Read Festival of Shadows Online
Authors: Michael La Ronn
“Here it is,” Fogerty said, stopping at the lever. He set the bucket down, reached into his throat, and pulled out a slimy clipboard. “Sluice gate ten thousand, five hundred and sixty-six. This one ain’t so bad. All it needs is an Allen wrench.”
He dug through the bucket of tools and pulled out a huge Allen wrench. He slid it into the capstan and strained to push it clockwise until it rotated twice. Below, the marsh water stopped flowing, revealing a walkway with a door set into one of the walls.
Fogerty gazed toward another capstan in the distance. “Better keep going if I want to eat some toys for lunch. I can’t remember which one needs the
Sprocket
.”
He sludged his way toward the next capstan.
Theo dropped down where the water had been. The piranhas were gone. He tugged on the metal door, pulling several times before it clanged open. Beyond it lay a small room with a yellow ladder. Theo climbed the ladder into the ceiling and came to another iron door. He opened it and stepped into a small alcove, ducking as Fogerty passed.
The next capstan was nearby—he had taken a shortcut.
Fogerty set down his bucket and inspected the broken lever. “I think this one needs a good hammering.” He pulled out a hammer and banged several of the capstan’s bars until it moved.
Below, the marsh water stopped flowing. Fogerty turned the capstan and a small bridge extended from the ground, connecting the two walkways. The walkway led to another broken capstan.
Once it was opened Theo would be able to make it to the door.
Below, the marsh water stopped flowing. Fogerty turned the capstan, and a small bridge extended from the ground, connecting the two walkways, where another broken capstan was—one more, and Theo could make it to the door.
“That’s the one that needs the
Sprocket
,” Fogerty said, sludging across the bridge.
There’s only one more left. I need to take him out.
POW!
Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a mallet and smacked Fogerty in the back, knocking him off the bridge. He caught Fogerty’s bucket in midair.
“Thanks.”
Fogerty splattered onto the ground below and tried to form himself back together. “You rotten plush-bucket . . .”
Theo crossed the bridge and turned the Whatsamadoozle into a whip, lashed it across the way, and grabbed the capstan, turning it several times. Marsh water flowed below, washing Fogerty away. He screamed as he disappeared down a tunnel.
Theo ran to the final capstan. The top was exposed, revealing a gear box with an empty circular space where an object should have been.
He looked in the bucket. “He said it needed a sprocket. Okay, here’s one. But what goes with a sprocket?”
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The capstan wouldn’t budge. He cycled through all the tools, and he finally found the correct one, but it took a long time.
A bridge extended, and he ran across to the door. It was massive, with an image of the night sky etched into the metal. There was a slot for a circular object in the middle of the door.
Theo remembered the coin purse that Jiskyl had given him; he unloaded the coins into his palm and scanned them. He cycled through the coins until he found the right one.
Theo used the:
~ Moon Coin. | ~ Galaxy Coin. |
~ Star Coin. | ~ Sun Coin. |
~ Comet Coin. | ~ Planet Coin. |
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Theo slid the coin into the slot, but nothing happened.
“Wrong one,” Theo said. He tried to pull the coin out, but it wouldn’t move. He heard a sound like a clock ticking on the other side of the door.
“Must be a security mechanism,” Theo said. “It probably timed me out.”
He waited for a long time until the coin fell out. He cycled through the coins until he found the right one; it lit up in the slot. The door shone with light before creaking open.
“I’m coming, Grant,” Theo said, running through.
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The coin lit up inside the slot, and the door shone with light before creaking open.
Behind him, the water turned to sludge. Fogerty’s face appeared in the current, and the blob rose high into the air, towering over Theo. He was huge now, a wall of sludge and slime. He put on his eye patch and roared.
“How dare you sneak into the castle?”
Theo readied the Whatsamadoozle.
A big, slimy arm extended from Fogerty’s body. He ripped a capstan out of the floor and hurled it, wedging it inside the doorway and blocking Theo from passing. Fogerty raised his arm again, but Theo rolled out of the way, slashing his sword at the arm. The sword went through it, but it didn’t affect Fogerty.
“Your physical attacks will not work on me, plush-bucket.”
Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a magic scepter and tried to think of a spell.
He’s blue, and he’s probably aligned with water. What type of spell would work on him?
Theo cast:
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Theo waved the scepter, and the ground shook. Stalagmites jutted out of the ground and pierced Fogerty, sending slime everywhere.
It worked.
But suddenly, all the slime gathered back into a blob, and Fogerty’s face reappeared, laughing.
“Is that the best you can do?”
Fogerty smacked one of the capstans. He flowed into a tunnel and re-emerged on the other side of the room, this time, glowing red.
“How did you change color?” Theo asked.
Fogerty roared and spewed fire; Theo jumped out of the way and readied his scepter again.
Theo cast:
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Stalagmites rose around Theo to protect him, but the fire cut through them and burned him.
Fogerty raised his hand, ready to smash Theo. “Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo jumped out of the way, and Fogerty smashed the iron door open. Theo didn’t hesitate, running through the door as Fogerty called after him.
“You may escape me, but I can’t wait to see Stratus destroy you!”
Theo ran up a spiral staircase. “I’m coming, Grant.”
He had already wasted so much time that he had no choice but to run.
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Dark energy flowed from the scepter and into Fogerty, darkening him. But it didn’t seem to affect him.
Fogerty raised his hand, ready to smash Theo. “Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo jumped out of the way, and Fogerty smashed the iron door open. Theo didn’t hesitate, running through the door as Fogerty called after him.
“You may escape me, but I can’t wait to see Stratus destroy you!”
Theo ran up a spiral staircase. “I’m coming, Grant.”
He had already wasted so much time that he had no choice but to run.
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Theo pointed the scepter at Fogerty, and a tsunami rose. The blob roared with pain as water engulfed him.
Fogerty smacked another capstan and he flowed with the water and turned white. He roared, and the area filled with light.
Theo cast:
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Theo pointed the scepter at Fogerty, and a nearby stream rose and slammed into Fogerty, but it bounced off. Fogerty raised his hand, ready to smash Theo. “Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo jumped out of the way, and Fogerty smashed the iron door open. Theo didn’t hesitate, running through the door as Fogerty called after him.
“You may escape me, but I can’t wait to see Stratus destroy you!”
Theo ran up a spiral staircase. “I’m coming, Grant.”
He had already wasted so much time that he had no choice but to run.
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Dark energy flowed from the scepter and into Fogerty, darkening him. The room grew dark, and the blob roared with pain.
“Make it stop!”
“Leave me alone,” Theo said, shaking more dark energy out of the scepter.
“The pain I feel is just a fraction of the pain Stratus will inflict upon you,” Fogerty said. He shrank down to his original size, splashed into a nearby stream, flowed into a tunnel, and disappeared.
The room brightened, and Theo knew the fight was over. He ran to the door, cut through the capstan that blocked his way, and dashed upstairs.
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The ground lit up under Fogerty, and then it exploded, sending slime everywhere. But the blob gathered again and rose over Theo. Fogerty raised his hand, ready to smash Theo. “Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo jumped out of the way, and Fogerty smashed the iron door open. Theo didn’t hesitate, running through the door as Fogerty called after him.
“You may escape me, but I can’t wait to see Stratus destroy you!”
Theo ran up a spiral staircase. “I’m coming, Grant.”
He had already wasted so much time that he had no choice but to run.
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Theo waved the scepter. Lightning struck Fogerty several times, and the blob screamed in pain. Each zap sent loads of slime flying everywhere; it splattered against the walls, the floor, and the ceiling, smoking rapidly.
Fogerty smacked one of the capstans. He flowed into a tunnel and re-emerged on the other side of the room, this time glowing yellow.
“How did you change color?” Theo asked.
Fogerty raised his hands and lightning struck Theo, knocking him back.
“Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo cast:
The area filled with holy light, and shining white tendrils wrapped around Fogerty, crushing him, but they didn’t seem to hurt him.
“Nice try,” Fogerty said. He smacked another capstan and he turned blue.
Theo cast:
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Theo flung fireballs at the twisters, and instead of disappearing, the twisters whistled with fire. They took Theo and flung him against the wall near the door.
Fogerty raised his hand, ready to smash Theo. “Time to die, plush-bucket!”
Theo jumped out of the way, and Fogerty smashed the iron door open. Theo didn’t hesitate, running through the door as Fogerty called after him.
“You may escape me, but I can’t wait to see Stratus destroy you!”
Theo ran up a spiral staircase. “I’m coming, Grant.”
He had already wasted too much time with the door and Fogerty that he had no choice but to run.