in. Obviously if a Beanie Boy comes in, he would keep as quiet and still as possible. It was still hard for him with the pain. She promised she'd be back as soon as she could.

She had no idea how she found her way back. She had forgotten what hallways they had taken while looking for the way out. It wasn't like she could stop and ask for directions; if she did that, she would be captured for sure. She wasn't stupid enough to do something as crazy as that, so she had to keep moving. She did eventually come to a hallway that she recognized. She quickly headed down and soon found the twisted stairs leading up towards where she and Snap had been held. She heard some shouts from Rudy, laughter from Skrawl, and she knew she had found the right place. She rushed up the stairs as fast as she could. When she heard Rudy scream, she quickened her pace. When she came into the room, she had to freeze at what she saw.

Skrawl had Rudy lifted into the air by an electrical coil, the same one he had used to electrocute Mint. Rudy was struggling to get free, glaring hostily at Skrawl. The jellybean looked like he was going to attack Rudy, and knowing how that zoner is, Penny had no doubt in her mind that is what was going to happen. She hadn't noticed where Mint was yet. Her eyes remained glued on Rudy and Skrawl.

Carefully, swiftly, she made her way around the edge of the room. She kept quiet, making sure the evil zoner did not notice her movements. Needing a weapon of some kind, she drew the first thing that she thought of. A pipe, not unlike the one Mint had used before. She gripped it tightly and moved in behind Skrawl. She struck him in his side, causing the zoner to let go of Rudy. Though it had enabled Rudy to get free, Penny was not able to get out of the way in time and she felt the zoner grasp her throat tightly and raise her above the ground. The pipe slipped from her hands and it dropped to the ground.

"Are you...still mad about...the chalk queen thing...Skrawl..?" Penny said to him. Her voice was strained from the pressure applied to her neck. "You...should have...known...I would never betray...Rudy..." A small, wry smile appeared on her face. "I guess you...aren't as smart...as you...like...to think..you...are.."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Penny's neck, causing her to gag a little. "I intend to not make that mistake again, genius girl." Skrawl did not notice what Penny was during during this time. "I intend to...remove you as a factor." His eyes narrowed dangerously, putting his face closer to Penny's. "Permanently..."

Penny, who had been raising the magic chalk into the air during this time, took action immediately. But instead of drawing something, she pulled her arm back and thrust the magic chalk forward. It jabbed into Skrawl's red eye. Skrawl let out a scream as he released Penny. He put a hand over his eye and hissed in pain. As Penny landed on the ground, she immediately brought her left foot forward and struck against the single limb that held Skrawl up. The surprised jellybean let out a cry as he fell into the ground. Penny moved back to where Rudy was.

When she noticed Rudy taking a step forward and nearly falling over, she reached out with her hands and grabbed onto him. She helped him steady himself again. She didn't release him until she was certain he could stand on his own. She looked at his hands, expecting to see the magic chalk, but to her shock, there was none. What happened to it? Had it been used up already? She looked at Rudy in the eyes.

"Rudy, where's your magic chalk?" Penny asked.

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. "I-I don't know. It fell somewhere and I haven't been able to find it."

This made Penny's heart clench a little in dread. Snap had been right about having her come back and help them. If he and Mint no longer had magic chalk, they wouldn't have stood much of a chance against Skrawl. They could have easily been defeated. She felt guilty about arguing so long with Snap about what to do next. She wished she had seen his point sooner and come help.

Well at least she was here now. And it wasn't too late to help Rudy. But..where was Mint? He was hurt. She knew he was. He wouldn't have screamed like that if he wasn't. She wanted to help him. She looked around the room again. Soon, her eyes froze in place when she found him. Her eyes flew open in horror.

"R-Rudy..." Penny asked, her voice shaking. "Wh-What happened to him?"

Rudy glanced over at Mint's prone form. He looked back at Penny, his expression filled with sadness. "Skrawl cut off his left foot..."

At this, Penny's mind flashed to the scream she heard when she was with Snap. She knew that it had to have been something terrible, but she...she had no idea it was that bad. Horrible images flooded her mind as she thought of just how it happened. Skrawl coming up behind Mint and swinging something sharp at him...Mint collapsing on the ground as his foot was hacked off...

She stared at Mint's limp form. He was laying on his back, his head lolled to one side. His right leg was bent upwards a little, like he had been struggling. One hand laid out at his side while the other rested on his chest. Her eyes focused on his left leg. The end of it had been tied with a cloth and she could see dark red stains, blood ripping from around the edges. It was clear the bleeding hadn't stopped yet. He was completely still, with only his chest moving up and down with each breath as indication that he was still alive.

Rudy did a decent job with slowing down the blood flow, but it still needed to be stopped completely. The blood that was pouring on the ground was melting through the ground, dissolving it. It took a lot of blood to do that kind of damage. At this rate, Mint would die from blood loss in less than an hour. She didn't know if they'd made it back in that amount of time. She had to try to stop the bleeding, and hopefully wake him up. He couldn't remain passed out like this, or he could suffer from further damage.

She turned to Rudy. She took the magic chalk and she broke it in half. She gave Rudy one piece, while she kept the other. "I'll go help Mint. You take care of Skrawl!"

"Got it!" Rudy rushed over to deal with Skraw, who was back on his feet and looking very angry.

As Rudy engaged Skrawl, Penny rushed over to Mint's side. She stared down at him, a worried expression plastered over her face. She needed to draw some kind of shelter. Using the same idea as she did for Snap, she drew something that was one-way, allowing her to see out, but Skrawl could not see in. She drew a half dome around her, in front of her and Mint. After finishing the shelter, she looked down towards Mint.

She dropped onto her knees next to him and looked him over. He looked awful. His face was extremely pale and he looked sickly. His breathing was weak and shallow. She lifted up his left hand and pressed her fingers against his wrist. She felt his pulse. Light and thready...not a good sign. There were gashes in his shoulder, but these weren't bleeding nearly as heavily as his leg was. She turned her attention to his chopped leg, inching closer to it so she could treat it properly.

She was sickened by the side of the sliced off piece not being too far. It was already discolored and smelly. She had to fight hard to resist not throwing up. She looked down at the wound that was still bleeding. She grimaced at just how clean the cut was. Just what had Skrawl cut him with? She got her answer when she looked over and saw a bloodied golden sword laying on the ground. She looked over at Skrawl hatefully as the jellybean was fighting Rudy, and turned her attention back to Mint.

She tore off a piece of her skirt and applied pressure at the leg's newly unwanted stub. She pressed as hard as she could. She could feel Mint's blood soak through her skirt fast, her hands staining with blood. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized he was still losing blood way too fast. Panicking, she tore off another piece of her clothing and pressed it against the stub. She winced as it bled through so quickly. There was no signs of it slowing down. She had to think of something else. She then remembered something her mom mentioned. Sometimes, to stop a heavy bleeding, she needed to apply pressure somewhere else in the body. There were large blood vessels that could have pressure put on them to stop some forms of bleeding.

She looked down at Mint's damaged leg and moved her eyes up until they rested where his groin was. Remembering there were thick blood vessels there close to the surface, she pulled Mint's leg a little to the side and then pressed her fingers against that spot, applying as much pressure as she could. She kept her eye on the stump, waiting to see if the blood flow would slow down. It did, but not as fast as she would have liked. She needed another way to apply pressure more effectively. She had never done something like this before and she had no idea if she was doing it right.

Taking the magic chalk, she drew a thick cloth with something thick yet flexible in the center of it. She placed the center piece against Mint's groin. She then wrapped the cloth ends around a couple of times and then pulled them tightly, pressing the piece firmly against the skin. Once it was secured tightly, she turned to glance down at his face. He was still unconscious, his eyes closed. She bit her lip. Unsure if it was going to work or not, she reached down and grabbed his shoulders.

She began to shake him. Softly at first, and then she started to shake harder when he wasn't responding. Her heart rate sped up as Mint still did not wake up, no matter how hard she shook him. Had he lot more blood than she realized? Was there internal bleeding she wasn't taking into account? This made her breath quicken. If there was more to Mint's injuries than she realized, he was..he was in bigger danger than she thought. She knew a few things about medical stuff, but she was no expert. If her mom were here, she would be able to help.

But unfortunately, she was on her own. She had to think of her own solutions to try to help Mint. She tried again to wake him, knowing that him being awake could help curb some of the serious risk of brain damage. So far, her shakings were doing nothing. Out of desperation, she slapped him hard a couple times. Just as she figured, they had no effect on him. She soon stopped shaking him and shook her head sorrowfully. Her only chance at keeping him at least alive long enough for him to reach help was to try to stop the bleeding.

With the bandage around his leg good and tight, she moved back towards the step. She picked up the already soaked cloth and pressed against the step, attempting to aid in stopping the bleeding, or at least slow it down some more. It was difficult to stop the bleeding of a hacked off limb beause all those blood vessels in the leg had been cut. With all of them, big and small alike, cut open, that was many places where blood could now leak out of. Her mom taught her this stuff once and she nearly forgot about it. Trying to stop Mint's bleeding served as a gruesome reminder.

Suddenly, she felt stirring. The limb moved just ever so slightly. Her eyes lit up with hope. She looked over at Mint's face. She saw his face twitching a little. She kept looking, waiting and hoping that he was going to wake up. If he could wake up now, then his prognosis looked better.

Slowly but surely, Mint opened up his eyes. They opened and closed a few times first, then they remained open partway. He let out a soft groan and turned his head a little. His gaze appeared unfocused as he looked around slowly. Even when he looked at her, it was hard to tell if he really was seeing her or not.

"P-Penny...?" Mint asked. Penny winced at how coarse and weak his voice sounded. He attempted to move, but seethed in pain. "What..what's going on...? What happened...?"

"Shhh..." Penny whispered gently to him. She pressed her hands against his shoulder and pushed him down when he attempted to get up. "You'll be okay. You just need to stay down, and try to stay awake. You're badly hurt."

Mint looked at her, confused. From his expression, he did not remember what had happened to him. He tried again to get up, despite her telling him not to. She kept him down. It was easy holding him down because Mint had lost a lot of strength from that attack. He soon stopped and looked up at her. He was still so confused, so uncertain of what was going on. He turned his head to look up towards the ceiling. Penny gasped when she saw his eyes start to flutter shut again.

"No! Don't close your eyes!" Penny shook him. Mint blinked a few times and looked back at her. "Stay awake, Mint! I know it's hard, but please...stay awake...!"

Mint let out a soft groan. His eyes shut as he tried to deal with the pain. He squirmed a little on the ground. His body was starting to register the full impact of the pain. His eyes flew open, confusion quickly giving way to fear and horror. He looked around the room with a wild expression. He was trying to get a sense of his surroundings, trying so desperately to understand what was going on.

Penny felt so sorry for him. His memories were a little slow in kicking in. He must be so confused and frightened when he realized just how much pain he was in, but having no memory, at the moment, of what happened. She tried her best to soothe him, running her fingers through his hair and speaking to him gently, hoping that he would calm down. His speeding heart was going to send him to his doom faster. He needed to calm down, and fast.

Things got harder when he happened to notice what became of his left leg. His eyes widened in horror and his body started shaking harder when he saw the hacked off piece and what remained of his leg leg. He started to whimper and cry, shaking his head in denial. His heart rate sped up and the flow of blood increased. Penny wrapped her arms around him tightly, trying to get him to calm down.

"Calm down, Mint! We're going to get help!" Penny said to him. "Please settle down! You're making things worse for yourself!"

Mint's eyes were wild-looking, filled with dread. They were staring intently at his damaged leg and disconnected foot. He was trying to talk, but only could manage gibberish for a time. His breaths short and quick, trembling. "M-My...my..." Mint choked out, his voice laced in fear and pain. "...m-my leg...my leg..."

"I know. There's nothing we can do about it. Please, calm down, Mint. We'll get you to a hospital. You'll be fine." Penny whispered. She listened to him as he cried harder. His face was stained with his tears. She pressed the side of her face against his and held on tightly. "Shh..calm down.. If you don't try to relax soon, you'll bleed yourself out. Please...relax. You'll be okay. I promise..."

As Penny cradled Mint in her arms, she looked over and watched the fight between Rudy and Skrawl unfold. She hoped that Rudy would be able to defeat Skrawl soon. They had to get out of here, fast. Mint and Snap have to get back to the hospital before it was too late.

She believed in Rudy. She knew he would be able to send that evil jellybean packing. There was a reason he was called the Great Creator.

Suddenly, she felt Mint go limp in her arms. Alarmed, she looked down at him. She was horrified to see that he had passed out again. No..oh no... She tried to shake him awake. This time, he remained unconscious. Her body shaking with emotion, she looked over at Rudy.

"Please hurry..." She said in a soft voice.

sss

Even with the magic chalk, Rudy was having a hard time against Skrawl. A big reason why was that he had a very limited supply. With so little chalk to work with, he had to be careful of when he used it. He couldn't just draw willy nilly; he had to think about it and decide fast what was best to draw, and what wasn't.

Skrawl, on the other hand, had more freedom. His crown didn't look like it was going to run out of energy anytime soon. He could afford making more wasted efforts than Rudy could. This did not mean the jellybean wasn't slipping; the opposite was more true. Usually, Skrawl would know to change things up a little and use a different artifact, as Rudy was able to keep deflecting the electric coil with the rubber stick he had drawn. But Skrawl was so determined to defeat him, he just kept using the electric coil.

However, Rudy did not let down his guard. Despite it looking like Skrawl was too single-mindedly focused, there was the chance that he is just playing with him and was planning on switching artifacts when he least expected it. If he switched to the sceptre, he was in big trouble. And there was also the ring, which could warp the very room he was in. Rudy did his best to give no indication to Skrawl that he could switch artifacts, and continued fighting against him.

Skrawl growled in frustration and he tossed another electric coil at Rudy. The snake-like sparkling thing shot towards the boy. Rudy narrowed his eyes and held up his rubber stick. The electric coil wrapped around it tightly, keeping the electricity stored within its confines, not hurting Rudy one bit. The boy pulled, taking a few steps back. This jerked Skrawl forward a little bit, but the jellybean still stood his ground. He snarled and pulled as hard as he could.

Rudy let out a scream as he was forced to let go of the rubber stuck. He was flun into the ground and he rolled across a few times. He groaned in pain and pushed himself off the ground, one knee on the ground. He rubbed his head and he glared over at Skrawl. The electric coil came at him again. Rudy jumped out of the way, barely able to dodge it. He panted harder, exhaustion quickly settling in. He had to do something and fast.

He raised up his magic chalk and draw a thick rope. He moved as Skrawl tried to attack him again. He started to run around Skrawl, making it difficult for the jellybean to attack him. He tied a loop at the end. As he came around Skrawl a third time, he raised the rope in the air and swung it around a little. Then he threw it towards Skrawl seconds after he shot another electrical coil. The rope pressed against Skrawl's arms, pinning them against his side. The surprised jellybean dropped the rod as Rudy yanked him forward.

Skrawl nearly fell into the ground. But during his struggling, he managed to free an arm. He used his sharp claws to shred the rope that Rudy had drawn. Rudy, unable to react in time, fell back due to the force. He landed on the ground in a thud. The rope fell to the ground in front of him. He shook his head and looked back towards Skrawl, who now had the ring pointed directly at him. Rudy's eyes widened, knowing what was going to happen next.

The ring glowed and the ground above him was raised up into the air, ripping away and now heading straight towards him. The rock and metal twisted around into a point and Rudy knew what was going to happen if he stood still for too long. He jumped out of the way as the tip clashed against the ground, striking it with such force that it left an indention. He looked at it with clenched teeth for a second, and then swerved his head in Skrawl's direction. The jellybean was sneering evilly at him and adjusted his ring so that it now faced him once more.

Rudy dodged out of the way as the twisted thing tried to jab him again. Rudy started to run around Skrawl like he had before. The twist of rock and metal slithered around like a snake, despite how hard the material actually was. It soon started to coil around him. Before he could be crushed to death, Rudy managed to get out of the coil in time. That didn't stop the slithering mesh to come around him again, forcing him to stop in his tracks before the sharp point nearly skewered through his skull.

Rudy glared at the point, his body shaking from how close it was. Right behind him, the rocky coil was pressed up against him. He couldn't jump back. The tip came ever closer, forcing Rudy to lean back more and more until he was almost flat across the back of this thing. He found it hard to tear his eyes away from the thing, and for good reason. One wrong move, and he will be dead.

"I admit, you lasted longer than I thought you would." Skrawl droned softly. He took a few steps towards Rudy. His eyes shined of demented happiness. "It's a shame that it's all going to come to an end. Tell you what. I'll be a good sport." He made a gesture with his free hand. "I'll let you choose how you want to die. Fast..." He moved his free hand to the side. And then he leaned forward and tightened it into a fist, a dark smile spreading across his green face. "...or slow...?" His voice was growly when he said that last line.

Rudy bared his teeth in Skrawl's direction. "Screw you!"

Skrawl smiled almost pleasantly at this. He straightened himself back up. He said, "Slow it is. Wise choice. I'm going to enjoy this..."

Rudy's eyes focused back on the tip. It was starting to move towards him. He moved himself further back, and soon he found that he couldn't go back any further. His eyes slowly widened in fear as the point was getting closer to his head. He was in such an awkward position that he found it hard to use the magic chalk. But despite his difficulty, he knew he had to do something, and fast.

He recalled that Mint was able to draw some small dinosaurs while his arms were pinned. That might be what he'll have to do. Draw even though there wasn't as much room for his right arm to move. He didn't know if he'd be as successful as Mint had been. He still knew he had to try. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to die. And from what Skrawl said, it would be a slow process, too. He wasn't going to allow that jellybean to win, not after all the things he had done.

Rudy raised the magic chalk. He kept his eyes glued on the tip, only briefly glancing down to see what he was drawing. He was not used to drawing without looking, but in this case, it wasn't like he had much of a choice. If he looked down too much, Skrawl might notice what he was doing. At the moment, the jellybean was too busy gloating about his supposed victory that he wasn't seeing what Rudy was doing. And Rudy was going to take advantage of that.

He began to draw quickly, making little movements with his wrist so they weren't too noticeable. A few seconds of doing this, there was the little patter of tiny feet going towards Skrawl. And before the jellybean had time to react, they began to cover him. Skrawl let out a surprised cry and began to shout in frustration. This disrupted the twisted metal rock thing in front of Rudy and it fell to the ground. Rudy looked over to see what was happening.

Skrawl was being swarmed by lots of little mice. It was reminiscent of when Mint drew those tiny dinosaurs that drove him back. This time, that skill was being put to good use. Rudy watched as Skrawl struggled to keep the mice off of him. They nipped at him, causing him to yelp in pain. With Skrawl distracted by the mice, Rudy was able to make his next move undetected. He raised the magic chalk and rushed over to where Skrawl was. He moved as fast as he could, knowing that, at anytime Skrawl could knock back the mice and turn an artifact on him to attack with. He may not get another chance like this. He continued to run to Skrawl, his eyes fixated on that golden crown.

Rudy drew a long, thin metal pole with a round, glass tip at the end. He put his magic chalk away and used both hands to hold the pole. Skrawl was moving around every which way, trying in vain to stop the mice. Rudy stood back and narrowed his eyes in determination. He only had one shot at this. If he missed, Skrawl could attempt to attack him even in his confused fury. When Skrawl now faced him, Rudy pulled his arm back and thrust forward.

The glass ball struck against Skrawl's head, right on the golden crown. He had struck with as much force as he could, from an angle of course. The golden crown sizzled a little, as if the power was suddenl drained. It flew from Skrawl's head and up towards the air. It landed with a loud clang several feet away and cracked down the middle. This created two separate pieces on the floor. Skrawl looked on in horror after he finally managed to shake off the mice. He looked exactly how Rudy imagined he would.

"No!" Skrawl shouted, his eyes widened in shock. "Th-This is impossible! Not another beautiful plan...!"

Rudy held up with remained of his magic chalk. Skrawn noticed the glinting object and he took a step back. He glared at Rudy with contempt, and the boy returned the gaze. "Face it Skrawl. You lost." He started to move forward. "And this time, I'm going to make sure you don't hurt anyone ever again."

Skrawl stared at Rudy in mock disbelief. "Oh you don't say? What ever are you going to do? Kill me?"

Rudy narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm not like you."

He watched as Skrawl paced back and forth, staring at him with those mismatched eyes. He wasn't sure what Skrawl was up to. It was weird how he went from being shocked to now being a little too pleasantly calm. He was up to something. But what?

"No? Perhaps you should me." Skrawl smirked. "For you see, I always have a backup plan..."

Rudy's eyes widened and he took a step back, keeping a fighting stance. "What do you mean?"

To answer his question, Skrawl pulled out what appeared to be a remote with a large red button on it. Without Skrawl saying a word, Rudy had a feeling he knew what it was. And the realization chilled his blood. No, Skrawl wouldn't be that stupid, would he? There was no way he would install something like that here, and he certainly wouldn't be dumb enough to use it while he was still in the building.

If it was what he believed it was, Rudy had little time to act. He had to get that controller thing away from Skrawl as soon as he could. He tensed up his leg muscles and, without thinking, he rushed over towards Skrawl. The jellybean just smirked, not even fazed by Rudy's death glare. He just lightly touched the button with one long claw, threatening to press it.

When Rudy got close enough and had his magic chalk raised, Skrawl reacted by striking him down. Rudy cried out in surprise and pain from the unexpected attack. The claws grazed his right arm, allowing a new fresh flow of blood to appear on his body. Rudy fell into the ground in a thud. The magic chalk rolled away from his hand. Rudy attempted to grab it, but Skrawl pressed his foot against his chest, holding him down.

Rudy was surprised when Skrawl no longer held the controller, no longer threatening to push the button. Rudy's mind reeled as he tried to make sense of that. His blood ran cold when he realized what Skrawl had actually done. His eyes widened as he saw Skrawl take out the gun from before. Rudy wasn't sure when the jellybean had grabbed it, but now the same gun he was forced to threaten Mint with was pointed straight at him.

"I thought you would have been wiser than that, Master Tabootie. If you were this easily fooled, I'm amazed I hadn't beaten you yet. Or maybe you're just slipping and I caught you at the right time. Either way, I win. You should have paid more attention to our battle, chalk boy. I learned a thing or two from our previous fights. And let me tell you this. I will not allow you to win this time..."

Skrawl put his finger on the trigger. He placed the barrel against Rudy's head, between his eyes. Rudy started to shake in fear, his eyes crossing to see the gun pressed against his face. Skrawl gave him a nasty smile as he started to apply a little pressure on the trigger.

"Rudy! No!" Penny cried out from her hiding spot.

Skrawl turned his attention towards the source of the voice. He did not seem worried that he could not see Penny anywhere, as if he was confident he would find her soon enough. "Stay where you were, genius girl! Try to run over and stop me, and I'll pull the trigger faster!" He paused for a moment like he wanted to give Penny time to let that sink in. Then he turned his attention back to Rudy. "Now...where were we...?"

Skrawl didn't have time to pull the trigger. Something unexpected happened. Something none of them had seen coming.

There was a flash of a shadow upon them. A low hiss. The pounding of feet from an unexpected direction. Skrawl looked over, only to be met with claws, teeth, and feathers. Rudy suddenly felt the weight from Skrawl lifted from him, allowing him to move back. He sat up and watched the scene unfold, his eyes widened in shock.

Ripclaw...it was Ripclaw... Somehow she had managed to wake up and free herself from the rubble. She looked injured. Blood stains were everywhere, mostly on her back. There were bruises and scratches as well. But despite this, she was ramming against Skrawl, her claws digging into him as she tried to hold him down. Skrawl furiously fought back, giving Ripclaw a few slashes across the face, neck, and chest. This did little to stop the enraged raptor. She only pushed harder against him, pressing him up against the wall.

Skrawl attempted to shoot Ripclaw. He pulled the trigger. Ripclaw moved her head to the side, dodging the bullet. She then bit down on his arm, ripping into it and drawing blood. The jellybean was forced to drop the gun out of pain and out of desire to get the dinosaur off of him. Ripclaw rammed against him again and again, each time causing the jellybean to cry out in pain.

Then, finally, with one final push, the wall broke loose. The sound of rock crumbling down, clanging against more rock, could be heard. As soon as it had broken loose, Skrawl and Ripclaw tumbled through. Ripclaw's screech and Skrawl's scream became intertwined with each other, fading as the two fell down. Shocked, Rudy quickly rushed over to the opening, trying his best to ignore the pain in his left foot like he had been before. He peered over the edge and looked down.

He couldn't see any sign of Skrawl or Ripclaw. He didn't know if they were crushed, if she had taken flight and took Skrawl somewhere, if they were chasing each other, or what. Rudy's body shook from the shock of what happened. He was not expecting that to happen. He was also shaking from how close he was to dying. If Ripclaw had been seconds too late, he would have... He took in a shuddering breath as he let the realization wash over him for a second. He had been lucky.

He turned his attention to where Penny's voice had come from. "I-It's okay, Penny. He's gone..."

Penny emerged from her hiding spot, peaking around the side of the one-way mirror structure. She looked at Rudy worriedly. "A-Are you okay, Rudy?"

Rudy took in a deep breath, still trembling. "Yeah...I'll be fine." He looked over at the hole. Even though he had drawn wings on Ripclaw, he was still worried that she might be injured still. And what had become of Skrawl? "I hope that fall wasn't fatal..."

"I'm sure they're both okay." Penny said, obviously attempting to reassure him. "We know Skrawl is a stubborn guy and doesn't give up. I don't think he'd let a fall do him in that easily. And Ripclaw...we learned she has a way of doing things we don't expect. I think they both survived."

"Yeah, you're right." Rudy moved towards Penny. He walked around so he could see Mint. The bleeding appeared to have been slowed down even more, but his breathing was getting slower. He furrowed his eyes with concern. "We need to get him and Snap back to the hospital."

Penny nodded her head. "I'll show you where Snap is. I told him we'd meet up together before we attempted to leave."

Rudy, being the physically stronger of the two, went over to Mint. He drew rocket shoes on his feet so he would have the extra boost he needed to carry Mint. After picking up the slightly larger boy into his arms, Rudy followed Penny through the hallways to where Snap's hiding spot was.


	38. Change

Mint let out a soft groan. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was greeted by a bright white light. He flinched and turned his head away. He kept his eyes shut, trying to cope with what seemed like an intensely bright light. Soon, the bright light appeared to fade and he could open his eyes a little bit. He was greeted by a very blurry world, with some light and shadow dancing around. He could barely make out any shapes and any sounds he heard were warped and garbled.

His head really hurt him for some reason. He reached up with his right arm and placed his hand on his forehead. He let out a soft groan. The world seemed to spin a little bit and for some reason he felt a little weak. He blinked a few times and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He tried to figure out what had happened to him. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. There were pieces of the puzzle scattered everywhere in his mind, but they weren't coherent enough for him to decipher. All he could tell at the moment was that something happened to him that made him this way. He just couldn't figure out what that was.

He tried to sift through his confusing mind. He attempted to put the pieces together, trying to paint a picture of what had happened. He remembered little details. Something with electricity, a crown, some rocky cave-like place, as well as other random data. Yet he couldn't figure out how they all fit together. His head was swirling with these thoughts, the muggy feeling making it difficult for him to think properly. He kept asking himself how he got here, why his head hurt, and why he felt so strange. It was like he had slept for weeks on end, and he wouldn't be surprised if that is what had happened.

Mint attempted to sit up, but dizziness shot through his head and he was forced to lay back down. As he did so, his vision cleared up a little. As it became easier for him to see, he realized that this clearly wasn't his room. There was too much white here, and it was too clean. Strange smells hung tightly, thickly, in the air. He slowly blinked, each time his vision coming into focus. He looked around the room again. The sounds all became more clear. Beeping, some talking out of the room, the sound of his own breathing. They all intermingled, and did little to clear up his confusion.

It took a few more minutes of his head clearing up to realize he was in a hospital. His eyes widened a little at that, although grogginess still had a hold over him. What was he doing in the hospital? Had something bad happened to him? He let out another groan as he tried to sit himself up. He pushed himself up with his right foot and attempted with his left.

That's when he realized something was off. He tried with his right foot and he could feel it push against the bed. But whenever he tried his left, even though he repeated the same actions, he felt nothing. No indication that his foot was touching the bed. Confusion grew stronger and he tried to reason with himself why this was so. Did he lose some feeling in the foot? No, he'd still detect something. Maybe the foot just couldn't move? Makes even less sense. And now that he thought of it, his left leg did feel lighter than this other...

His eyes shot open in horror as the realization swept through his mind. As his vision completely cleared up, he looked over towards his legs. He could clearly see the raised ridge that was his right foot. But this was completely gone on his left. He shook his head, his body trembling. No..it couldn't be..no... He didn't want it to be true. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. His mind racing, he reached over and grabbed the sheet. His heart pounded as he pulled the covers up, hoping and praying that he was going to see his left foot.

Instead, his fears were confirmed. He let out a small whine as he continued to stare down at his left leg. About half of his calf was gone, along with that ankle and foot. It was just...gone... Vanished. The stump had thick bandaging around it. Staring at it, Mint suddenly felt a shockwave of pain surge through his body, originating from the stump itself. Mint let out a cry of pain and attempted to pull his leg towards him. It hurt too much and he fell back into the bed. The heart monitor started to beep quickly as he tried to cope with the pain and horror of what had just happened.

As he laid there, clenching his teeth from pain and trembling in terror, Mint's mind reeled, playing back images for him of what happened. He remembered it now. Everything... He was in ChalkZone. He was helping Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He was fighting against Skrawl. Then he had...he had... Mint let out a soft cry as he recalled the sword coming down onto his leg. The pain...oh man the pain... The sound of it slicing through his bone and muscle ran in his ears. He didn't think he would be able to get that sound out of his head.

Mint took in a few deep breaths, the reality of the situation crashing down on him. That battle had cost him a leg. And there was no going back. Nothing he could say or do would change it. His heart was still racing. His body still shaking. It was a horrible truth that would take time to accept and adjust to. It was going to be hard, and he was unable to stop the cascade of tears flow down his face. He couldn't believe this happened to him. He never thought, when he went into ChalkZone, that he would come out missing a foot and part of his leg. He wondered what he was going to tell his parents.

His mind shifted to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. A lot must have happened while he was out cold. He barely remembered waking up and Penny was holding him. He thought he heard the clanging of Rudy fighting Skrawl, but he wasn't certain. That was all he could remember from that. Rudy and Penny had gone up against Skrawl while he was unconscious. Penny had come back, and she had helped him. He had a feeling that, if she hadn't done something, he might have died there.

He wondered what happened to Snap, if Penny had come back. Did she send him to the hospital? Did she hide him? Was Snap okay? The last time he saw him, Snap was not in the greatest shape. He definitely needed help. Had they been successful in getting him back to the hospital? Had Skrawl been defeated or had he gotten away? Was Rudy okay? And Ripclaw, was she fine, too? So many questions swirled the boy's mind, making his head hurt a little more. He tried to relax himself. He may get his answers soon enough. He needed to try to calm down a little. There would be an explanation for everything. He was certain of that.

The loss of his leg was not something he would adjust to quickly, and he was going to feel psychological impacts of that. But it wasn't just that. His guilt over what he had done to ChalkZone also was not going to go away anytime soon. It would get better in time, though. If he kept pushing forward, it would get better. And Snap and Rudy had forgiven him. He hoped they would be okay. Snap was badly hurt...and had Rudy been injured as well?

Penny, too... Was she okay? She was there with him, on the battle field. Skrawl might have attacked her. If he did, how far had he gone? How badly hurt was Penny? He hoped that it wasn't anything too serious. As he thought about her, he realized that he hadn't apologized to her yet. Then again, he never had the chance to. It wasn't a good idea to apologize while they were trying to escape. And he wasn't exactly in the best mental state to tell her when he woke up in her arms.

Now he was stuck in a hospital bed and he had no idea when he would get his next chance to speak with her. He didn't know how long he was going to be here. Heck, he didn't even know how long he was here so far. For all he knew, it had been a full year. Okay that would be ridiculous. A year is pretty much an exaggeration. On a more realistic scale, he might have been here, at most, a month. It was so hard to tell with no calender nearby. And he was alone in the room at the moment. If one of the doctors comes in, he would try to talk to them.

Although still shaken up by his leg being cut off, he tried to not to think about it too much. He instead focused on ChalkZone. He wanted to know what happened with Skrawl, Ripclaw, and everyone else. He wanted to know if Skrawl had been stopped for good. He wanted to know if Skrawl had been able to do additional damage to ChalkZone or not. He wanted to know if Rudy and Penny were able to decrease the amount of damage. He really wanted to know what happened. So many questions, so many thoughts, so many ideas on what may have happened. He wanted, no, he needed to know that those two and their zoner friend were fine, as well as Ripclaw. It was not a pleasant feeling laying in this bed, not knowing what had happened.

He wondered when the next time he could go to ChalkZone would be. He didn't know if he was going to get a prosthetic leg or not, and he didn't know how he was going to get crutches into ChalkZone whenever he could go. He started to feel a little depressed. Until he got a prosthetic, if he would, he wouldn't really be able to draw anything. He would be busy using his crutches. The only time he could draw was when he would sit down or have someone else support him.

This meant that he wouldn't be able to draw anything to help in ChalkZone. He pondered if he should hold off attempting repairs until he could possibly walk again without crutches. But that would take a long time. Maybe a few months at best. That would be a pretty long time to wait to act. And he still needed to deliver his apology to those zoners for what he did. He still had to head back. It would be disappointing if he couldn't help, but they may understand when they realize that he'd have to use crutches.

Then again, he did still have those dinosaurs around. He could use them to help. They were still obedient to him and many of them were large and strong. Yeah he could do that. The dinosaurs could help clear the rubble and aid in construction. It wasn't exactly what he had planned, but it was still something. Yeah, he would be using his dinosaurs again instead of doing it himself, but at least this time, they were doing something more noteworthy, rather than just creating havoc.

Mint was interrupted from his thoughts when the door opened up. He turned his head. He expected to see one of the doctors coming in to check on him. Or perhaps his parents, as he was certain they were worried sick about him. But instead, he was greeted by two people he didn't expect to visit him at this time in the hospital.

"Rudy? Penny?" Mint asked. "What are you doing here?"

"To see how you were, of course." Rudy said softly. He and Penny approached Mint's bed. They stopped, standing next to him. Rudy looked down at Mint saidly. His eyes trailed over to his leg. "I..take it you found out...?"

Mint let out a soft sigh. He turned his gaze towards the empty spot where his left foot used to be. "Yeah, I did. It was...quite a shocker."

Rudy nodded his head. He remained silent for a while. He looked at Mint with a regretful expression. "Mint...I never..I..." A few tears formed in his eyes. "I never meant for you to get hurt. I never meant those things I said at the temple..."

Mint looked up at Rudy, confused. Didn't he already apologize for that? Yeah, he did. Why was he apologizing again? Why was he acting like he had done something else wrong? He had already forgiven him for what happened. He shouldn't feel this bad. He didn't ask for Skrawl to cut off his leg.

Mint was going to say something, but he stopped himself. Rudy wasn't done talking.

"I should have controlled myself. I should never have placed that wish for Skrawl to hurt you..." Rudy said in a small voice. "I should have heeded the phrase 'Be careful what you wish for', because now look at you. You're in the hospital with an amputated leg, and it's all my fault... I should have moved faster.. I-I'm sorry.."

Penny placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rudy, it's not your fault. You didn't initiate that attack on Mint. Skrawl did. You shouldn't feel bad about not being able to get to him in time." Rudy looked over at her. Mint could see a few more tears rolling down his cheeks. "Rudy, you've got to get it into your head that this wasn't your fault."

Rudy looked at her. He then narrowed his eyes and looked away. "I never said anything so horrible to someone in my life... And it became a reality.." He glanced sorrowfully down at Mint. He shut his eyes and looked away. "This all might not have happened if I had just controlled my temper and not chased you away, Mint. Maybe if I had allowed you to stay, we could have talked things out and this whole mess could have been avoided." He opened his eyes to look at Mint's nonexistant left foot. "And this wouldn't have happened..." He looked at Mint in the eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Rudy...you don't know if that is true or not..." Penny said in a soft voice. Rudy did not answer her.

Mint stared at Rudy for a few minutes. He let his words sink in. Rudy blamed himself for what had happened to him. He somehow thought that him just saying the words sealed his fate. But Mint knew better than that. Penny was right. It wasn't his fault. He had apologized for what he said. There was no need to keep apologizing for it, and there was no need to apologize for what happened to him.

There was no way Rudy could have known if not blowing up at him at the temple would have changed anything. He agreed with Penny on that. In fact, things might not have gone so well if he hadn't done that. Mint's mind was still a muddled mess at the time as he tried to sort out what he had done. Rudy snapping at him, as harsh and terrifying as it was, did help stick it to his mind that he did do something wrong, and helped further cement the fact that, as hard as it was for him to admit at the time, he was wrong. If Rudy hadn't yelled at him, he might not have realized the true extent of what he had done.

Mint gave Rudy a small smile. "Penny is right, Rudy. This isn't your fault. No matter what you said at the temple, that was no guarantee this wouldn't have happened."

"But..." Rudy started to say.

Mint interrupted him, raising a hand. "Please, let me finish." He made a gesture to indicate Rudy. "From what I've seen of you, Rudy, you're a nice kid. I know you'd never mean anything as harsh as what you said at the temple. And even if you hadn't said it, Skrawl still could have done this to me, or worse. Please, don't beat yourself up over it. This isn't your fault."

Rudy wiped away a tear. "Yeah..I suppose you're right..." He gave a small smile. "Thanks." Mint smiled back and gave a nod. Rudy looked down at his leg sadly. "It's still a shame...what happened..."

Mint nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It is." He turned his gaze towards his damaged left leg for a time. He looked back at Rudy. "But we cannot change the past, can we?" Rudy shook his head. "Yeah, we can only move forward. So that's I'll do." He paused for a few seconds. "As bad as it is, me losing my leg, I don't see it entirely as a loss."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked.

Mint replied, "I'll think of it as...retribution. Payment for what my ignorance nearly cost. A reminder to myself of what I almost did." He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He gave a small smile and gave a quick chuckle. He looked back at the two. "It is amazing how much things can change in a short amount of time. Don't you think?"

Rudy and Penny nodded in agreement. Mint smiled at them, and they returned it. Mint turned his gaze to Penny. He attempted to sit himself up. Despite the IVs attached to him, he wanted to be sitting up for what he was about to do next. He struggled to get up. He seethed in pain and fell back down. Rudy and Penny understood what he wanted and they helped him sit up, careful to avoid hurting him or accidentally removing the IVs.

Mint was now sitting up in bed, his back arching forward a little. He was wearing just a hospital gown and he felt a little chilly for some reason not being covered up in the blankets. Maybe it was due to the blood loss. He turned to Penny, his expression softening up a little. Looking at her reminded him of the things he had done to her and said to her. He felt a pang of guilt clench at his stomach. He apologized to Rudy and Snap. It was now Penny's turn to recieve his apology.

"Penny...I..." Mint started to say. He bit his lip. "There's...something I..." He paused. "..there's something I need to say to you."

Penny took a step forward. She sat down on the bed beside him. "What is it you need to tell me, Mint?"

"I'm...sorry for the way I acted... I was a complete jerk and there was no excuse for it. I'm sorry about everything I did..." Mint winced as he recalled how he had acted towards them for the past few days, up until he realized he was in the wrong. "I'm sorry for threatening your friend, Snap. I'm sorry for the damage I've caused to ChalkZone. Wiggie Island, ChalkZone City, all of it." Tears began to form in his eyes. He looked away from Penny. "I'm so sorry about the fire alarm thing... I shouldn't have done it...I'm sorry about all the things I said to you."

He looked back at Penny. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. He bit his lip. He felt tears roll down his face. The guilt would still take time to go away and just talking about this reawoken those negative feelings. But he knew everything was going to get better after he apologized. He wasn't going to back out now.

"I was wrong about you two." He fixated his gaze on Penny. "Especially you. I called you an amateur..worthless.." He sucked in a small breath. "And I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I...there was no excuse for it. I was a total asshole to you and your two friends. And there's no reason why I had to act like that."

Penny gave a small smile to Mint. She was about to reply, but Mint wasn't done yet. There was still more he wanted to say.

"And the way I lashed out at you at the Future Dome..." Mint winced as he remembered how crazy he had acted. "The way I attacked you again and again..." He reached out and placed his hand on Penny's cheek, the same one he had punched back at the Future Dome. "I'm so very sorry... I was way out of line when I did that. I...I let my fear control me. I was a complete coward. And I attacked you for no good reason. I'm so sorry, Penny. I'm sorry for everything..." He closed his eyes and started to cry.

Penny's smile broadened a little. She leaned forward and pulled Mint into a hug. Mint pressed his face against her shoulder and cried as she gently rubbed his back. Penny let him cry into her shoulder as the two continued to hug. When they pulled apart, Penny kept a hand on his shoulder, the uninjured one, the other being wrapped up in bandages.

"I forgive you." Penny said in a soft voice.

Mint felt his mouth tick into a smile, feeling a sensation of relief wash through his body. He then remembered there were some things he wanted to ask them about. He didn't know how long he had to speak to them, so he decided to ask now before it was too late.

"What happened with Snap, Skrawl, the artifacts, Ripclaw?" Mint asked. He stared at Rudy and Penny back and forth expectantl. "Is...is everything okay? Is Ripclaw okay? Did Snap make it to the hospital? And what of my parents? What do they know about my leg? Did you tell them anything? What did you say? Did..."

Chuckling, Rudy spoke up, "Whoa, slow down! We'll be glad to answer your questions if you give us a chance!"

Mint smiled nervously. "Yeah..sorry about that."

"It's okay. It's understandable. You have been out for a little while and you couldn't have known what happened." Penny said.

"How long was I out?" Mint inquired, slightly hesitantly.

"Three days." Rudy said. "You lost a lot of blood. They say it was a miracle you survived."

Mint winced at this. Well three days wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. He thought he was out for much longer. "Can you...fill me in on what happened?" Rudy and Penny nodded their heads. "Thank you."

Rudy was the first one to speak up. "I managed to defeat Skrawl. I was able to get the crown knocked off his head. I was able to get a clear shot after I used a similar trick you used on me, the tiny dinosaur thing. After that, Ripclaw had attacked him and tossed him and herself out the window." Mint's eyes widened at this. Rudy raised a hand up. "Don't worry. Ripclaw is fine, although Skrawl got away unfortunately. Ripclaw was taken to a vet to have her injuries tended to. She will be okay." Mint sighed with relief. "Anyway, I took you and followed Penny to where Snap was hidden. From there, we decided to split up as there wasn't much other choice. Penny took Snap back to the hospital and I took you here."

Mint was glad to hear that Ripclaw was fine. He had no idea just how far she had fallen down. Maybe she avoided serious injury thanks to those wings Rudy drew on her. But he was worried that Skrawl got away. That certainly wasn't good news. He wondered where he could have gotten to.

"It was difficult explaining to your parents what happened. I had to think of a good cover story because, well, I can't exactly tell them that you were in ChalkZone. So I told them I found you in an alleyway like that. And that there was some wild animal attacking you. Your parents were very worried, especially when I told them about..." Rudy glanced down at Mint's leg. "...that. They were in here before we came to check up on you. They really hoped you would wake up before they had to go. Well when they get back here, they're in for a surprise." Rudy said with a smile.

"And the artifacts?" Mint asked.

"They've been confiscated, even the broken crown." Rudy replied with a reassuring smile. "They're going to be taken care of. I haven't heard yet what they plan on doing. Right now, they're in Biclops's company. He'll make sure no one gets them until it's been decided what should be done with the artifacts. Some are in favor of destroying them, but others say that's a bad idea because it might release Atlas."

"It does make sense why they'd have that fear." Penny chimed in, looking at Rudy. "Skrawl was only using less than half the power those artifacts had. Atlas... He would be a far greater threat. I don't know if, combined, we could beat him."

"Yeah..." Rudy said, trailing off. He shook his head. "Well, it's not a problem right now, so let's not worry about that." He looked back to Mint. "The doctors were worried about how much blood you lost, so you had to recieve a blood transfusion. They say you're going to be here a while, and I think I overheard your dad talk about getting you a prosthetic leg."

So he might be getting a prosthetic leg after all. He had been wondering about that.

"After Rudy took you to the hospital," Penny said. She began to fill in the blanks that Rudy could not fill. "I took Snap with me back to the hospital. I used Corgy, my condor I drew back when I was fooling Skrawl. The hospital in the midst of being repaired after Skrawl attacked it. I helped in whatever way I could after Snap was taken back to the emergency room to take care of those gashes. Luckily his spine wasn't further damaged, which is a miracle itself."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Mint said. He winced as he remembered Snap's scream of pain when Skrawl slashed him. He shook his head. "I'm glad to hear he didn't recieve further spinal injury from that."

Penny smiled. "Yeah, we all are." She furrowed her eyes with concern. "That doesn't mean that he didn't suffer damage from that. He lost quite a bit of blood. Not as much as you did, but still an alarming amount. He, too, had to be put on blood transfusions to try to get his blood levels back to normal. His wounds were cleaned and disinfected and those gashes stitched up. He seems to be doing okay. But the doctors are still keeping an eye on those gashes to make sure they didn't cause more damage than initially believed."

Mint was happy to hear that, for the most part, Snap was fine. It was a miracle, as Penny said, that Skrawl hadn't caused more damage to Snap's back. That was the last thing he needed in his state. And it was certainly good that the doctors were able to clean, disinfect, and stitch the wounds no problem. He felt bad for Snap; those gashes were going to add to the pain he already felt from having his back broken. Mint felt a pang of guilt in his chest, recalling how he had struck Snap despite the zoner pleading for mercy.

He wanted to visit Snap again. But he didn't know when he'd be able to do that. He was stuck in a hospital bed with no way to get to ChalkZone. He didn't know if he was going to get the prosthetic before he left the hospital, or if he was going to be discharged for a time and use crutches, now that he thought of it. He knew little of what the doctors had in mind for him. He would have to wait until one of them came in and cleared things up with him.

Mint glanced down at his damaged left leg. He moved it a little, noting how lighter it felt. "I have no idea when I can go back into ChalkZone." Mint admitted with a soft voice. "I'd like to visit Snap again whenever possible...and..." He looked at Rudy and Penny. "I still have to apologize to those zoners...about what I did.."

The two kids nodded in understanding.

"We know, Mint." Penny said, smiling at him. "Rudy and I have been talking about it ourselves. And we think we worked out a solution."

Mint looked at them in surprise. "Really? What?"

Before they could reply, there were footsteps down the hall. They got louder and they soon stopped by the door. The handle was grabbed and it was starting to turn. Rudy and Penny fell silent, looking at the door. With someone coming in, they could no longer talk about ChalkZone.

Rudy pulled something out from his bag he brought with. "We can't explain it here." He said in a hushed, hurried voice. "Take this."

Mint looked at the object. It appeared to be a portable chalkboard. He looked over at Rudy, confused. "What..."

Rudy raised his hand. "No time to explain. Just keep it with you. You'll see."

Mint was still confused, but he did what Rudy asked of him. He placed the portable chalkboard under his pillow, carefully laying the pillow on top of it so that the doctors didn't see it. He had a feeling that Rudy would want him to hide it from the doctors.

After he hid the chalkboard, before he or the two younger kids could say another word, the door had opened up completely. A female doctor walked in, holding a clipboard in her hands. She silently urged Rudy and Penny to step aside so she could speak to Mint. He looked up at her expectantly, bracing himself for any bad news they might have found and for information regarding how long he was going to stay here.

The doctor said, "You're awake I see. You had us worried. Your prognosis is definitely better than it was when you are unconscious." She flipped through a couple pages on the clipboard. "You have a minor infection in your shoulders, it seems. We've got you on antibiotics to take care of that. Whatever attacked you, kid, it really did a number on you. Especially your leg." She shook her head and looked at the boy. "It was a miracle we could get all the infection out of there before it spread to the rest of your body."

"How long will I be here?" Mint asked hesitantly.

The doctor furrowed her eyes. She glanced back at her paperwork. "Some time, kid. Your dad want us to get you prosthetics, but first you'll need to go to therapy to build up strength in what remains of your left leg. When you recover a little more, we will be giving you some crutches to use so you can walk around instead of having to lay in bed all day." She paused for a moment to think. "I'd say, as long as the recovery progress goes over well and there isn't any problems, I think it's safe to say that you may be out of here within two months. Three at most."

Mint let that sink in. About three months in the hospital. That was part of the price he was to pay for his ignorance. And he was willing to accept it, even if it was going to be hard at first. He was going to miss being at home. He was going to miss his parents. They'd only be able to visit him certain times of the day, and he knew Rudy and Penny couldn't visit him that often either. He was going to be alone most of the time here.

But being alone in this hospital wasn't really that bad. Things could have turned out so much worse. He could have been put into a longer comatose state..or he could even been killed... The others could have been much worse off as well. It was good that Rudy and Penny managed to get out of there without being injured too much. And it was good that Snap was also in the hospital and was able to resume recovering. Snap was going to be stuck in the hospital for a much longer time than him, but at least he was going to recover, even if it was going to take a long time.

Although he would have liked to head back to ChalkZone sooner, right now, he needed to rest and let his body heal. He would be able to go back into ChalkZone soon enough. It might not be for a while, but eventually he could go back. Right now, he was grateful that he was still alive, that he still had a chance to fix the rest of his mistakes. He had apologized to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He still needed to apologize to the other zoners, but that would come in due time. He wasn't sure if they would be as forgiving, but he still needed to at least try to apologize.

Mint heard someone else walking into the room. His eyes widened a little as he saw who it was. And then he smiled. His parents had walked into the room. They looked at him worriedly, tears in their eyes. He had a few tears of his own.

"Mom...dad..." Mint said in a soft voice.

"Oh Mint..." His mother said as she pulled him into a hug. "We're so glad you're okay..."

Mint just smiled and hugged her back.


	39. Repairs

It didn't take long for Mint to learn just why Rudy had given him the portable chalkboard. Not long after his parents and those two kids had left, maybe about two hours or so, he heard something strange coming from his room somewhere. Muffled sounds, and he could have sworn he heard his name. He tried to block the sound out and laid his head down, only for it to suddenly sink into what seemed like a randomnly appearing void.

He was taken by complete surprise when he found himself staring into Snap's hospital room, off to the side of the bed. He immediately sat himself up and held the portal chalkboard in his hands. He stared in disbelief. Rudy and Penny explained to him that they had found out that the hospital room he was currently in coincided with the hospital room Snap was in. Coincidental of course, but it worked in their favor. This allowed Mint to be able to speak with Snap during the times he was able to. Being alone most of the time might suck, but it did make it easier for him to speak to Snap at least.

Mint still had to be careful when he spoke to the trio. Talking too loud might attract a doctor to his room. He couldn't let them see the open portal and it would be hard to hide on a last second's warning. It didn't help that some of the doctors here were pretty light, and hearing their footsteps was hard. He mentioned this to Rudy and the others and they agreed to keep as quiet as possible whenever he had the portal open like this. During this time, he was able to thank Rudy and Penny for what they did to save his life. And they thanked him for helping them stop Skrawl.

Rudy gave him some chalk he could use, as well as one piece of magic chalk to only use for creating portals. Rudy's reasoning with the 'just one magic chalk' thing was because he didn't want the chalk to fall into the wrong hands. He told Mint about Terry Bouffant and Vinnie Raton, informing him about how those two want to expose ChalkZone to the world and they could very easily do so with the magic chalk. Mint agreed to keep it somewhere safe and to use it sparingly. He then asked Rudy about the ordinary pieces of chalk and if there was another reason Rudy gave him the chalkboard.

Turns out there was another reason. Other than being able to talk with Snap, it was so that Mint could draw things on the chalkboard and erase them. This, naturally, confused the heck out of Mint. It was then he had realized that he knew little about ChalkZone, and most of what he thought he knew was a lie that Skrawl fed to him, although some of those lies were ones he told himself. In order to understand what Rudy was talking about, Mint asked him to explain what ChalkZone actually was, if it wasn't a game.

The story Rudy, Penny, and Snap told him was long and detailed, and he was amazed that he wasn't interrupted at all during it. But what they had to say was really informative. ChalkZone was some kind of alternate dimension, in a way, except it had a direct connection with the real world. It was a little hard for him to follow, but he got the concept. Everything in ChalkZone was indeed designed and created, but not in the way Mint had once believed. Instead of a computer, it was the things drawn on a chalkboard that helped shape that world.

It was a little frightening but also intriguing how everything drawn on a chalkboard, then erased, would appear in ChalkZone. The trio went into detail on how the artists' intentions often affected the way the resulting drawing would behave. This was something Mint had some familiarity with, but he had no idea it extended to chalkboard drawings as well. And what frightened him about it is that someone who was drawing a death weapon and then erased it...it would work to full capacity in ChalkZone, the way the artist intended it. If someone wanted to create something that would destroy the entire chalk planet with a single push of the button...they could very well do so with no problem.

It made Mint a little happy that he did continue believing ChalkZone was a game at first. He shuddered to think what things would have been like had Skrawl not gone that route and just went 'yeah these are drawings but they don't feel much pain' and informed him of that chalkboard thing. Mint realized he would have done a lot more damage had he known about that. As cruel as he acted under the video game lie, at least the damage was more confined, as he didn't fully realize the true extent of a creator's powers. He had a feeling he would have been a lot harder to forgive if he had allowed his destruction to become more...far reaching than it halready had been.

Over the next few weeks, Mint tried out the chalkboard. He kept one small portal open, leaving plenty of space to draw. He started off by drawing things for Snap. Mostly just food and drinks when he was feeling hungry. He attempted to expand it a little and, under Penny's suggestions, drew some things required for the hospital or the reconstruction of areas he had damaged. Not exactly how he imagined he'd offer help, but it was still something. Mint had to be careful of what he drew as if he drew something too big and too heavy and he wasn't careful of where he was holding the portable chalkboard, he might accidentally hurt someone, whether it be Snap or his two human friends.

His parents, as well as Rudy and Penny, would visit him a few times during the week, whenever it was possible for them. It was rare for all of them to be in the room with him. Mint did enjoy their company as they helped get his mind off the fact he was stuck in a hospital. They had some nice chats. He didn't care what they talked about as long as it didn't focus too much on his recovery. Not that he didn't care. He did want updates and often waited for the doctor. But he didn't feel it had a strong place in discussions with his family and Rudy and Penny.

He sometimes wanted to refer to them as friends but...were they friends? He sometimes had doubts if they were. It wasn't to be mean or anything. But after what he had done, and given the circumstances, he just wasn't sure if he should call them friends. He wasn't sure if he had the right to. He thought about bringing it up to them, but he always chickened out. He didn't know why. It wasn't like it was particularly terrible to ask them if they were friends. Maybe it was the guilt still eating away at him. He decided he'd worry about it later.

He did make some progress in the hospital. He hadn't yet started therapy. His damaged leg hadn't healed enough for him to start going to therapy yet, according to the doctors. He still needed to wait on that. He was surprised that, three weeks later, his stump of a left leg was still not ready. Then again, amputations to take a while to heal, didn't they? He wasn't so alarmed by it. The doctors did think that, in about one more week, he would be able to start going to therapy to strengthen that damaged leg. And after that, he would start to learn how to use the prosthetic leg.

In the meantime, he did heal enough to be able to use crutches. The gashes on his shoulder were healing up nicely and when they didn't bother him as much, the doctors brought in a pair of crutches for him to use. They showed him how to use them and helped him out in the beginning until he got the hang of it. It was a little awkward using them, and sometimes they got in the way, but it was better than being bedridden. It gave him a little bit of a sense of independence, not having to rely completely on others when he wanted something that required the use of legs.

Not long after he was able to use the crutches, Mint had a 'surprise' visitor. Well it would have been a surprise if Rudy and Penny hadn't warned him about those two. He had no idea how Vinnie and Terry knew about him being in ChalkZone. He guessed that they came to the 'world of chalk' conclusion after somehow finding out that Rudy was the one who took him to the hospital and alone, too. The fact that he and Rudy had to play along with the 'we don't know much of the details' thing on how he lost his leg may also have left those two suspicious.

Mint was not comfortable with them in the room. They acted friendly at first, probably to try to butter him up and get on his good side. They tried to get him to talk about ChalkZone, asking him questions regarding it. Mint tried his best to ignore them, but when they started getting a little more aggressive, the questions turning more and more like they were demanding instead of merely asking, he started to talk to them. But he outright denied the existence of ChalkZone. Rudy and Penny urged him before that, no matter what, he doesn't tell them anything they could use to access the chalk world.

And that was what he had been doing during that unfortunate encounter. The pair had gotten more and more hostile during their visit. They kept trying to make him talk, and even attempted to search his room for a piece of magic chalk. They really took advantage of the fact that he couldn't walk without crutches and Vinnie had gone as far as knock one of his crutches out from under him while he was standing, causing him to fall into the ground.

They then began to threaten him. They must have known that Rudy, Penny, and his parents weren't going to be coming in for a while, so they had quite a bit of time to toy with him, trying to do whatever they could to make him talk. The way they started to torment him for information was different between the two. Terry was more verbally abusive, giving him threats regarding the safety of ChalkZone. She said how she would erase something very dangerous if he didn't give them the magic chalk. And Vinnie was definitely more physically abusive. He would deliberately hit his still healing leg and his injured shoulder in an attempt to break him and force him to speak.

The overall experience was nightmarish and reminded him a lot of what Skrawl had done to him. The only thing that stopped Terry and Vinnie was one of the doctors coming down the hallway. The two threatened him if he dare try to tell anyone what happened. It turned out to be a wasted threat as the doctor that entered the room had noticed enough to realize what those two did, and they were promptly arrested for assaulting a child. The fact that he was missing part of his left leg made it worse for those two. He had informed his parents and Rudy and Penny of what happened, and, though shocked and worried, they assured him it wouldn't happen again.

It had been four days since that terrible incident. He still had nightmares about those two coming into his room. He didn't think they'd go as far as try to kill him or inject him with anything. But it scared him how they deliberately targeted him for information because of the fact he was crippled. They had really taken advantage of his weakness and exploited it. They made sure he couldn't access his crutches and had forced him on the ground. He had been unable to get away from them and call for help. They kept him away from the emergency call button. If it hadn't been for that doctor that came in at just the right time...he wasn't sure what would have happened. He might have given in, or hurt much worse.

Mint was sitting up on his bed, his eyes facing the ground. He was doing his best to push that incident in the back of his mind. He was waiting for Rudy and Penny to come in. There was something they wanted to do today, something that was different than their last visits. They didn't tell him what it was, though. He guessed it was because they weren't sure if it would fully work out and they felt it best not to get his hopes up too high.

It was close to time for them to visit. He stared at the analog clock hanging on the wall once in a while. He then would watch the door. He tried to be patient, but time seemed to move a lot slower than usual. Perhaps it was because this visit was going to be different, and he had no idea how. He wanted to know more of what they were going to do. But he would have to wait until they get here. It was a little hard for him to remain patient.

Mint soon heard a knock on the door. His head perked up, a small smile spreading on his face. It was them. Even before the door opened, he knew it was going to be them. He watched as Rudy and Penny walked through the door. He opened his mouth and was about to greet them, but he stopped upon realizing just what was going to make this visit so much different than the others.

He had no idea how they managed to do this, but they were pulling a large chalkboard with them, one wheels. Was something like this even allowed in this part of the hospital? How had they been able to do this? What were they planning? There were several questions running through his mind, intermingling and muddling together, making it hard for him to say much of anything. He could only watch as the two pulled the chalkboard beside his bed.

When he finally found his voice, he asked, "What...what is..." He felt like an idiot was his voice faded into silence. He still couldn't think of what to say or how to ask a question.

Rudy smiled at this and said, "We thought you'd be confused. Don't worry, we'll clear things up for you."

Penny said, "We know that you've been wanting to go back into ChalkZone, but you haven't been able to because of your leg." She stared at the missing part of Mint's leg for a second, before turning her gaze back ot him. "And we know you're still shaken up by what Vinnie and Terry did to you..."

Mint narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded his head. "Yeah... I knew they were going to be trouble, but I didn't think they would..."

"You're not the only one." Penny admitted. "Rudy and I couldn't believe it either. We never thought they'd go that far."

Rudy gave a frown and clenched his teeth. "Just goes to show how far they're willing to go for answers they don't deserve..."

"True." Penny put a hand on Rudy's shoulder to settle him down. "But they're paying the price for that. They won't be attempting something like that again. They were lucky they didn't cause further damage to Mint or they would have looked at a much longer sentence."

"Yeah..." Rudy nodded his head, his frown deepening. He turned to Mint. He looked like he didn't want to stay on that uncomfortable topic, and when he spoke again, Mint could tell he wanted to change the subject a little. "We would like to take you into ChalkZone."

Mint's eyes widened at this. He looked over at the chalkboard. It did seem large enough, now that he thought of it. He turned back to Rudy. "Today?" Rudy nodded to confirm. "But..what about..."

"We won't make it a long trip. Don't worry, Mint. We did stuff like this before. We know what time to get you back." Penny said reassuringly. "No one will know you're gone."

Rudy took out his magic chalk and he began to draw a portal. Mint's eyes focused on the golden light trail as it formed a large rectangle covering almost the entirety of the chalkboard's black surface. And in seconds, Mint could see the inside of Snap's room. He could see Snap sitting in his bed, waving at him.

"Hello!" Snap called out to him.

Mint raised his hand and gave a small wave. "Hello."

Rudy climbed through the portal. Once he was on the other side, he used a hand to gesture to Mint. "Come on in."

Mint looked skeptical. "Are you sure this is okay? We're not going to get caught?"

"Not as long as we get you back in time. Don't worry; we calculated the times." Rudy said, his smile broadening. "You didn't think we'd go through with this without planning ahead, did you?"

Mint did feel a little silly. Of course those two would have thought things through before attempting something. They did seem like smart kids. They had to be, especially if they had to deal with multiple threats, such as Skrawl and the exposure of ChalkZone, so often. He smiled and shook his head. "No, I didn't think so..."

"Good." Rudy made another gesture with his hand. "Now come along. The longer you wait, the less time you will have to stay in ChalkZone."

Mint grabbed onto his crutches. Pushing them under his arms for support, he stood up. He pressed his right foot on the ground, steadying it. It was still a little awkward using the crutches, but he did get a lot better at it having to use them for sometime. He went over to the chalkboard and peered inside. He wondered how he was going to do this. He couldn't stand without the crutches, but he might not be able to climb through with them.

Penny must have already thought of this. She went over to his side and grabbed onto his left arm. Realizing what she was doing, Mint released his crutches, putting them against the chalkboard. Penny used her strength and weight to steady him and keep him from falling over. She helped him closer to the chalkboard. Mint leaned through the portal, where Rudy grabbed onto him and pulled him into Snap's hospital room. Once he was through, Rudy helped him to his feet and held onto his left arm, just like Penny had, adding the support his left side was missing.

Penny grabbed his crutches and put them through the portal. They landed on the ground with a heavy clang. Penny came through and erased the portal, probably just something that came automatic to her and Rudy. Penny helped up the crutches, giving the first one to his left side, and then to his right. Now supporting himself on his crutches again, Mint moved over to where Snap was on the bed, Rudy and Penny following close behind him.

"How are you feeling today, Snap?" Mint asked.

"Better than I used to be, I can say that." Snap replied. He stared down at his back brace. "I still have to wear this for several months."

"Don't be so surprised, Snap." Penny said, pointing a finger at him. "Broken backs can take almost a year to heal up, and it's best to be safe than sorry. The back brace will come off eventually."

Snap nodded his head. "I know. I'm not complaining. I know it'll take a long time." Snap paused for a moment. He turned his head back to Mint. "The pain is more manageable...sometimes. They say it's normal. They think my prognosis looks good."

"That's nice to hear." Mint said.

He looked at the back brace and winced. Looking at the brace kept reminding him of what he had done to Snap back then. Even though he and his two friends had forgiven him for what happened, he still felt a strong wave of guilt strike him almost every time he saw Snap flinch in pain or whenever he saw the brace.

He knows it's not a good idea to keep kicking himself for what happened. He knows that it wasn't going to make anything better. He knows he would not accomplish anything through constantly feeling sorry for what he had done. Still, it was something that wouldn't leave him, and he knew it would not for a very long time. He wished he could take back the injury. He wished he could go back in time and stop himself from doing that. Yet...that was just a fantasy. He wouldn't be able to do that, and he had to accept that fact.

He still felt compelled to apologize again, even though it was not necessary.

"Sorry..." Mint said in a soft voice. Snap stared at him, a little confused. "I still feel awful about what I did to you. I'm sorry."

Upon understanding, Snap nodded his head. "I know you are. We all do." To confirm this, Rudy and Penny gave a nod. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You apologized, we forgave you. There's no need to keep kicking yourself. The important thing is you realized you did wrong and you did something about it."

Mint nodded his head slowly. He understood what Snap was saying. He still wasn't sure if he could forgive himself, but the other three had been quite clear when they told him they didn't habor ill feelings towards him. The fact that he was brave enough to come back and try to fix his mistakes had convinced them he wasn't such a bad kid after all, and they had given him a second chance willingly.

Snap reached over and touched Mint on the hand. "Why don't we all play a nice game of Uno?"

"That sounds good." Penny said.

"I'll play." Rudy replied.

Mint paused for a moment. He stared at Rudy and Penny, then back at Snap. They were looking at him, awaiting his response patiently. It didn't take him long to come up with an answer.

"Sure."

sss

Mint had known that he wouldn't be able to stay in ChalkZone for too long. He would have to go back soon before one of the doctors comes in and finds him missing. And since he didn't know when the next chance he would get would be, he made sure to milk as much stuff out of this experience as he could.

After the brief game of Uno, Mint wanted to try to do something for ChalkZone City. Not surprisingly, when he went out, he wasn't exactly greeted very warmly. Many zoners either showed signs of fear towards him, or demanded he leave. He had tried to defend himself, saying that he wasn't coming to hurt anyone, but very few zoners really believed him. It took Rudy and Penny's combined efforts to quell the crowd. After Rudy explained in great detail about how Mint was not going to cause more harm and in fact wanted to help repair, the zoners seemed to calm down. They certainly had a lot of trust in Rudy.

This didn't mean that the zoners were comfortable around Mint. They would keep their distance. Some would glare hatefully at him, but they wouldn't try to do anything to him, nor would they say a word. Rudy and Penny stuck with Mint as they stayed in ChalkZone City, probably to defend him in case a zoner did attempt to force him to leave.

Mint wasn't really surprised by this negative reaction. He had expected it. It did make him realize one thing. He hadn't actually planned how he was going to apologize to the zoners. He couldn't very well go up to every single one of them. That would take a lot of time and there was no practical way he could locate every single zoner he had harmed. It didn't help that he didn't know the exact number, or remember every single one he had harmed in some shape or form. This apology was going to be particularly difficult to deliver.

Rudy had apparently thought ahead. He had drawn a large stadium, big enough for countless zoners to fit in. Mint wasn't sure how many zoners were in there. It was heavily crowded and it looked like there was a couple thousand, but it was hard to tell. There was a large stand with a microphone on it. Rudy assured him that, with the speakers he had drawn, all the zoners would be able to hear him. Mint still wasn't sure how Rudy managed to convince all those zoners to come to the stadium, but he decided not to ask.

Mint felt nervous with speaking in front of all those zoners, especially when many of them glared at him, obviously remembering the things he had done. The sight of all the zoners made him flash back to the terrible crimes he had committed over a month ago. He flinched as he recalled the damage he caused and how he had, at the time, thought it was merely amusing. There was a tinge of disgust growing in his stomach. He hated the person he had been back then. He was determined to not be like that again.

Delivering the apology did not go as smoothly as he had hoped. He kept stumbling over his own words, trying to find the right things to say. He did manage to apologize for everything, though, even if he did slip up several times during the apology itself. He made it as clear as he could to the zoners that he felt bad about what he had done, and that he wanted to fix what he broken. He promised he wouldn't act that way ever again, and he also told them that he would understand if they continued to hate him.

After he apologized, he was surprised to see the zoners recieve it so well. Better than he had expected at least. That didn't mean the zoners were suddenly friendly towards him. Some were still skeptical and kept their distance. But there was some less tension between him and the zoners, less noticeable hostility. This would improve in time, he thought. In time.

Mint was torn from his thoughts when he heard a crash to his side. He turned his head and saw that his tyrannosaurus creation had suddenly lowered itself to the ground to snag what looked like a large piece of meat. The tyrannosaurus had a support beam on its back and when he lowered itself, the beam rolled off and crashed against the ground. Mint groaned and shook his head. Well at least it didn't hit the building itself.

Mint hobbled over to where the tyrannosaurus was, gripping his crutches tightly. "Hey! Be careful! You're supposed to be lifting that beam up, not dropping it on the ground!"

The tyrannosaurus stared at him. It then turned its attention back to the meat. It proceeded to eat it, ripping it apart and swallowing large chunks. Mint sighed and shook his head. Although his dinosaur creations were largely obedient, with simple things like food, they had a mind of their own. The tyrannosaurus wasn't going to raise itself back up until it finished the meat, and Mint wasn't about to get between a huge predator and its meal. So he stayed back.

"Dinosaur trouble?"

Mint turned his head to see Rudy and Penny approaching him. They stopped a few feet in front him.

Mint nodded his head. "Yeah. The tyrannosaurus dropped that beam." Mint used his head to gesture to where the object was laying on the ground, leaving a deep indention. "All because it wanted that meat."

"Yeah I can see how that would be a problem." Rudy commented, folding his arms. "Well your dinosaurs are, for the most part, doing a good job with the repairs. We probably won't see much progress before you have to go, but it's a start."

Penny nodded in agreement. "With their help, and the help you provided before, repairs should be made a little faster. I think it will take a few months before everything is back to the way it was before. So there's still a lot of work ahead of us."

"I'm not surprised, considering all the buildings I destroyed..." Mint trailed off. He cleared his throat and said, "How's the progress with those other places? Wiggie Island? Future Zone?"

"Wiggie Island was easily restored." Rudy said. "It was easy for me to redraw the island. It was harder finding all the wiggies and getting them to come back."

"Well, difficult until they decided they really wanted real world hair again and they began to chase me." Penny grumbled.

Rudy chuckled. "Well it at least got them back to the island." Penny gave him a brief glare. Rudy turned his attention back to Mint. "As for the other places you damaged, they're still being worked on. They're making some progress. It's not as bad as it was a month ago, at least. Reconstruction will take some time, even with the help of a creator."

Mint was glad to hear that some progress was being made in those areas as well. At the moment, his dinosaurs were stationed just in ChalkZone City, since this place had the largest number of zoners in it at any given time. All of his dinosaurs, even the small compsognathuses, were doing something to help. He was glad that not all of them were currently sidetracked by food, like the tyrannosaurus was. He had made sure to tell his dinosaur creations to listen to what the worker zoners had to say, and, just like he hoped, they were being obedient, raising, lifting, whatever, when they were told.

He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming in their direction. Something lightweight and swift, moving at astonishing speed. He heard a familiar screech and he knew exactly how it was. Coming down the street, he could see Ripclaw, who was doing much better now, rushing towards the trio. Mint remained calm while Rudy and Penny widened their eyes, like they weren't sure what she was going to do.

Once Ripclaw came upon them, she pounced on Rudy and Penny, deliberately avoiding Mint due to his crutches. The two kids grunted as they were forced on the ground. They were pinned in a very similar manner as they had been when they first met Ripclaw a month ago. But this time, the circumstances were different, and the intent was not the same as before. Unfurling her wings a little, Ripclaw sniffed Rudy and Penny a few times before she started to lick them, almost like she was an oversized dog with feathers.

"Mint!" Rudy called out as he was being slobbered on by Ripclaw a second time. "Please get her off of us!"

Penny turned her head to the side as Ripclaw's slippery tongue moved along her cheek. She gave a disgusted shudder as the saliva clung to her face. She wiped it off quickly. "She's slobbering all over us! Please make her stop!"

Mint gave a lighthearted chuckle. It was amazing how fast Ripclaw had taken to those two. He'd understand if they were confused. Playfulness was not a trait Ripclaw would show that often, and only towards those she likes. It was a definite step up from how she used to act towards them. Back when they used to be enemies.

He moved over as quickly as he could on his crutch. He looked at Ripclaw and said, "No, Ripclaw. Get off of them."

Ripclaw didn't obey right away. She gave Rudy and Penny a few more licks before she would get off of them. She took a few steps back and stared at the two. Rudy and Penny climbed up to their feet and wiped off the drool from their faces and necks. Ripclaw tilted her head from side to side, and let out a few low happy trills. She moved towards them, this time taking care not to knock them down. She pushed her head against them. Penny put her hand on Ripclaw's head and started to stroke it.

"Before you have to go back," Penny said, turning her attention to Mint. "Did you want to play a game of chinese chalkers?"

Mint blinked a few times. "Chinese chalkers? Isn't that the game you three said you enjoy playing?"

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah. It's fun to play it with friends. You should try it with us. It's fun!"

Mint hesitated. "You...consider me a friend?"

Rudy looked at him, his eyes wide with surprise. "Well of course we do! Why wouldn't we?" Mint wasn't sure how to respond to that. Rudy continued, "Why don't you join us?"

"Don't worry about not knowing how to play. We'll help you!" Penny chimed in, smiling at him.

Feeling emotion start to well up in his chest, Mint's mouth ticked slowly into a smile. He gave a single nod of his head. "Okay...I'll play."

sss

Mint walked down the school hallway. He sometimes paused to look down at his feet. Wearing these pants and shoes, he could hardly tell what was wrong. A couple months had passed faster than he thought and before he knew it, he was using the prosthetic leg. Therapy had been hard, but it was worth it to ditch those crutches and be able to walk again.

It had taken some time to get used to the leg. It was difficult walking at first with something at he couldn't even feel. It took some time getting to, but he eventually adjusted. He still hadn't perfected moving around in this thing, but he could manage simple walking and climbing up stairs. He still had to work on his running and jumping, but things were looking up for him for the most part.

Most of the damage he had caused in ChalkZone were fixed. There was just a few things left, and they were pretty minor in comparison. He was glad to see that everything was working out fine. The zoners were treating him more nicely lately as they became convinced he wasn't going to hurt them again. It did make him feel happy knowing that they no longer held a grudge against him. And he didn't feel as guilty as he used to. The bad feelings were still there, but with so many of the reminders removed, it became easier for him to try to move on.

Snap was still in the hospital, but he was doing better as well. The pain wasn't as bad as it used to be and he was starting to be able to walk around a little bit. He couldn't stand for too long before his back would start really hurting. It was still something. Snap was going to try to make himself walk for longer periods of time to try to build up some strength. He was warned not to overdo it as he might cause more damage to himself. Mint wasn't worried. Snap seemed like a smart enough zoner to know when to stop. He hoped his progress would continue the uphill climb.

Things were improving for Rudy at school as well. Since Mint confessed to the fire alarm incident, explaining what actually had happened, there was less taunting towards Rudy. The number of students who did so diminished overtime. It helped that Mint had defended him whenever it was possible for him to do so. His reputation of standing up to his super strict art teacher had some students a little wary of him, so when he would defend Rudy, many of the students would listen and back off. There was just a few that would continue causing problems. Some of the students would tease him for his prosthetic, and in return, Rudy and Penny would defend him. Even if they hadn't, though, he would have been able to handle it. A few insults from the students was a welcome change from being threatened by an oversized lima bean zoner.

But though things were looking up, there was still something he wanted to correct. He thought back to the way Principal Stringent had treated Rudy. He recalled how she had dragged him off without letting him defend himself, a very unprofessional and out of line move. He had learned more about this 'funny water' thing from Rudy, and while he did come to understand Rudy really was behind it, he also knew that it was best the adults believed it was some freak accident. Keeing ChalkZone secret was imperative.

But regardless of Rudy's involvement, Mint knew Stringent was way out of line in how she had treated Rudy. The boy had told him about how the woman had deliberately gotten him into more trouble. She had even smiled darkly at him during the whole time, like she took pleasure in watching him squirm as she said all kinds of things about him to his parents. The thought boiled Mint's blood. He couldn't believe that Principal Stringent would act like that towards any of her students. She was not acting like how he would expect a principal should.

He wanted to do something that would encourage Principal Stringent to not only offer a more sincere apology, not just to Rudy but to his parents as well, but it would also ensure that she would never try something like that again. It took him a while to figure something out. And yeah it did require breaking a few rules in secret, but in the end, he felt it was worth it. Principal Stringent wouldn't be able to pin it on him, since he had taken care to make sure no one had seen him and left no fingerprints, and even had an alibi to boot.

Mint stopped in front of Principal Stringent's office. He raised up his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come on in." Stringent said.

Mint walked into the office. Stringent was looking at some paperwork. Probably doing a little bit of filing. She glanced up at Mint. She used a hand to gesture for him to come closer. Mint walked up and he pulled a seat back and sat down on it. He looked at her and waited for her to say something.

"What do you want?" Stringent asked him.

Mint didn't hesitate to speak. "It's regarding Rudy Tabootie." The principal stared at him expectantly. "He told me about how you had treated him when you took him into this office. And I must say, you were out of line. That was a despicable thing you pulled, and I am amazed you are still keeping your job." The principal narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You are supposed to be a principal, not an asshole."

"Don't use that language with me!" Principal Stringent snarled. "And that boy had it coming after he put that strange water in the..." She stopped when Mint raised his hand.

"I don't care if Rudy was behind that. He didn't deserve what he got from you." Mint pointed a finger in the principal's direction sternly. "Deliberately lying to his parents just to get him into more trouble...that was a low move. You're a disgusting, vile woman, Principal Stringent." He said the word 'principal' with mock emphasis. "You are lower than dirt, and you deserve to be removed from this school as principal."

Principal Stringent's face reddened a little as anger swept through the large woman's body. She slammed her papers against the desk and she rose up from her seat. She glared down angrily at the boy. If she was trying to intimidate him, it wasn't going to work. Mint had already faced off against a murderous jellybean zoner. Handling Stringent was going to be easy by comparison.

"How dare you..." Principal Stringent growled. "Do you know the consequences of speaking to me that way? I even got it on video." Mint cocked an eyebrow at this. The principal gave a small dark smile. "Or did you not know? There's a camera in here, Mint, recording everything. If you try to deny what you said, I can just show off the video."

"Exactly." Mint said. Principal Stringent's smile faded and she looked at Mint, confused. "Which is why I took the liberty of disabling it."

Principal Stringent's eyes widened in shock. "You did what...?"

"That's not all I did. I also made myself a copy of some...very interesting footage." Mint said. Now he was the one who was smiling. "And if you want to know how I did it...let's just say I have a very smart friend who gave me some pointers." He paused for a moment, watching in amusement as the principal stared him with wide eyes. He had never seen her this shocked before. "To cut to the chase, I have a copy of footage containing what happened between you and Rudy on that faithful day. It will show just how unprofessional you were with him, and everyone will be able to see how much of a bully you really are. It will show your true colors. Your ugly, ugly colors.."

For a moment, Principal Stringent didn't know what to say. She tried to speak, but she kept tripping over her own words. Her eyes were wide in shock. Her stammered a few times. Then, slowly, she glared at Mint, clenching her teeth. "You..." She said in a darkened voice.

"If you don't want me to show anyone the footage, then I have a suggestion for you." Mint said, smiling at the woman mischieviously. "Apologize to Rudy. Sincerely, too. And his parents. Tell them that you lied about what Rudy did and that you are sorry." Principal Stringent growled at this. "And don't ever confront Rudy or Penny about that 'strange water' incident. It was nothing more than a freak accident, and you are doing yourself no favors trying to pit the blame on either of them."

"I'm not going to..." The woman started to say.

"You don't have to, not unless you want the news station to get a hold of that tape." Mint said tauntingly.

"You don't have proof..." Principal Stringet said, her eyes narrowed.

Mint chuckled at this. "Do you really want to take that risk?"

Principal Stringent growled at this. Her body shook in anger. She looked like she was about to attack him, her eyes blazing in hatred towards him. The only thing that stopped her was that the resulting noise would attract some of the other adults just outside of the door. She looked like she was about to explode. Finally, she let out an exasperated sigh and sat back down in her seat.

"...fine...you win..." Principal Stringent said reluctantly.

Mint nodded his head. "I knew you would see things my way." He turned and started to walk away. He stopped and looked behind him. "If I don't find that you apologized to him within twenty four hours, I am giving that footage to the news station and have it broadcast all over town." Principal Stringent growled at this. "So remember to speak with Rudy before the end of this day."

"You..." Principal Stringent snarled as she watched Mint head towards the door. "...you are going to pay for this..."

Mint paused, his hand on the door. "I already paid for a lot of things..." He turned and gave Principal Stringet a stern look. "Do you really think you can do much worse? And remember...I have the footage." The principal seethed at him, but didn't say another word.

Not saying anything else, Mint left the room, leaving behind a very angry and defeated principal.


	40. Epilogue

Rudy stood on a hill in the Golden Plains. He looked out on the horizon, watching as the wild mguus grazed on the vegetation, their tails twitching. It was the first time he had been here for a while, and he had forgotten how peaceful it was. At least, when no one was riding through it, stirring up some non-threatening trouble.

He had been standing here under the blue sky of the day zone sky. His mind swirled with thoughts of events that had taken place. As he stared at the Golden Plains below him, he realized just how much a lot of things...had stayed the same. Golden Plains didn't look any different from the last time he, Penny, and Snap were here. It was hard to believe that it was during their last trip here that they first recieved word about an attack on Rainbow Mountain Ridge, where they had first met Mint. And now, since then, while a lot of things stayed the same, some things had changed.

It had been a year since that incident. A full year. Rudy let that all sink in. A year since Mint came into ChalkZone. A year since he had wreaked havoc across the land. A year since they dealt with Skrawl and those ancient artifacts. It felt like it was so long ago. The horrible memories of that incident, of that time, seemed to fade away, becoming nothing more than occasional nightmares. And since then, a lot of things had improved.

The repairs to ChalkZone have been completed. This took longer than he had hoped, but the end result made it worth it. Any damage Mint had caused while he was known as the Enemy Creator had been mended, with little to no trace of what had happened. Some of the repairs were constructed so that the areas looked just like how they did before. But some places, like Mondo Desert City, adopted some completely new structure, making the place seem new. The hardest place to repair was Future Zone, but with Craniac's...reluctant help, they were able to eventually complete it. Rudy was glad that Craniac 4 had the sense of letting them help repair his home instead of trying to attack them outright.

The zoners had eventually forgiven Mint. Rudy hadn't really noticed much tension remaining. The zoners all seemed more relaxed when Mint was around. Him continuously helping them did convince the zoners that he wasn't going to hurt them anymore. Rudy wouldn't be surprised if there was still some lingering hatred among a few zoners, especially those deeply impacted by what Mint had done, but at least most zoners were convinced Mint was a good guy now. So Rudy doubted there was going to be any kind of backlash against the boy.

He did take Mint to go see Biclops. He felt it was important that Mint meet the giant so they could talk things out. Biclops was not very happy with Mint, with what he had done. And he had proceeded to scold Mint, telling him that the magic chalk isn't a toy to be flaunted. But despite chewing Mint out, Biclops was willing to give him another chance, but only on one condition. Rudy was to remain with him at all times when he was in ChalkZone. Mint was not allowed to be more than twenty feet away from Rudy. A sort of reverse restraining order. Mint accepted the conditions.

Biclops did eventually lift this restriction, but only after a few months of Mint helping out ChalkZone and not doing anything wrong. And even then, Biclops still wanted Rudy and Penny to keep an eye on him, to make sure that he didn't go down the path he had before. Rudy knew Biclops wasn't doing this to be nasty. He had every reason to remain a tad skeptical of Mint after all he had done. Biclops had seen what nasty kids put into ChalkZone could do, and Mint's actions had brought back a lot of bad memories. It was nice that, despite that, Biclops was willing to give Mint a chance and allowed him to come into ChalkZone.

Snap's back was doing much better. He still had to wear a small brace, but he no longer experienced excruciating pain and he was able to walk around, run, and jump just like how he used to be able to. It was a great feeling having Snap back on the team and being able to explore with them again. He could tell Snap really missed doing that. As soon as he was discharged from the hospital, with a prescription of a powerful painkiller for this back, that was the first thing he wanted to do.

Mint had gotten even more used to the prosthetic leg. It got to the point where they couldn't even tell he was wearing a prosthetic at all. The only times they would be reminded of what happened to him at the hands of Skrawl was when his pant leg would pull up and instead of seeing a human leg, they would see that prosthetic. It took sometime for Mint to get used to not seeing his own foot anymore, but he adjusted fine.

It did take a while for Mint to be used to being included in the group. There were times where he seemed to hesitate to call them friends, and he could understand why. This hesitation did go down eventually as he and the others did what they could to make Mint feel welcome among them. It was still such a stark contrast. Rudy never would have believed that Mint, after being their bitter enemy for a time, would become a friend. His behavior had changed, and he had become a different person, but in a good way. He was no longer being controlled or used by Skrawl.

Rudy was still upset that Skrawl got away. Ripclaw hadn't been able to stop him. He guessed that, after the fall, she was too badly injured to go after him. Or she had been chasing him and soon lost him. It was disappointing. After all the trouble he had caused, he deserved to be tossed in jail. Especially after what he had done to Mint and Snap. It still angered Rudy about what Skrawl did, and it was infuriating that Skrawl got off scott free and was roaming ChalkZone somewhere, probably in some new hideout. It didn't help that Skrawl hadn't shown his face since the incident. Probably biding his time, waiting to strike.

But for now, Rudy tried not to think about it. Today was supposed to be a good day. It was the first day, since this whole thing began, that they were able to ride on the mguus. Jager had finally been convinced to let them use his mguus again. It took a lot of talking and a lot of reassurance that they won't lose these like they did the others. Jager did eventually give in, but only if they put tracking devices around the beasts' necks so he could find them in case they run off. Rudy couldn't believe they hadn't thought of that before.

Rudy could hear footsteps behind him. He turned his head and watched as figures began to approach him. It was hard to tell who they were with the glare of the ChalkZone sun. But he knew who they were, even before they got close enough so he could see them. Those shapes, he would recognize them anywhere.

"Are you sure these things are safe to ride?" That was Mint. He had a mguu next to him. He held onto the rope attached around its neck. He looked at the tall beast nervously, clenching his teeth. "They're not going to knock me off?"

Snap chuckled as he pulled along his mguu. "Why are you so worried, Minty? You've handled dinosaurs before and you're afraid of these mguus? They're gentle. Don't be nervous!"

Mint eyed his mguu and said, "That was different. I drew those dinosaurs, so I had contr...influence over them. These guys..I don't know..." He paused for a moment. Then he said, "I still think it would have been better if I brought Ripclaw with me. I feel safer riding her."

Penny shook her head. "No, Mint. She would have scared off our mguus. She's a carnivore." She adjusted her glasses. "Unless you don't mind scattering us all across Golden Plains, I suggest you consider it a good thing you didn't bring Ripclaw along."

Rudy walked over to Penny. She had brought along not one, but two mguus. One of them was obviously for him. The two mguus looked at him as he got closer. Without saying a word, Penny gave Rudy the rope to his mguu. Rudy stepped back a little, pulling his beast a little away from Penny so he had some more room to climb onto its back.

Rudy looked over at Mint. "Penny's right, Mint. Ripclaw would have caused some unnecessary trouble. And besides..." Rudy gave him a playful smile as he climbed onto the back of his mguu. "..are you afraid of a challenge?"

Mint narrowed his eyes at Rudy. "What did you say...?"

"You heard me." Rudy said, chuckling. "I had thought you loved a challenge. Are you going to back out of this one?"

Mint growled in determination. "I'll show you..." He climbed on the back of his mguu. He let out a cry when he almost fell down. He soon steadied himself, wrapping his arms around the beast's neck for support. He shot a playful glare in Rudy's direction. "See? How's that for being afraid?"

"Well played Mint." Rudy chuckled, happy he had gotten the effect he wanted out of the boy. "Well played."

Penny and Snap got on their mguus. The four of them walked over to the edge of the hill. They paused, staring out into the horizon. The wild mguus below had taken notice of them. Their heads were twisted in their direction, their eyes staring expectantly at them. Rudy wouldn't be surprised if they remembered them from a year ago, when they had rode through this very spot before. The wild mguus were waiting for them to make a move so they could start running.

He looked over at Mint. It was clear he was not used to riding something that was not Ripclaw. He had some difficulty with keeping himself righted up. He understood the feeling. It hadn't been easy for him, Penny, or Snap to adjust to riding on these beasts. But he knew Mint would get the hang of it soon. It just took a little bit of time.

"Don't worry, Mint." Penny said, noticing his difficulty. "You'll get used to it."

Mint hung on tightly. He looked over at Penny and said, "I've..already gotten used to it.."

Rudy smirked at this. Mint was clearly lying in an attempt to show he could handle this. He shook his head. Mint was not fooling any of them.

"Mint, don't lie to us. We know you're having a hard time. No shame in that. You'll adjust quickly." Snap said, pointing a round hand in his direction for a second before gripping back onto his mguu.

"Yeah, Mint. Don't feel ashamed if you don't get the hang of it right away." Penny said.

"I told you, I'm fine." Mint insisted. He looked over at Penny. "In fact, I challenge you...to a race."

Penny chuckled this. "You're kidding right? You can't just challenge us to a race when you haven't gotten used to riding your mguu, Mint. You need to..."

Mint smirked mischeviously at her. "Are you afraid of losing, 'amateur'?" He said in a playful tone of voice.

Rudy and Snap widened their eyes when Mint said that. It was rare he would use that word. He usually only used it when he wanted to entice Penny to do something he wanted. The word was no longer used as an insult as he only ever said it in a playful tone. It usually got the effect he wanted, and today, it was not going to be any different.

Penny narrowed her eyes and smirked at Mint. She straightened herself on her mguu. "You're on!"

"Excellent!" Mint said.

Without warning, Penny and Mint rode off onto the field below. Rudy and Snap watched as the two began to race each other. Mint was doing surprisingly well despite it being his first time riding a mguu. He and Snap didn't stand on the hill for long. They rushed after them, and the four of them began to ride off into the distance.


End file.

Chalkzone, Drama