This is the tale of Everdred, Or, as I like to call it, goodbye for now or forever. This took a long time to write. Special thanks go out to Squirty of starmen.net for showing me the text dump so i could get what Everdred says at the end, as well as ninten1 and iceman for helping me spell people's names right. if you like this story, look for pyrite in the archives, or go to my website at mildcompetence.myrmid.com And now, I present to you:

Everdred grinned to himself. Taking the Mani Mani statue from the Happy Happyists had been almost too easy. They had been all too happy to get rid of it, and since he had said that he was planning to destroy it, and had put on one of his best con-man faces, helped by his easygoing Hawaiian shirt and long beard and hair.

They had believed it.

They had even given him an old tractor to cart the thing around in. Now getting it through the peaceful rest valley was going to be another story. A li’l UFO, as big as his head, took notice of Everdred and made a beeline towards him. Everdred pulled his guns; twin pistols, and fired one shot with each. One broke through the thing’s front, exposing a variety of alien circuitry. The other hit the outer edge, knocking it off balance and sending it spinning through the air. It splashed into the river and shorted out. Everdred grinned again. He still had it. He dimly remembered the fight with Ness a week ago. He had had a horrible urge to stop the boy, though he didn’t know him personally. Oh, of course he had heard of him, the kid who single-handedly mopped the floor with the sharks in Onnett. They were some rough guys, but they were nothing compared to Everdred. Even Frank was a bit of an amateur, if he did have a good deal of style and smarts.

He had been seething with hatred. When he saw the boy coming and went up to the roof, the last vestiges of his humanity somehow kept him from getting his guns. He leapt down at Ness and fought him barehanded, and Ness proceeded to beat some sense into him with a baseball bat and some oddly powerful abilities. But that was all in the past. Everdred holstered his guns and started driving again. He was almost out of the valley. He drove the tractor up to a smallish tunnel in the cliff wall. Crap. This was going to be hard. He just barely got the tractor in alignment with the hole in the cliff and drove on. Everdred watched as mobile sprouts ran around and multiplied only to be crushed beneath the tractor’s wheels. He finally reached the other side, and he began driving his strange booty into Twoson.

Everdred set the gold statue on the floor of his hideout in Burglin Park. The statue weighed far too little for an actual solid gold statue, and Everdred was actually able to move it some. When it was positioned in the center of his house, he stood back and had a good look at the thing. Only God knew how Carpainter had pried it from the hands of Lier X Agerate. The statue was so beautiful. How could Lier have parted with it? Everdred didn’t want to destroy the statue, he needed it.

Needed it like a man who is dying of thirst needs water.

Everdred whipped out his pistols and fired at the statue until his guns ran out of bullets. The statue was undamaged, but Everdred’s hideout was now riddled with holes from the ricochets. One bullet had hit the statue dead center, and had fallen to the ground as flat as a pancake. Everdred shook his head in resignation and sighed. He already had people knocking on his door, wanting to know what was going on. He opened the door a crack and told the gathered people that it had been nothing. After a while, they left, and Everdred could go back to his worrying. He didn’t like the way the statue had drawn him in like that. Everdred had never been in this business for the money, though it was certainly a plus. He was there for the excitement. This Mani Mani statue robbed him of control, not over his crime group, but over his very soul. It had consumed the minds of an entire village. He had to destroy it.

Amazingly, the tunnel had just been cleared of ghosts that day. It was this tunnel that Everdred was driving down. He had swapped the tractor for a van, and had, at length, gotten the Mani Mani statue in it. Even without the ghosts, the tunnel maintained a slightly eerie feeling, but Everdred just had a feeling that it would go away in time. He arrived in Threed. Threed was the brightest, happiest town he had ever seen. Everdred had expected the place to be gloomy and still recovering from the zombie attacks that had gone on. but the land was incredibly green, and the people were celebrating their recent rescue from the zombies. Everdred had to get to Fourside, however, and there find transportation to winters, where he could find Dr. Andonuts, who might be able to figure out how to destroy this thing. He had already talked to apple kid, who had only been able to conclude that nothing in his possession could so much as scratch the thing. And besides, Apple Kid was an inventor, not a scientist. (As he had explained to Everdred.)

He ordered a pizza and started heading down the tunnel. While he drove, he saw behind him a man dressed for the circus, top hat and all, and carrying what looked to be a pizza box, running near the speed of his truck. Everdred slowed down a little, and the man caught up to him.

“Here would be your small pizza, Mr. Everdred sir! That will be $76. You have the money, of course.”

Everdred handed the man a wad of tens and took the pizza. The man counted the money while still running, and when coming to a satisfactory total stopped completely. He waved happily to Everdred as he drove away, glad about the 20% tip. Everdred took out a piece, and began munching.

It was starting to get dark.

Just as the sun began to set, Everdred drove into the dusty dunes desert. The log house style drug store rose to his left. He pulled the truck over and walked in.

An ageing man came up to him and said “we are holding an inn here, as well as a drugstore. Would you like to stay the night?”

“Sure” Everdred replied in a slightly gravelly, yet comforting, voice, and handed the man a couple of hundred dollar bills. The elderly man showed him a cot, and let him sleep.

Everdred awoke with a start. It was still dark, and he could tell that he had only slept a couple of hours. He heard something outside that grated against his nerves. Whispering. Everdred came totally awake and got up, checking his guns in their holsters. He now realized how cold it got in the desert at night, and noted to use the blankets that he had shoved off of the cot earlier. He burst out of the doorway, guns at the ready.

Someone was in his truck. They started its engine, and started to drive towards him. They looked to be sharks. Everdred knew that this would piss Frank off, if he knew about it. Everdred shot a couple of bullets through the windshield, the first only leaving a hole but the second braking it into small pieces. The sharks opened the doors and jumped out, one flipping out a skateboard and landing on it, the other pulling out a pogo stick. The skate punk rode up to Everdred and jumped, grabbed his skateboard from under his feet, smacked Everdred with it, and amazingly got his feet back on it again. Everdred stumbled backwards, but managed to shoot one of the wheels off the skate punk’s board. surprisingly, the gangster was able to keep his balance on only three wheels. All of this occupied Everdred, so he didn’t notice the pogo punk’s slower advance. The pogo punk bounced up to Everdred, and began launching punches and kicks from all angles. This really did a number on Everdred until he was able to kick the pogo stick out from under the delinquent. He fell to the ground with a satisfying “thump.” Meanwhile the skate punk was coming around for another pass at our favorite crime lord. A quick punch to the stomach, aided by the punk’s speed, left him on the ground, and his skateboard far away from him. Everdred went into his truck and pulled out some rope, tying them up securely. Then he went back into the drugstore and called Frank.

*Ring. Ring.*

“Hello? Frank here.”

“Well, hello Frank. This would be Everdred.”

Franks tone became infinitely more severe.

“What do you want, Everdred? You know my boys aren’t causing any more trouble. We aren’t going to be pulling any jobs for you.”

Everdred smiled at Frank’s attitude. He had carefully cultivated an image of himself as a ruthless, merciless crime-boss. “I don’t need you to do a job; it’s just that your boys are causing trouble. Two of them tried to steal my truck just now. I’ve got them tied up in front of the drug store in Dusty Dunes Desert. I would have dropped them off personally, but I have business, which demands my attention. I’m sure you understand.”

There was a pause.

“Right. I’ll get those morons. I’m sorry about this, ‘Dred.”

“No hard feelings, ‘Kay. Just beat some sense into those two.”

Everdred hung up and went back to sleep

The scorching sun was now up. Everdred rolled out of bed and stretched. The heat greeted him with a sweaty brow. He got dressed and went out to his truck, which was now minus one windshield. There was Frank, leaning against the hood, with foot long blonde hair, a red suit, and a knife sheathed at each side. Everdred walked over to him.

Frank was stroking one of his knife handles “well, ’Dred, man. What in not heaven are you doing driving around in a piece of crap like this, in the desert?”

“I have ‘business’ in Fourside.”

“Might I know more? I need both sides of this story here. I want to know what it is that's in this truck that would make my boys do something that stupid. And in sharks gear, no less.”

Everdred scowled, but was smiling inside. Frank was smart. “Honestly, Frank, it’s none of your business. I don’t know, nor do I want to know, what got into the heads of those two. But I will tell you that this is important. And that this isn’t about money.”

Frank was glad that his shades masked the look of shock in his eyes. “Tell me, Everdred, what is it about, then?”

Everdred admired that Frank kept his tone so confident. “You remember Ness?”

Frank stood up straight, and both his hands went to the hilts of his knives. “What about him?”

Everdred rested a hand on one of his pistols. He had hit a tender spot there. “Now calm down! I met him too, gave him a little help. Anyway this is about him, and about what he’s trying to do.”

Frank didn’t relax one hair. “I heard about you having fought him. And I don’t doubt that this is about him. My only real concern is whether you are on his side, or against him. That’s what’s going to determine what happens here and now.”

Everdred frowned. Frank was smart, almost too smart for his confidence. Everdred had no idea how Frank had taken the beating Ness had given him and his gang, so he decided to go with the truth. “I’m with him.”

Franks hands pulled back from the knives, but he didn’t exactly go slack with relief. “And just what is this about?”

Everdred thought for a second, and decided to tell him.

“So you’ve heard that me and Ness had a little clash, but did you hear about the odd gold statue that was in happy happy village? The one that Lier X Agerate dug out of the ground.”

“Yea. People said it screwed with their minds. What about it?”

Everdred walked over to the back of the truck, and motioned Frank to follow. When they both arrived Everdred threw open the doors.

Frank turned to Everdred and drew his knives. “What the HECK is this about, Everdred? What are you doing with this thing? Gonna poison more minds with it? ‘Cause that sure as heck isn’t happen--

Everdred grabbed Frank’s hands. “Calm down right now! The statue’s working on you. This is what it does! It uses whatever emotions are in your mind and screws with them until you’re like a puppet and it’s holding the strings! Now put your dang knives away before one of us gets hurt.”

Everdred released Frank, who slowly slid his knives back into his sheaths. His eyes didn’t leave Everdreds. “What is going on here, Everdred? For the love of God, stop being dramatic and just tell me.”

Everdred closed the truck’s doors. “I’m taking it to the lab of the famous Dr. Andonuts in winters. He should be able to tell me what can destroy it. Or at least that’s what Apple Kid told me. bullets won’t even dent the thing. Now I have work to do, and I have to get it done before this thing really starts getting into my head.”

“Well, if that’s so, I guess this is goodbye.”

Everdred nodded. “For now or forever.”

Frank walked over to his car and closed the trunk. Inside were the two sharks that Everdred had tied up. They still tried in vain to brake their bonds. Then he got inside and started the engine. Everdred called out to him “personally, Frank, I like you. You’ve got what it takes. Good days ahead, ok?”

“Right back at ya!” And with that, Frank sped away down the desert road.

Everdred grinned. That had gone about the best it could have possibly gone. Twice Frank had come close to trying to kill him, and while he was fairly confident in his abilities, there was always the chance that a stroke of bad luck could follow a stroke of one of Franks well-polished knives.

Not that having to kill frank would be very fun, either.

But it hadn’t come down to that, thank God.

Everdred started the truck, and drove off to Fourside.

Frank was driving away very quickly. He was trying desperately not to think about the statue that Everdred was going to destroy. Even from this distance, it was trying to pry into his mind. How had Everdred learned to cope with this?

Everdred pulled over for a look. He was crossing the big desert to Fourside Bridge. He had a look over the edge at the serene, calm water. He envied the water, and how it seemed so peaceful. Then he reflected on how easily it could be disturbed. He threw a spent bullet shell into the surf, and watched the ripples come out from it. Even when it’s disturbed it remains peaceful looking. He stood there for a few more minutes, and then walked over to the truck and got back inside. Everdred started his engine and drove the rest of the way over the bridge, through the tunnel, and into the city of Fourside.

The buildings literally seemed to scrape the sky, going up thousands of feet. It was a place of metal and concrete and stone. The amazing city of Fourside, the most populated place in the known world. Everdred had been there before, long before the ghosts inhabited the tunnel to Threed. He drove his truck up an avenue, amazed by some of the sights that greeted him. Jackie’s cafe, He remembered doing some dirty business while sipping their $20.00 espressos. Deals with Geldegarde Monotoli, mostly. the man had visions, and Everdred was helping him at first, at least until he realized that Monotoli would start betraying people left and right while he was in power. The only other cars on the road were taxi cabs...

...With no one inside them.

One of the Mad Taxis rammed Everdreds truck. Everdred pulled out his guns and shot the tires off, then shot at the fuel cell until it exploded. The Taxi had pulled back for another hit, so when its gas tank exploded, Everdred wasn’t close enough to get caught in the blast. Everdred drove through the wreckage of the taxi, but another one rammed him from the side, tipping the car over. While all this was happening, a man in a black suit was walking nonchalantly over to the scene. He pulled out a small machine gun and proceeded to shoot Everdred with it as he crawled out of his car.. Everdred shot a round back, but had been hit in the stomach a few times. He was barely able to crawl into a back alley behind Jake’s cafe and hope that someone would help him.

The man in black limped over to the truck, and it seemed that Everdred had gotten him in the leg. He opened the doors on the truck and pulled out the Mani Mani statue, now lifting it as if it weighed nothing at all. The man carried the statue into Jackie’s cafe.

Everdred now realized that the Mani Mani statue had been messing with his mind. It had gotten him to come to Fourside, where it could get itself hijacked. it had been trying all of this other stuff just to throw his guard off, because it knew he would suspect if the statue didn’t seem to be fighting him.

Everdred felt really stupid right then.

A bunch of people had started to collect around Everdred, like people always seem to do whenever something bad happens. Someone seemed to be trying to get to the front, then gave something to someone in exchange for his spot. Everdred blinked a few times to clear his now blurred vision. The person was now standing over him and looking down. It was Ness! Ness was about he last person that he had expected to show up right here, and about 10 seconds too late, as well. And he had two people following him. Paula; the famous Miss Polestar, and some kid with glasses that Everdred didn’t recognize. judging by his expression, Ness was trying furiously to figure out how Everdred had followed him all the way from Twoson and then died somehow along the way.

“Aren't you Ness...? ..I can't see too well... Everything's blurry... You are Ness, aren't you? It's me, we met in Twoson... Everdred from Burglin Park. You must remember. I'm the best thief around. That... Carpainter in Happy Happy Village was hiding something...” Everdred struggled to catch his breath. “...something strange. I stole it, and thought about selling it in the big city... It's a gold-colored, doll-looking thing. ...Ohh... I'm in pain. ....Monotoli tricked me and stole it... from me! He tricked a thief! He wanted me out of the way because I know his secret... He gets his evil power from that statue!...Listen! I'll tell you only once. At the cafe, check... behind... the counter...” Everdread was gasping painfully for breath.

“...Before I go, here's my last haiku poem:

“When on your way out
Be sure that you say goodbye
then lock the door tight.”

Ness looked like he was about to faint.

“This is my final request... Don't... follow me. I must be on my way...”

Everdred rose to his knees then used his hands to get on his feet.

“Whoa...“

“So... long.“ He showed his guns and pushed the crowd out of his way. Then he started walking down the street, barely able to keep standing. Ness stared strangely at the thief, but didn’t follow him.

He smiled. He had failed, had been too weak. He had allowed himself to be deceived by the statue. Because of his failure, he had lost his life, and the world could be doomed to whatever it was that Ness was up against. But somehow, he thought that Ness would pull through.

Everdred walked over to the wall surrounding the trees. It didn’t seem right; those beautiful trees kept from the people by a wall. Then again, some idiots would probably trash the place. Heh, we have to deny ourselves beauty because we would ruin it. There’s humanity for you. He climbed the wall, and fell down the other side...

...That had really hurt. Everdred crawled over to the sea and watched the salty spray splash up and down. He pulled out one of his pistols and looked at it. It had a solid bone handle, with a shined barrel and hammer. That pistol had protected its owner since it had been made. Everdred threw it into the ocean. He crawled onto the sand, near the glistening waves, and laid down to die....

Everdred died with a smile on his face. The waves slowly began to carry his body away.