Chapter Text
“Come on, Snap!”
“I’m comin’!”
A young boy followed by a blue-and-white chalky figure came barrelling down a sandy hill, adorned in brimmed hats and outdoor clothing. A rumble sounded from the other side of the hill, growing louder until what looked to be a quadbike launched itself over the hill, hanging in the air for a few seconds before crashing into the sand below.
Sand exploded around the bike, raining down behind it and gripping onto its tyres as they span. The young boy gasped again as he and his quick-footed friend raced along the uneven terrain, and hurriedly extracted a piece of shimmering chalk from his belt.
“Rudy, you gotta draw somethin’!” yelled Snap, his voice frantic as he waved his arms a little in panic.
“I know, I know!” Rudy pressed, racking his brain for a creative solution before he quickly doodled a large container, and whirled around, tossing its black, sludgy contents onto the sand behind him with an exerted grunt.
The sand began to absorb the sludge, and it looked to shrink in size as the quadbike, having little time to stop, drove straight into the puddle. Its crude face contorted into a look of surprise as it tried to spin its wheels with little success. The struggle intensified as the vehicle jerked back and forth, attempting with all its might to free its tyres as revs burst forth from its engine, anger turning its paint deeper red.
“Oof, that’s gotta do it. Come on, bucko!” the blue-and-white zoner yelped, giving his friend’s sleeve a tug as Rudy peeled away from the sight and continued to run through the sandy landscape.
When they were a decent distance away and could still see the bike struggling, Rudy paused, panting as his hands gripped his knees. “Just...a sec.” Quickly the boy drew a scooter large enough for two riders, with a solar panel on the back facing skywards. When he was finished, he jumped on and signalled for Snap to stand behind him. “Snap, this thing is really mad!”
“I thought Vengeance Quads was a fitness show,” Snap protested, “not a type of quadbike that holds a grudge if you lose a race in one!”
The roar of the bike’s engine grew more aggressive as its wheels span, launching the black sludge directly towards the two boys as they shouted and attempted to take off, but the scooter’s wheel merely became stuck in a rather large blob in front of them.
Rudy groaned as he abandoned the scooter and drew a reflective umbrella that protected them both from the incoming sludge, and reflected it back at the quadbike. He watched as Snap, his face twisted in a look of disgust, began attempting to wipe the sludge off his clothes.
“Oh, good grief; this stuff’ll never come out,” he mumbled, trying to flick it from his gloves.
Rudy set the umbrella down, drawing another handle to quickly prop it up so it wasn’t angled at the sky, and grabbed Snap’s other gloved hand as he took off running in the opposite direction.
The two friends crossed over from sand to rocks, scampering across them as the rocks became broken bats, racquets, helmets, and rejected gymnasium equipment.
When Snap had heard that a new reality TV show Vengeance Quads was casting contestants for its pilot episode, he and Rudy had made their way to Athlete’s Cove to audition, despite neither of them being familiar with the premise. Given that the theme of the location seemed to be sports, they had both deduced that the show involved a challenging workout regime, but had soon discovered that it was actually a series of races wherein contestants would ride newly erased sentient quadbikes who had an obsession with winning, and a hatred for losing. They had been pleasantly surprised at the much more exciting premise and Snap had elected to still participate. Unfortunately, he had lost the first race, and the quadbike had not taken kindly to the failure. Rudy was able to help Snap escape while the camera crew carelessly continued to film, likely planning to keep the segment as ‘entertainment.’
As the two raced across the equipment and came to a sea of varying sports balls, they found themselves having to slow down, as each surface was uneven, angled and potentially slippery. Snap cried out when he tripped on the lace of a football, stumbling over himself and sliding to the edge.
“Rudy!” he called as he continued to slide, grasping repeatedly at the leathery material comprising the ball, but failed to grip anything as he slid all the way off.
Rudy, acting fast, drew a single loop around his wrist and pulled the chalk between his hands so he could grip the start of a rope. He thrust it after Snap, the chalk continuing to draw a line of rope as it soared over the edge of the ball. “Grab the chalk!” he yelled, using his free hand to latch onto one of the rings in the middle of the football’s top, where the enormous laces protruded. His heart hammered in his chest as he waited a number of seconds before he heard a voice over the side of the football.
“I-I got it!” Snap called, releasing a bewildered and relieved laugh between breaths.
The rope pulled taught and Rudy felt his right hand jerk against the edge of the metal ring, but he held fast as he gritted his teeth and sneered as he locked both arms in place. “Climb!”
A few seconds later, Snap had made his way up with the help of the chalk rope, and once on top, he collapsed beside Rudy and took some time to breathe. Rudy couldn’t help but emit a small chuckle as he released his grip on both the ring and the rope, slipping the looped chalk rope off his wrist.
“That was a close one,” he said, standing up and offering Snap a hand.
“Nice thinkin’ there with the chalk rope.” He grabbed Rudy’s hand and was pulled up. “Sometimes I wonder what I’d do without ya!”
Rudy smiled, but the aggressive rev of the distant quadbike set their minds both back to the task, knowing it would only be a matter of time before it caught up.
Rudy looked back to Snap. “Can I have the chalk?”
Snap paused a second, catching the words before they flowed from his mouth. He gave a sheepish smile. “I, uh, I missed it.”
“You what?” Rudy exclaimed, feeling adrenaline pinch his stomach.
“Hey, hey, that was not easy to catch, bucko! You threw it way above my head! I could only grab the rope.”
Rudy gave a sigh, slightly panicked by the situation. “No, Snap, it’s fine—we just gotta get out of here before that angry bike—”
A furious rev sent chills down the spines of them both as the quadbike, absolutely covered in black sludge, crested the line of tennis balls roping off the area, and locked on to them.
“RUN!” Snap screamed, both arms flinging into the air as he dashed across the football and, succeeding in maintaining a grip this time, launched himself from the edge of the ball onto a wonky discus nearby. Rudy promptly followed, and the two dashed across the sports equipment as fast as they could.
As the ten-year-old slid from the discus to a rather flat volleyball, he briefly considered that it wouldn’t be more than a few more minutes until they reached the shoreline, where the boat they took across the Wait N Sea rested. Amongst the adrenaline pumping through his system that screamed at him to panic and lose all sense of calm, he was reassured by his close proximity to his getaway.
As Rudy and Snap made it across the sporty terrain and collapsed onto the sand bordering the beach they parked at, they raced along the shore between various members of the public towards their boat, which was affixed with a rope to a pier made of something akin to rubber. They shouted at everyone around them, alerting the sunbaking zoners nearby of the incoming vengeful vehicle, and watched as the beach-goers all cropped themselves up, suddenly alert. Most of them were marine animal zoners, all of whom Snap imagined lived nearby.
As the revenge bike’s engines roared even louder and it, too, dropped onto the sands, many of the sea-dwelling zoners shrieked and flopped, slid, and clambered back into the ocean. A few rather large, unfazed whales merely rolled over and continued to sunbake.
Rudy stopped running and span around, causing Snap to stop and look back.
“Rudy, get outta there!” he shouted, watching as the bike drew closer and Rudy stood his ground.
“Save yourself, Snap,” Rudy shouted over his shoulder, gritting his teeth and attempting to disguise the worry gripping his face as he tried to think his way out of this.
Snap took the opportunity to flee towards the boat, prompting the bike to rev its engine and attempted to take off in a sudden burst, but the wheels merely span in the sand. Torrents of sun-bleached grains sprayed into the air behind it, and it stopped almost as soon as it started, glaring at Rudy with rage in its eyes. The two were at a stalemate, knowing that they were both slowed by the surrounding terrain, but that either one could push through unexpectedly and surpass the other at any moment.
Suddenly, there was a small grunt and a pattering of feet as Snap reappeared on the pier, his arms full with shells. They were all kinds of different colours, shapes, and some even appeared to be entirely different objects. He began launching them at the quadbike, missing the first two, but striking the bike’s face with the third. The bike, fury overcoming it once more, locked its eyes onto Snap and began to accelerate against the fleeting sand beneath its wheels. Rudy covered his eyes as the chalky sand whipped up in all directions, taking this opportunity to slip further away from the bike and towards the boat situated at the shoreline.
“Yeah, betcha don’t like that, do ya?!” Snap taunted, throwing shell after shell at the bike.
The vehicle zoner, eyes swirling with rage and wheels furiously spinning against the sand, began to sink a little before suddenly, its back tyre hit rock. In that instant, the quadbike gained traction and shot off across the sand, heading straight for the pier.
Snap’s eyes went wide as he came to a sudden halt, whirling around and heading frantically down the length of the pier toward the ocean. “Rudy, hurry!” he shrieked, fear and excitement welling within him as he charged along, checking over his shoulder just as the quadbike made its bumpy way up onto the entry to the pier. He glanced down to the remaining few shells in his arms – ones that he had collected earlier when he and Rudy had first arrived at the beach – and felt a tinge of sadness as he inspected the one that looked remarkably like an old-fashioned video game cartridge. “I’ll come back for you one day!” he whispered, and chucked the shell at his pursuer.
It collided with the quadbike’s wheel, being pulled up under the wheel guard and causing a momentary panic in the bike. It didn’t hinder it for long and it returned to normal speed within a matter of seconds, at which Snap was not very pleased.
Meanwhile, Rudy had been able to make it to their speedboat and was trying desperately to scrounge around on the deck to find any spare magic chalk he could have brought along. How could he have forgotten to bring more? He was busy buried in his thoughts and frantic searching until Snap’s calls brought him back to the current situation, and, abandoning the thought that there could be more chalk, he took control of the boat and steered it around, shifting a large lever to control its speed.
“Snap, jump on!” Rudy called as he sped towards the pier, unsure if his voice even carried properly against the wind.
Snap was still running at full speed to the end of the pier, and Rudy could see that the bike was gaining on him. The blue-and-white zoner turned his body to throw his last shell, and Rudy felt a little bad, knowing that he was looking forward to taking those home as souvenirs.
Just as Rudy came within range of the pier, the bike’s eyes switched to him and the boat. Rudy, focused on getting as close as he could so Snap could jump, was not paying attention to the bike’s eyes, and it was only when Snap turned to see how close the bike was that he realised that his aggressor was more than likely planning to jump from the pier onto the boat.
“Rudy, no! No, he’s trying to jump on!” he shouted, and it took Rudy a moment to realise what he was saying.
He slammed the brakes, spraying up a small wave of water onto the pier which soaked both Snap and the quadbike. The bike, spluttering and coughing, came to a stop to check its motor as Snap continued to run.
“W-what should I do? I can’t just leave you there!” Rudy called to his friend as he started the engine back up, ensuring there was distance between the pier and the boat this time.
“Slow him down!” Snap yelped, and Rudy’s mind raced as he looked for anything on the floor of the ship that he could possibly throw.
They had travelled light, only intending for this to be a day trip, and the only things he could see was a regular medical kit, a life ring, and the lunch that he had packed. Rudy’s mind turned as he saw the water bottle he had brought along, tightly sealed and packed with care, but shook his head. Using water on zoners should always be a last resort, and not one that he wanted to even consider. His eyes fell back to the ring and the rope they had come prepared with, and suddenly he had an idea.
“Snap,” he yelled, “aim for the end of the dock!”
“Yeah, Rudy, not really in the mood for a swim!”
The boy said nothing and took off. The end of the pier was not far, and he made it within ten seconds. He turned the boat as he braked so it was facing with its side to the end of the pier. He got to work attaching the rope to a small loop at the top of the ring, designed specifically for this purpose. He made quick work of it and soon enough, he had a tight knot gripping onto the inflatable ring. At this point, Snap was nearly at the end of the dock. He called Rudy’s name again, and the boy grabbed the ring and tossed it as far as he could, watching as it landed in the water close to the pier.
“You’re gonna have to jump,” he called, and he could see the look of shock on Snap’s face as the quadbike gained on him, its engines gurgling with anger as it prepared to crash into the object of its revenge.
“Here goes nothing!” Snap yelped as he launched off the end of the pier, the quadbike coming to an abrupt halt right behind him, its front wheels skidding and dangling off the pier for a moment as Snap fell. He yelled as he descended and hit the water, barely bobbing under its surface before coming to the top and gasping for air. Having spotted the ring on his descent, he swam furiously toward it, feeling himself relax as he looped both his arms around it. “Rudy, I’m on,” he shouted between breaths.
“Hold on,” instructed his friend, who was waiting and ready to pull the boat away.
Snap gave a small frown as the sound of engines grew suddenly louder, and he turned his head to look behind him, feeling a band of shock ripple through his system as the quadbike, now airborne, was descending upon him.
He screamed as he scrambled up the ring, pushing off with his feet to instead grab onto the rope, which had become taught in that very instant as Rudy mashed the acceleration.
They all took off at once, Snap yelling in surprise as he scrambled further up the rope, feeling every tiny bump in the rippling water as the rope bounced against his chest, digging in somewhat uncomfortably each time while he attempted to maintain balance and a suitable hold on it. Behind him, the vengeance quadbike had a singular wheel looped through the inflatable life ring, but the rest of it was submerged. Snap didn’t know quite what to do before the knot Rudy had tied on the ring suddenly unravelled, and the ring-quadbike combination was left to drift into the shallow sea. Barely believing his luck, Snap felt a rush of relief followed by mild panic as he attempted to keep his grip on the rope while the boat continued at a high speed.
“Rudy!” Snap called, but the boat’s motor was just about as loud as his calls were.
After a few more attempts, Rudy seemed to hear him, and tossed his gaze over the back of the speedboat to see that Snap was dangling in the water behind the boat, alternating between skimming the ocean’s surface and dipping beneath it.
Rudy killed the engine and rushed to the back, watching as the rope went slack and Snap waded in the ocean with it. “Are you okay?” he asked, a small smile on his face as the adrenaline coursed through him.
“I, uh...I think so,” Snap replied, abandoning the rope and beginning to swim closer to the hull. When he reached it, Rudy extended his arm down the side and helped him up. Once on board, Snap began to grab parts of his clothing and squeeze them, the water pattering against the smooth deck.
Rudy, still gripping the edge of the boat, was looking out across the water, noting the small distance they had come from the pier. “What happened to the quadbike?”
“Oh, you didn’t see?” Snap questioned, coming to stand beside his friend. He pointed to the pier. “He followed me off the end o’ the dock; grabbed onto that floaty ring you tied the rope to. Unfortunately for him, not havin’ opposable thumbs meant he couldn’t hold on for long.”
Rudy made a noise of surprise, noting that the ring had floated to the water’s surface, but there was no sign of the quadbike. After pointing this out, Snap shrugged, figuring the bike was probably on its way back to the shore. After waiting for around a minute, they saw the vehicle surface beside a sunbaking whale, and Rudy took the opportunity to quickly power the boat back on and begin speeding away.
***
About half an hour passed as Rudy and Snap debriefed the day’s adventure, swapping the funny, harrowing and exciting moments they wished to recount, after which they finally arrived at the agreed meeting spot they had discussed with Penny. They spotted her sitting atop the multicoloured stone wall bordering one of the main boardwalks, and she uncrossed her arms and perked up, waving at them both as they waved back.
Once they had pulled the boat up to the docks, fitting it between two much larger speedboats, Rudy began affixing it in place. Snap scrambled his way onto the pier and ran excitedly towards Penny.
“Penny, you wouldn’t believe what Vengeance Quads was like!”
Penny, adjusting her glasses and hoisting herself off the wall, shouldered two heavy-looking bags that had been sitting beside her. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah! Turns out—not an exercise competition,” he began, coming to stand beside her as she stood with both backpacks on. “Angry quadbikes. And I mean, really angry quadbikes.”
“Remarkable,” Penny commented, straining a little. Snap only then seemed to notice her bags.
“Oh, sorry there, Penny; lemme take one for ya.” He reached out to her left shoulder and slid the bag’s strap off, relocating it to his back.
“Thanks, Snap,” she answered gratefully.
Snap groaned a little as he adjusted the strap. “Gee, Penny...didn’t go light on the packing, did ya?” he grumbled, which was when Rudy hopped onto the pier as a bipedal shark muscled by.
“Well, I wanted to make sure we were well-prepared for this trip, of course. So, I brought...a bunch of snacks,” Penny started, sliding the backpack off her back and opening the zip, “extra chalk, some bottles of water, a flashlight, a change of clothes in case it’s hot or cold, a camera, a journal to document interesting findings, spare pencils...” Snap looked to Rudy and raised a brow, and Rudy shrugged as Penny pulled out a final item. “I also brought this incredible-looking fruit that I was given by a tribe of kitchen appliances about an hour ago.” She extracted a purple and brown-striped elongated triangular fruit with a small green stalk and square indents. Her intrigued grin remained until she noticed the silent exchange between her friends and adopted a mild look of disapproval. “What? I packed the essentials.”
“I-it’s not that,” Rudy began, staring at the fruit. “I didn’t realise you went somewhere already.”
Penny waited a moment, raising a brow. “What, you don’t think I explore ChalkZone on my own sometimes?”
“Well...no,” Rudy replied, a little sheepish.
“I can draw too, you know,” Penny grumbled, zipping the bag back up and slinging it over her shoulder.
“That’s great, Penny!” Snap interjected, giving a supportive smile. “You gotta tell me if you go anywhere interesting.”
Penny’s face lit up as she clasped her hands together. “Well, in that case, I absolutely must tell you about the fruit I acquired today. The tribespeople were fascinating, and some of them used chalk potatoes to power themselves!”
“Chalk...potatoes?” Snap asked, a tinge of scepticism in his tone.
“Well...they were electric potatoes,” Penny clarified. “It was most curious. They used a combination of electricity and pop rocks to power their kitchens, which comprised their entire houses, now that I think about it.”
“Pop rocks?” Rudy questioned, and Penny gave a chuckle.
“Yeah! And they had run out, so I drew them some more.” She pulled out a piece of magic chalk, and Rudy grabbed his as well, clinking them together.
“The two Great Creators at it again!” he announced playfully, then turned to Snap and gave a teasing smirk. “And their sidekick.”
“Sidekick?!” roared Snap, exasperation soaking his face as Rudy gave a howl of laughter.
“I’m only kidding, Snap!” he laughed, and Snap, smirking back at him, pinched his chalk and ran a few steps ahead.
The blue and white zoner adopted an absurdly high voice, pretending to draw in the air. “I’m Rudy Tabootie, Greatest Creator of all time and sidekick to my one true hero, Snap!”
The three friends laughed and began sharing their past few hours as they loaded their bags into the speedboat. Penny passed Rudy a few boxes of spare magic chalk, which he thanked her for and stashed in his bag, and then withdrew the map she had prepare for their next destination. Snap requested to drive, the boat taking off rather aggressively as he cheered, but upon seeing legitimate fear spilling onto the faces of his friends, sheepishly adjusted the controls to his liking and steering them sensibly out of the bay. He sighed as the salty sea breeze passed through his mouth, excited for the journey then had planned.
***
It wasn’t too long before the gang pulled up to a port. Once they had arrived, they anchored their transport and gathered their things, hauling them off the boat and then climbing out. There were transports of all sorts docked at different areas around the wharf. Ship crews dotted the port, many of differing designs, shapes, colours, and themes. Snap observed a massive panda carrying a ship’s sail down a long walkway, while a sentient milkshake ordered around some dock workers. The ships, boats, and other vessels anchored to the port varied just as much as the crews did, with many embodying traditional ship designs while others were entirely different. There were futuristic-looking ships, ships with bright colours, and some stretched taller than they were wide. There were even houseboats, and one specifically gargantuan vessel held a small neighbourhood of tiny houses all suited to the rodent zoners who were busy loading goods aboard.
“Ah,” Snap sighed once they put their things down, scanning their surroundings. “Nothin’ like a fresh breath among the sailors of the Wait N’ Sea, hey, guys?”
“Yeah,” Rudy agreed, in awe as he attempted to analyse everything he could see. “There are all kinds of different ships here!”
“Rudy,” Penny began excitedly, absently batting his arm repeatedly as she stared at a particular ship a little further along the dock. “Look at that one! It looks like it belongs at a Plainville science fair.”
Rudy quietly pulled his arm away from the line of fire and focused his attention on the ship Penny was pointing to, noting that it looked like it was made predominantly of glass, and held different sections that were each tinted its own colour. The crew looked to be almost entirely composed of cartoony depictions of cells, each with a face and a small item of clothing. Three of them were in the middle of hoisting up a transparent barrel which looked to be carrying some kind of sloshing green substance.
“Man, this place sure is cool,” he muttered in amazement. His eyes fell to a grandfather clock zoner, which instantly made him remember the time, and he glanced to his watch. Ten minutes until their ride left. He looked back up. “W-we better hurry, or we’ll miss the airship!”
“That ain’t happenin’,” Snap assured them, picking up both Rudy’s and Penny’s bags and beginning to hurry towards a large shed where many of the crew zoners were lining up. The two humans followed suit, attempting to grab the bags back from Snap but proving unsuccessful as the focused zoner made a beeline through the doors, and straight up beside one of the long lines towards the reception desk. Penny stopped halfway up, sheepishly distancing herself from some angry-looking zoners glaring at her and spitting unpleasantries to Snap, and watched as Rudy caught up with their chalky friend at the desk.
“Hi, hello, excuse me,” Snap began, dumping the bags at the foot of the counter as a large slug behind the glass sitting atop the counter shifted his attention from his current customer and peered down at him. “Sorry to barge in,” the zoner apologised, addressing both the baffled red pelican customer and the slug receptionist, “but me and the Great Creator here are in need of some very timely directions.” He wrapped two gloved hands around Rudy’s shoulders, brandishing him almost as proof.
Rudy gave a slightly embarrassed smile but decided to elaborate. “Sorry, we’re a little late – got held up by a very angry bike – and, uh, we just need to know where to get to the sky port.”
The slug receptionist’s expression slowly morphed as he sneered delicately at the two boys. “Slippery stairs. Cable car. Sky port,” he listed, voice gurgling. “Got it?”
“Yeah, look, I’m gonna need something a liiittle more specific than—” Snap began, but was cut off by Rudy.
“That’s very helpful; thank you!” Rudy span around, ushering his friend away from the counter.
Snap, a small frown on his face, shrugged. “What? He was very vague.”
“I just don’t want to upset these, uh...capable-looking sea biscuits,” Rudy answered, voice hushed.
It was then that Snap peered over his friend’s shoulder to see that most of the occupants comprising the long line had their disgusted, bewildered, or furious eyes trained on him and his friend. Many of them had hooks for arms, stumps for legs, mean-looking muscles, and scars to match.
He made a small noise of part-concern, part-regret, but leaned in to Rudy nonetheless. “You think this is the line for ‘disgruntled captain’?” he murmured in jest, and Rudy’s eyes widened in warning. “Right. Gotcha. Good call. Time to go.”
Snap and Rudy gathered the bags and hurried out of the shed-like building, collecting Penny along the way.
The three friends followed the loose instructions they were given, and after asking a particularly intimidating-looking parrot pirate with a mini human on his shoulder which way the “slippery stairs” were, he directed them a block or two away. When the three arrived, they could immediately see that as the hill ascended, a tall rocky wall stretched up on their left, beside which was the staircase they were looking for. To the right of the staircase was tall railing to prevent anyone falling off the side of the cliff, which dropped away off the side of the mountain. It became clear that the staircase was the only way up – at least for ordinary zoners – and as the three set their sights upon it, they could instantly see how the stairs earned their name.
They watched as a few zoners would begin their staircase ascent or descent, the stairs holding fast initially. Then after a number of seconds, some of them would suddenly become diagonally flat. Those who were standing on the steps that shifted would lose their grip, emit a call of surprise, and slide down until a jutting step would catch them, or until the diagonal steps would spring back out again. They watched for about a minute as zoners struggled to make their way up and down the steps, and it became clear that there was no particular pattern or interval to which the shifting staircase adhered, and would simply switch at random.
“Hey, Rudy,” Snap started, looking to his friend, “you think you could draw something to help with this?”
“Already thought of something,” the boy answered, reaching over to Snap’s shoes to draw larger boots over the top of them, and then did the same to his and Penny’s. “Let’s give these a go.”
Snap pulled his boot to his face and inspected the multiple suction cups on the bottom, giving a few nods in approval. “Nice work, bucko.” He pulled each foot up with considerable might to unstick them from the floor as he approached the stairs, grunting with the effort.
“Snap,” Rudy began, and his creation turned to him. “There’s a button on the side to retract the suction cups.”
Snap looked down, suddenly noticing a circular indent in the side of both boots. He pressed it, feeling the suction cups retract. “Ah-ha! There’s those brains at work.”
The trio activated their boots and began to ascend the long staircase, watching as nearby zoners would slip and slide when the steps around them would collapse. Rudy, Penny, and Snap, however, easily stuck to the flattening steps. Recognising the success of the invention, Rudy began drawing boots for every zoner he could see nearby, and Penny joined him. The two crafted enough boots for those they could see, and asked them to remove them once they were off the stairs for others to use. They were aware that it would be near-impossible to create boots the right shape and size for all zoners who would traverse the staircase, but at least it was a help to some.
Once they reached the top, Rudy doodled a few extra pairs and left them for others to use, and waved to a few of the grateful zoners who had successfully scaled the staircase using the invention.
“Alright,” began Penny as she removed hers as well. “The nice slug man said something about a cable car?”
“Yeah, and then the sky port,” Snap added, and it was then that all three of them noticed a small building a little way ahead, sitting close to the edge of the hill, which then dropped off in a cliff. A thick wire stretched between the building across the ravine and up to the adjacent cliff situated much higher up. A cable car was on its way down from the upper cliff, slowly trailing along the wire toward the building they could see.
Rudy considered this for a moment and made a thoughtful noise. “I think we can make our own way up there,” he concluded, and began drawing something else.
“All right,” Snap responded, interested to see the type of transport his friend was about to create.
Just before Rudy was finished, the other two could clearly see that he had made a three-person bicycle with a sail and wings. Presumably, peddling would power the bike and cause it to become airborne.
“Jump on,” he encouraged when it was done, fitting himself in the front seat while Snap sat behind him and Penny at the rear.
“Are we going to need a ramp for this?” Penny questioned, and Rudy shook his head.
“If we pedal fast enough, it should launch us into the air by the time we hit the cliff, and then we’ll be headed straight for the hill on the other side.”
“Okay,” Penny answered, a little sceptical but willing to place her trust in his invention.
After the three began pedalling, the contraption had a bit of a slow start until it took to the sky before they even reached the cable car building, and although wobbly, it seemed to work well. They passed over the small building and out over the open gorge, travelling skyward alongside the thick cable wire. Penny glanced nervously down at the long drop below, which was growing more and more daunting the longer they were in the air.
Snap, who was thrilled to experience such fun, shouted out with joy, lifting both his legs off the pedals. Immediately the bike began to shudder, both Rudy and Penny yelping at him to keep pedalling. Almost as quickly as he had removed his shoes, Snap quickly glued his feet back into place, apologising sheepishly when they restabilised their balance.
The three managed to make their way to the upcoming cliff, and alighted on its edge when they reached it. They still pedalled until they were far away enough from the edge of the cliff to feel safe, and all scuttled off the bike once they were safe.
Snap, panting from the exertion, shook his head a little. “Rudy, it was a great idea, but...”
“Yeah,” Rudy breathed, hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath, “I agree. Not...doing that again.”
Penny nearly said something about how terrifying she had found it, but didn’t get the chance to before an intrusive voice from nearby interrupted.
“Hey! What’re you three doin’ up here with that bike thingy?” A rather large paperclip with a set of floating eyes and a mouth approached them, stringy arms holding papers which flapped about in the wind. Blocking the way up the snowy hill stretched a large fence with guarded gates, one of which looked to be staffed by the paperclip. “This here hilltop’s reachable by cable car only!”
“Sorry, uh...sir,” Rudy began, and was immediately cut off.
“Ma’am,” the paperclip snarled.
“M-my apologies, ma’am,” Rudy corrected, clearing his throat. “Uh, but you see, there’s no need to worry. I’m the Great Creator!” He pulled his current piece of magic chalk from his belt pouch and showed it proudly, a smile on his face.
The paperclip huffed. “I don’t care who y’are. We have rules for a reason, troublemaker.”
“We are very sorry to have gone around the regulations,” Penny added, dipping her head. “If it helps, we were invited here by Captain Ardimo, and we weren’t familiar with—”
“Captain Ardimo?” questioned the paperclip, whose attitude shifted instantaneously. “Well, that bein’ the case, head on through!” She gestured to the gates that she had been staffing, along with some other zoners who were continuing to check people’s passes and let them through accordingly.
“Great,” Snap answered, not keen to test their luck, and began to make his way towards the gates.
“Wait, a-are you sure?” Rudy queried, finding the paperclip’s radical attitude change to be strange. “Do we need to pay a fine or something?”
“No, no,” began the curved metal zoner, who had already begun to turn around and walk back on thin legs, “this is his business. Basically, whatever he says goes. Just let me see your passes on the way through.”
The paperclip trailed behind Snap as Rudy and Penny stood for a moment, looking to one another and frowning. Snap stopped, looking over his shoulder and shouting for them to get a move on. The two shrugged at each other and caught up with their friend.
After Snap showed their tickets and the three got through the gates without issue, they trekked further up the snowy hill, Rudy electing not to create any kind of contraption to speed up their journey this time. Around them, a few other zoners also made their way up the hill. One was a six-legged camel draped in many blankets, while another was a group of connected eggs all rolling uphill.
Once they were cresting the top, a massive building which looked similar to a ski resort came into view.
Giant lettering on the exterior read ‘NINE-PLATE RESORT’ and most of the front panels were glass. They could see that inside, staircases and elevators led to higher points in the building, and it appeared that there were two further routes they could take: one out on the ground level to the right, and a passageway branching from the top of the building itself and twisting left, into the mountainside which rose higher than the resort itself.
Snap pointed to where the passage met the cliff face. “Do ya reckon there’s another resort in the side of the mountain?”
“It would appear so,” Penny answered, simultaneously marvelling at it. “Perhaps a facility of some other kind.”
“C’mon, guys, we gotta hurry,” Rudy reminded them, and the three detached their gazes from the huge resort and rushed inside, two large doors at one entrance point sliding open for them when they neared.
Inside, Rudy and Penny were immediately reminded of an airport. Zoners were rushing back and forth between counters, escalators, doorways, and corridors. It seemed oddly busy for a resort, but they figured it was likely just a popular holiday location.
Rudy led the group to one of the counters that looked mildly helpful close to the entrance, having to push their way through the crowd. They heard a few grunts or shouts of complaint as they apologised and shimmied their way to the staff member behind the counter. Snap noted to himself that some of the zoners gathered did not even seem to be lining up for anything; they were merely gathering in inconvenient places.
“Excuse me,” began the boy, addressing a humanoid woman who had a head of tentacles for hair. She stared at him, a small beak in the place of a mouth and nose parting slightly. He nearly jumped back at the sight, but managed to keep his composure in an effort to remain polite. “We’re looking for Captain Ardimo.”
“That way,” she grunted in a rather deep voice, not lifting either of her clawed hands as one of her head tentacles rose instead, pointing to the right-hand exit.
All three of them turned, spotting a large triangular sign resting on the floor that read ‘Molten Fudge Tour’ accompanied by an arrow pointing out the door beside it, which appeared to lead to a further upward slant.
The three friends blurted a word of thanks and rushed through the door, nearly knocking over the sign as they went through. As they spilled out onto the other side of the door, they realised that the incline was narrow, and the only thing between them and a sheer cliff was a guard rail. Rudy swallowed, hoping that they wouldn’t have to test its effectiveness.
“It must be just over this hill,” Penny guessed, gesturing up the snowy slant.
“Gah, how many pathways do we need to follow to get to this place?!” Snap growled, but continued onward, the other two following behind him as they grasped the straps to their backpacks.
When they crested the small hill, they saw what looked to be another port, but this one looked to be for ships of a different kind. Rather than those that travelled on the sea, every vessel they could see docked along the cliff’s side were air-faring. There were far fewer than the number they saw in the bay, but each one was just as impressive as the last. Some had fins for paddling through the clouds, while others had jets and metal wings. There was one that looked like a rocket ship, and as they approached the harbour with slowed steps, they watched it take off in the near distance, and then unfold into a saucer-shaped vessel that seemed to levitate away.
“Woah...I’ve never seen anything like this,” Rudy awed.
“Me neither,” Penny added, and they both heard Snap chuckle a little.
“I knew this place would live up to all that bragging on the flier!”
Penny turned to him as they continued to walk. “There was a flier?”
“Yeah,” Snap began, dislodging the tiny carry-pack he brought along and withdrawing a crumpled leaflet. He passed it to Penny.
““Some like it hot,”” she began, reading it with uncertainty in her voice, ““and some like it...fudgy. Join us on the Molten Fudge Tour, where we explore the natural wonder, Tepid Mountain, and you get to try some of ChalkZone’s finest sweet dessert, fresh from the source.” Hmm...” She pulled the flier away from her face, tilting her head a little. “It sounds...peculiar.”
“But fun, right?” Snap asked, giving her a small prod with his elbow. He then took the flier back and passed it to Rudy. “Take a look, bucko.”
Rudy took a moment to read it. “Huh. So, we’re headed to a mountain in...one of those?” he asked, angling his head up the first airship they passed, which was affixed to the dock beside them.
“Yessiree!” cried Snap with excitement, taking the handout as Rudy returned it and popping it back into his pack. “Think about it: journey into a mountain; fresh, hot fudge for miles—I know you guys got winter back in Plainville right now, so I figured this would be perfect!”
Rudy and Penny returned his sentiment, and the three were more hyped than ever for this trip. Snap had only vaguely briefed them on what the trip would entail, and in the business of the upcoming days, it had slipped each of their minds to provide or acquire more detail for the trip.
“There!” Snap called, thrusting a finger in the direction they were headed. “I think that’s Captain Ardimo’s ship.”
As the trio drew closer, they could see enormous lettering stencilled across the floating ship’s hull: SPINES OF FATE. Although none of them could immediately pin it down as the ship they were looking for, Snap pointed out that the ship itself looked to be the same make as the one advertised on the flier. It looked like a classic pirate ship, with side fins and differently shaped sails. Aside from the features that aided its flight capabilities, the aesthetic was reminiscent of a well-kept pirate ship.
“This looks amazin’!” Snap exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement as he felt ripples through his body.
“Let’s hope they’re not actually pirates,” Rudy laughed, slightly nervous at the thought. He absently patted the pouch of chalk in his pocket, just in case.
“Last call for the Molten Fudge Tour!” a voice boomed, and the trio jumped a little as they laid eyes on a strange-looking rotund zoner with a megaphone as a head, and a humanoid body draped in pirate attire. “Two minutes before the Spines of Fate departs!”
“Wait!” yelled Snap, kicking himself into gear as he flew up the boardwalk, panting as he came to the announcer and ripped open his pack, withdrawing three tickets. “We need to be on that ship!”
“Ah, thank you,” the megaphone-headed zoner responded, the volume significantly lower than a moment before. He inspected the tickets, nodding his long, splayed face as he read. “Perfect! All aboard, you three.”
The zoner moved aside, unclipping a rope that blocked the entrance to a small ramp leading onto the side of the ship. The three thanked him and crossed the short plank onto the ship, dropping down onto the deck with a thud. Once Rudy, who was last, landed onto the wooden flooring, the three of them stared at the zoners observing them with small murmurs, each gathered in small groups either seated, leaning, or standing at various spots across the main deck. He gave a small nod to some of them, attempting to remove some of the attention from him and his friends.
As the three scanned the deck, they noted several hooded figures situated about, most of them looking to be checking masts, rigs, the side fins, and performing general maintenance. A few of them held platters of food which they brought to who were very clearly other tourists, and the group concluded that these figures must have been staff.
“I wonder where the captain is,” Rudy murmured, beginning to walk along the main deck toward the front of the ship, where he was met with a wall with a single doorway in the middle. Above rested the forecastle—the raised front-most deck which tapered to a point at the ship’s nose.
Snap and Penny, following behind, also began to look about for any sign of the captain, but unless he was hidden amongst the groups of tourists dotted about the deck, he was nowhere to be seen.
Rudy began to remove his bag when he jumped as the announcer shouted a final call and, upon allowing in the final tourist, he boarded the ship himself and collapsed the boarding plank.
“Do you think that’s Captain Ardimo?” Penny questioned, keeping her voice hushed. It was clear that some of the other zoners on the tour were asking each other the same thing.
“No way,” Snap whispered back, giving his head a shake. “Pretty sure the captain is—”
All of a sudden, a figure leaped from what seemed like nowhere, curling into a ball mid-air, and then unfurled and landed with a steady slam onto the ship’s deck. All eyes fell to this figure as it slowly rose, revealing a bipedal zoner with strong, stocky legs in a pair of cowboy boots, a plated hide thick enough to stop sharp objects, and a segmented, armoured tail. Their ears sprung up like two alert beacons, between which a pirate hat nuzzled. The sharp look in the creature’s eye helped the figure to exude an air of confidence and wonder.
“I,” began the creature as he brought a single scaled hand to the brim of his hat, “am Captain Ardimo.” Silence proceeded him until he snapped upright, threw his arms wide, and yelled, “Let the tour begin!”
Snap, Penny and Rudy stared at the captain and found themselves quietly smiling.
“Is he an armadillo?” Penny questioned.
“I think so,” Rudy whispered back.
“He’s so cool!” Snap squealed, his giddiness getting the best of him. “I gotta go thank him.”
Snap didn’t wait for the others to respond before he rushed up to the captain, who was already being bombarded by the other zoners on the tour, and began his attempt to win his attention. It was short-lived, however, as the announcer from before stood at the back of the ship, where the helm rested, calling the captain over. Captain Armido excused himself and leaped up the stairs leading from the main deck to the poop deck, and turned around beside the announcer to address his patrons.
“My good people,” he began, voice strong and charismatic, “welcome, once more, to the Molten Fudge Tour, where you will taste ChalkZone’s finest natural fudge, see sights to behold, and maybe make some friends along the way. You’re in for a treat, my friends, and I wish for you to have the best seat while doing so. That being said...” He removed his hat, holding it against his chest as he tucked his other arm behind his arched, armoured back. “I would like to remind everyone of the safety precautions we always take here aboard the Spines of Fate; keep your arms, tails, scales, feet, wings, tentacles, beaks, and any other extremities inside the vessel at all times.” He swept the crowd with his eyes, stopping on Rudy. “Please...no interfering with the natural formations of this mountain, and no interacting with the locals.”
After removing his gaze, Rudy felt his expression loosen, wondering if the eye contact was intentional or accidental, but brushed it off as the captain continued his introductory speech and listed a few other safety precautions that Rudy assumed he was obliged to list, and thanked everyone for coming. Finally, he introduced the announcer as his quartermaster, whose name was Boomsworth, and then highlighted the several hooded figures sprinkled about the deck as the ship’s crew, who also served as tour guides for the ship. He expressed that they could help with simple requests such as refreshments and limited knowledge about the upcoming mountain’s history.
After a round of cheers and applause, Rudy watched as the armadillo zoner spoke to Boomsworth for a minute as the crowd dispersed, unable to wipe the light frown from his face.
“He...did look at me, right? During that speech?” Rudy queried to his friends, turning around a little.
“Well, yeah. He’s gotta know you’re the Great Creator, right?” Snap wondered, curiosity wandering his mind. “I kinda...assumed that was the reason I was approached and given the tickets.”
“Perhaps,” Penny started, slipping off her backpack. “Whatever the reason, I am most intrigued to see what wonders Tepid Mountain has to offer. Perhaps I can collect a sample of this naturally-occurring fudge for studying.”
“Always the science whiz,” Snap groaned, and Penny merely gave him a look. “No, no, I get it; it’s your thing. Never change, Penny.” He gave her shoulder a few pats as she narrowed her eyes with a smile and hooked her hands through the loop at the top of her backpack. Briefly, she scanned the area for a place to sit.
“Over there?” she asked, indicating a spot closer to the railing which looked to have some seating arrangements.
“Ahoy, we’re goin’ portside, mateys!” Snap announced, earning amused looks from the others.
Rudy felt his frown melt as he pursued his friend. “Ye better get straight to work cleanin’ the poop deck, ye troublesome scoundrel!”
Snap shook his head a little as he turned around and continued walking backwards. “Naw, Rudy, the poop deck is at the back. Also known as the stern.” He grew a sneaky smile. “Somebody needs to brush up on their pirate lingo.”
He continued walking backwards until he ran into something, causing him to spin around after catching a glimpse of uncertainty from Rudy. He looked up, noting a grin as he craned his neck at Captain Armido, who had two hands on his hips. His eyes went with wide a combination of embarrassment and awe.
“Oh, do excuse me, your captainy-ness,” Snap chuckled nervously, backing up a little.
“Pirate lingo, ‘ey?” the captain repeated, raising a thick brow accompanying a slight smile. “She look like a pirate ship to you?”
“Uhh,” Snap began, suddenly unsure what his answer should be. His mouth attempted to shape several words, but none emerged until he settled with, “Maybe?”
The captain stared him down for a few more seconds before he bellowed with laughter, showing surprisingly sharp teeth. “She is! Spines of Fate was originally a pirate ship. But with a few modifications and a change of scenery...she’s the finest airship around.”
Snap’s face lit up as he blurted out a few laughs of relief. “That’s awesome!”
The captain basked in the attention of a new fan as he stood, chest puffed, and cast a look over Rudy. The boy was amused, but could feel a hint of uncertainty tugging at his cheeks. The captain softened his expression, removing his hands from his hips and taking a few steps towards the wooden wall of the forecastle. “Rudy Tabootie...Great Creator,” he stated, almost asking for verification. Rudy held eye contact with him and the two stared for a few tense seconds. “Great to have you on board!” he called suddenly, opening his arms in a friendly gesture.
Rudy blinked a few times, giving a bit of an awkward smile. “Uhh...thanks,” he answered, clearing his throat as he looked to his blue-and-white friend. “Uh, Snap here is a big fan.”
“And I appreciate that,” the armadillo said, nodding his head and casting an endearing look onto Snap, who gazed back in admiration. “But you, Great Creator... I know you’re a very creative boy. I am most surprised to see you, as I imagined you might prefer something more...like to a canvas.” He stopped for a few moments. “I do hope you’ll enjoy witnessing one of the true marvels of ChalkZone. A true...natural marvel.”
Rudy felt his instincts warn him again as he watched this creature’s face carefully, unsure exactly what he was trying to insinuate. Not wanting to give away his growing unease, Rudy cleared his throat and looked down, then back up again. “Well, I’m grateful that you gave us all an invitation. Me, and my friends.” He indicated to Penny and Snap, and the captain’s knowing smile grew before he gave a gentle outward snort of amusement.
“I look forward to giving you all the tour,” Captain Armido finished, giving Snap one last look before he sauntered off along the main deck, greeting some of the other tourists.
Snap, who had watched him go, turned back around, a grin plastered across his face. “Isn’t he awesome?!”
“Yeah...” Rudy murmured, keeping a stern look on the captain.
“Rudy?” Penny began, and he turned to her as she offered a questioning look. “Are you okay?”
Rudy was about to dismiss her concern when he kept his mouth shut, thought for a moment, and looked back to the armadillo zoner interacting with members of the crowd. Those around him seemed thrilled by his presence, and he was more than ready to entertain. Laughs carried across the deck.
“Did...did anyone else get a strange feeling about him?” he asked quietly, and Snap recoiled a little.
“Strange feelin’? What do you mean, strange feelin’?”
“I-I dunno... It was like he was challenging me or something,” Rudy explained, feeling simultaneously justified and irrationally paranoid. After a few more moments, he merely began to feel silly, and dismissed himself after all. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Well...if you say so, bucko,” Snap shrugged, looking back at the captain. “Look, I reckon he’s one of the coolest zoners I’ve ever met, but if you think he’s shady...no harm in keepin’ an eye on him.”
Rudy felt a bundle of relief unravel and disperse through his system as he nodded a little. “I don’t mean to kill the adventuring mood, you guys.”
“We’ll watch out for each other like we always do,” Penny assured him, offering a smile. Rudy smiled back, feeling better already.
“Dodgy captain or not...this trip is gonna be awesome!” Snap declared, and at that, Rudy chuckled.
Penny looked about, spotting a hooded crew member nearby and approached them, enquiring about leaving their bags somewhere. The zoner explained that they could set their bags down where they liked, and needed not to worry about them falling off, as the airship had its own in-built gravity field that kept anything on the deck from falling or tilting to help with its airborne operations.
Happily, she reported back to her friends that they could leave their bags wherever they wanted, and elected to leave them with a pile of other tourists’ bags toward the rear of the ship. Afterwards, they noticed two of the hooded crew members beginning a tour of the ship, and hastily joined up, wishing to see all that the airship had to offer.
One of the other crew members, standing alone on the forecastle, watched the trio leave with the small tour party through a door leading below deck. The figure’s gaze was trained on them for some time, and then shifted over to the pile of assorted bags.