As Bruiser and Kageru approached what used to be Fourside, the sky grew darker. The ominous sign worried Bruiser.

"Are you sure we should be going here?" he asked apprehensively. Kageru didn't respond.

The pair flew over the bridge and tunnel leading inside the city and Kageru descended slightly. Bruiser wasn't sure why Kageru was keeping close to the ground, but he followed anyway.

As he moved over the city streets, Kageru watched to see what part of the city he was in. When he neared the North-East corner, he stopped suddenly. He landed on the ground lightly and his wings disintegrated. Bruiser had no idea what to do about his 'Power of Flying', but as soon as he touched the ground it was gone. Kageru pushed a button on the D-Ark, and a display appeared slightly above the actual screen. An arrow appeared and pointed in a northerly direction, Kageru began to follow the arrow. Bruiser followed behind, uncomfortable in the eerie quiet.

"Do you know where you're going?" asked Bruiser as Kageru made another apparently random turn.

"Hai," replied the boy. Bruiser assumed that must mean 'yes' in Japanese.

After another few minutes Kageru stopped dead, having run out of land to walk on. He had reached the coast, and the arrow on his display still pointed ahead of him.

"What do we do now?" asked Bruiser, looking around. "I don't see any boats around here."

"We do little. I am going that way," he said as he pointed out to sea.

"Hey! What're you giving me the cold shoulder now for? I said I was gonna stick with ya, kid!"

"Trust me, I doubt you want to get involved in this." Kageru pulled a card out of his deck. "Cado Surash! Aia Bodo!"

The hovering board appeared in front of him again, and he jumped onto it. Bruiser moved towards it, but Kageru was already moving across the water.

"With any luck, I'll be back before long," called Kageru. Bruiser just stood there, watching Kageru disappear.

--------------------

With Raltise's attention diverted to Twoson to watch the others, and then by the Nightmare Rock cracking, he didn't detect the young boy approaching - who was only just overlapping his 'domain'. Kageru did not that Raltise didn't know he was there - not knowing that Raltise should know he was there - or that even if Raltise was paying attention, that it would be difficult to track the partially data boy.

Raltise only noticed Kageru after he jumped off the board and was flying towards him in the air, sword drawn. How didn't I notice him? Did the Nightmare Rock distract me? No matter. He cannot be a threat to me.

"Shi-ne!" exclaimed Kageru, just before Raltise swung his arm and blew the boy several meters back with an energy blast. Kageru landed on his back on the Air Board, which had moved to stay under him.

"OK ... so it wasn't ... a good ... idea," wheezed Kageru as he fought off the oncoming darkness, trying to find a card. He blacked out before he could use it.

"Why would that pitiful boy think he could harm me?" wondered Raltise to himself back on the boat. "But more importantly: Why didn't I realize he was here until he was already attacking? He had no hope of harming me, but what happened? No matter. They cannot defeat me yet, even if they can sneak up on me. Now what fun is my little switch causing?" he asked the air as he set his attention back on Twoson.

--------------------

Kageru slowly drifted back to Fourmoon's coast on the Air Board, totally oblivious to everything around him. Fortunately, Bruiser was still waiting, since Kageru said he'd be back.

The approaching mass caught the wrestler's eye. "Hey! Kageru! How'd it go?" No answer. "Kageru?" Still nothing. "Hey, are you okay?"

The Air Board drifted over dry land and promptly vanished, dropping Kageru to the ground. Bruiser rushed over to the unconscious boy. He could tell Kageru was still alive, but he wondered what happened. Then he noticed Kageru was holding a card in one hand, and his D-Ark in the other.

"Was he trying to use this?" wondered bruiser. He took the card and tried running it through the device. Nothing happened.

"Do I gotta say something like he always does?" He then realized what Kageru said was different for every card, so he tried reading the one he had. The writing looked like barbed wire, so he settled on saying what he knew.

"Card Slash!" he called. The D-Ark began to glow. Remembering how Kageru used the Speed Sevens, he turned the D-Ark to Kageru, and a beam of light left it and went to Kageru.

The boy sat up slowly when the light faded. "That hurt."

"You okay?" asked Bruiser.

"I am now. Thanks for using the card, I needed that," said Kageru, taking his items back.

"What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's get out of here..." Kageru fished around in his deck before pulling out a card and looking at it. "I wonder if this will work... Cado Surash! Dejitaru Ge-to!"**

With a flash, a strange panel appeared in front of the pair. A light flashed and a status indicator changed from orange to green.

"Let's go," suggested Kageru. "And let's hope this works..." He stood in front of the panel, and vanished. Bruiser shrugged and followed suit.

---------------------

Meanwhile, back in Twoson the group had arrived in the hotel and procured rooms for the night.

Chartreuse was just trying to get to sleep when his - rather, Ness' - Receiver Phone began to ring. Chartreuse picked it up, and it brought the line off hook automatically. This was a very good thing since Kageru and Bruiser were ejected from the phone somehow before he raised the phone to his ear.

"Kageru? Bruiser? How did you get inside the phone?" Asked Chartreuse, who was still slightly disoriented, and tired.

**"Digital Gate"

In the hotel room belonging to Ness, Paula, and Jeff, only one of the current guests was asleep. Instead of using the time for rest, Paula was staring up at the ceiling, reflecting on the events of the previous days. Were they really safe resting here? she wondered. Would Risosha attack them during the night? What damage could the giant Mondo Mole have done to Twoson? She was struggling to find the answers to these questions when something caught her eye. Vincent's body was slowly creeping towards the door.

Paula swooped down on him. "Ness, where are you going?"

Ness hesitated before speaking. "Just... taking a walk," he replied uneasily. He returned Paula's angry glare reluctantly, and buckling under her stare, he finally told her the truth. "I'm worried about my family. Last year, the people I cared about the most were killed. What if the same thing happened again?"

Paula nodded sympathetically. "I understand what you're feeling. However, you can't leave just yet. We're going to have to fix everyone's bodies. What are the others going to do if your borrowed body isn't with them? And how would you explain this ordeal to your mother and sister?" From the couch, Jeff snored loudly.

Ness shrugged, realizing Paula was right. They returned to their beds, but neither of them fell asleep. As both of them were lost in thought, another question entered Ness' mind. "What happened to Poo?" he said aloud.

Paula bolted upright. "Poo..." she mumbled absentmindedly, scanning her own memory.

"He was at Fourside..." Ness began, but stopped as he saw Paula walking towards the door. "Where are you going?" he now asked, staring questioningly at her. "You don't think something happened to Poo, do you?" His stomach lurched unpleasantly as he thought about what horrible scenarios Poo could have been in.

"We left him at Fourside, with those psychotic puppets," Paula agreed. "I don't know if they could kill him again, but he's probably in the hands of Risosha, wherever he is."

Suddenly, their roles flipped. "Don't go looking for him now," Ness said firmly. "This entire group is devoted to reviving you and Jeff. How can we revive you if you're not with us?"

"I'll be back before you can even get to Winters," Paula assured him. "I just want to go over to Fourside and see if he's okay. Don't you want to revive him, too?" Without a response, Paula exited the room.

Seconds after she had left, Ness heard a thud from beyond the wall. "What was that?" he said to himself, grabbing the room key and walking out. He knocked gently on Chartreuse and Dan's door, and was startled when he saw who opened the door.

"Ah, Vincent," Bruiser greeted him warmly.

"...Ness," Ness corrected him. Bruiser turned to Chartreuse, confused. "We think Risosha did some crazy stuff which made everyone switch bodies. I'm in Vincent's body, Chartreuse in mine, Skulryk in Chartr... no wait, that's Lucky..."

Chartreuse interrupted Ness' ramblings. "Bruiser and Kageru have decided to rejoin us," he said, holding up the receiver phone. "We're just trying to figure out where to put them. As I was saying, Kageru, you can sleep on the couch, but where can Bruiser stay?"

Ness came up with the solution. "Unless Jeff moved from our couch to Paula's bed, you can have it. She left a few minutes ago."

"What!? She left?" Chartreuse asked.

Ness nodded. "To look for Poo. She said she'd be back before we get to Winters."

Abruptly, Dan woke up to silence them. Saving explanations for the morning, everyone went back to their rooms and most of them fell asleep.

All things considered, the rest of the night went without incident. The next morning they were downstairs, ready to formulate a plan and bankrupt the hotel, which offered a complementary breakfast buffet.

Sitting in a conveniently placed gigantic booth, they began to mull over their current situation as the concierge cried over an empty salad bar.

"So, this trip hasn't gone so well." Chartreuse offered.

"...said Donner to his dinner."

Chartreuse waved a butterknife at Dan, regained his composure, and continued.

"So anyway, we're pretty sure Narcy's in Winte--"

"Dan, what are you doing!?" Christina gasped in horror. Chartreuse sighed.

"I'm eating!" Dan replied indignantly, stabbing a piece of sausage with his fork.

"I'm on a diet!"

"I'm not!"

"But you're me!"

Dan conceded and sighed. "All that food...what a waste!"

Chartreuse finished his cereal, took a deep breath, and attempted to continue as if nothing had happened. "But first, we need to get to Lilliput steps."

Jeff interjected. "No, no. You pronounce that Lilliput."

"That's what I said!"

"No, no. You said Lilliput."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! We need to get to LILLIPUT STEPS so we can get our bodies back and STOP INTERRUPTING ME or I'm gonna freaking BREAK DOWN." Chartreuse growled under his breath. Skulryk, who was up to that point sitting on Chartreuse's right, began to gradually move to a safe distance.

"Lilliput steps." Chartreuse repeated, hyperventilating. He stood up in a dignified manner, stepped onto the table, and hopped off of it, walking towards the exit. The others, valuing their lives, followed.

"Hehehe..." Chartreuse muttered to himself as he saw the rest of his party jump to attention and follow him. "Those drama classes I had to take as a kid finally paid off."

Jack observed the group as they entered the hotel. Something wasn't quite right with them, like they weren't used to their bodies. But he put that thought aside.

First things first. The night was coming on. Jack needed a spot to sleep, and the hotel was taken. He looked around, spotted a tall oak tree with many branches. Perfect! He could climb it and spend the night hidden in the leaves.

Secondly, how to cause more chaos. They were very lucky to have defeated the mole, since they probably didn't know that pepper and salt were the antidote to the growth serum. He couldn't count on it anymore. But he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He could always

kill them

cause a rockslide and

kill them!

force them to go by another, longer route. He wanted them to keep going forward, though. He didn't want to stop them entirely. He didn't want to

kill them.

Now where did that thought keep coming from?

"I don't want to kill them," Jack murmured aloud as he climbed the oak tree.

Yes you do, the wind seemed to answer. You're an assassin. You kill people.

"Not these people." Who was he talking to? He wasn't going insane, there was a voice somewhere..

Yes! Kill them all, feed your power, fill your thirst for hate!

Oh. Sure.

"For my hate, eh?" Jack smiled at nothing, whispered to nobody. "I know you now. I'm not hateful. Nor am I evil. I am chaos, and you're trying to steer me aside. I want these people aside. They're leading me, though they themselves may not realize it."

Leading you? Where?

"To the end. To my final ambition. To the path of light, where I will be the darkness." He closed his eyes, settled back against the trunk of the oak. "If they lead me there, I will owe them nothing more. If they don't... maybe I'll kill them, for leading me on a wild goose chase. Either way, I'm not listening to you right now."

You WILL submit! The voice suddenly took on a harsher tone. Jack grabbed his ears, flew forward and doubled up, opened his mouth in pain though no sound came out. Something evil wanted to use him, to possess him...

"Alright! Alright! Let me go, I'll do whatever you want!"

Immediately the pain released him. The voice returned, soothing and gentle, almost letting Jack forget its angry tone. Almost.

They are going to Peaceful Rest Valley. Go there.

Jack dropped speedily from the tree and broke into an immediate run towards the valley. Though he hadn't rested yet, he felt renewed and vigorous. In no time at all, he was into the Peaceful Rest Valley, looking at the first bridge.

You need a plan.

"Got one." From his suit, Jack produced a remote-controlled satchel charge explosive and a ninja rope. He swung under the bridge and attached the charge with duct tape.

Good, well done! said the appreciative voice. Very wise, and very clever. You should be proud of yourself. Now you can sleep again.

Jack suddenly felt more tired than he ever had in his life. "Right, g'night." His body fell inert, held only by the ninja rope.

A mysterious power grabbed him, floated him up, up, up onto the top of the cliff that surrounded the valley. In the morning he would awaken, and then he would explode the bridge when the group passed over it on the way to Happy Happy Village. Far away in Fourside, Risosha grinned proudly. Why think of your own plans, when you need only set the gears in motion?

-----

About three hours later, Talus' group woke from its slumber. That is, those of the group who were slumbering; Harsemhin continued to make absurd analogies until his group awoke.

"Ready now!" a Mr. Saturn honked. "Phase Shifter, complete it is!"

"Perfect." Chione yawned, holding her sword behind her like a certain Final Fantasy character. "Our next stop is Lumine Hall, then?"

"Yeah," Siris responded.

Harsemhin wandered off, and picked the still-sleeping Kapeka up. He slung her over his shoulder.

"We should get going soon," Rustopher observed. "No one knows how far Raltise's plans have progressed by now. It would be quite prudent to stop him as soon as possible.

Finding this point of light would be a perfect stepping stone."

"Rather than talk, talk, talk," Matt murmured, "why not act, act, act?"

"Th'kid's got a point," Penetella spat. "If w'get th's'over wit', Raltise won't stand a chance in--"

"Okay, okay, let's go," Talus interrupted. Father, he thought. Why did it have to come to this?

"Harsey, why don't you leave the Moogle here?" Siris wondered. "She's sleeping and will probably find her way after us again."

"I won't leave her here. I left my wife to defend against the Giygan invasion [rather nobly, though unfair to her] and never saw her again. Even though I'm not related to this Moogle, if I just leave her here, I fear something more terribly than Diamond Stasis would befall me."

"Fine. Whatever," Siris muttered.

Together, the seven intrepid and motley heroes [and one sleeping Moogle] climbed into the Phase Shifter. The Mr. Saturn, although rather incoherently, explained how to operate it: "Put in where to go. But Phase Shifter not smart enough to know where to go immediately. Think where to go, zoom, Phase Shifter takes you there."

"So, we just think 'Lumine Hall' and it takes us there?" Chione wondered.

"That would appear to be what we do," Rustopher responded.

"Jus' do it!" Penetella ordered.

Lumine Hall, thought the seven awake individuals, Kapeka still being asleep. The Phase Shifter did nothing.

"Foolish people! Put in where to go!" yelled a second Mr. Saturn.

Harsemhin and Talus' faces became sheet white. Talus quickly moved over to the console. He deftly typed in "LUMINE HALL" and set it as the destination.

"It should work now," he murmured.

Lumine Hall! The Phase Shifter moved tentatively, shaking slightly, like a car in neutral.

"We're not focused enough," Harsemhin whispered. "Focus on Lumine Hall."

Lumine Hall! the thoughts resonated in the heroes' heads, ringing against the skull, against the brain.

The Phase Shifter's sensitive software, which was designed to detect this focused thought power, heard the destination. It shook. Hard.

Then it ripped out of existence!

"...Null..." Harsemhin murmured, wowed. "The Phase Shifter passes through Null."

Time seemed to have stopped.

We're not moving. Are we stranded? Harsemhin thought. The Phase Shifter suddenly grounded to a halt. Fearing it was his fault, Harsemhin immediately returned to the mantra.

Lumine Hall!

The Tenda people buzzed around their cave village, oblivious to the war going on between the humans of Eagleland. Their Chief was presently outside, attempting to gain a tan while eating some Tendakraut.

"By all that is Tenda..." he stammered. "The sun is blocked out. It is the apocalypse!"

He jumped out of his flower-chair and ran towards his village so that he could warn his citizens.

Then, in front of him, the Phase Shifter appeared!

-----

The group left the Hotel and headed towards the Peaceful Rest Valley. Skulryk, in Dan's body, fumbled with his pack, grabbing a notepad and a pencil. He began to write into it, but frowned. He called Dan over.

"Dan," Skulryk said. "Your handwriting... No offense, but it's weird."

Dan, in Christina's body, frowned. "Well what's wrong with it? It looks fine. It may not be the best in the world, but it's perfectly legible. Why, is yours perfect or something?" Dan flipped through some of the other pages in Skulryk's notebook.

Dan began to laugh. "This is chicken scratch! Now how could you have something wrong with my handwriting?"

"I'm not used to it..." Skulryk murmured. He wrote down 'take notes later' in his notebook, then put the notebook and the pencil back in his pack. Dan and Skulryk ran to catch up with the rest of the group.

Chartreuse had become leader (and rather ironically, Chartreuse was in Ness's body.) He lead the group past the bus station and into the caves leading to Peaceful Rest Valley, where they ran into some trouble.

"What are these?" Chartreuse shouted as some plants gathered around his ankles, lashing out at him, but not doing much damage.

"They look like Mobile Sprouts." Ness shouted, from Vincent's body. They were not hard for the group, but they were a minor pain as the group struggled to fight in their new bodies.

The fight was over fast. Vincent, in Lucky's body, stood to the side, rubbing a wound. Christina began to contemplate the battle. She spoke.

"Guys, what were Mobile Sprouts doing fighting us? I don't know a lot about the fight against Giygas, but from what I knew, they only began to fight because of Giygas's power and his evil influence! Giygas has been defeated, so what are they doing fighting us now?" She looked at Ness, who she assumed would be the most knowledgeable about Giygas's power.

Ness thought for a moment, then spoke, his voice somewhat shaky. "Yes, that's right. We killed Giygas, and the enemies we were fighting before dissipated. The... The only power that is strong enough to cause this is... Raltise."

He continued. "I don't know what this means. Maybe he's spreading his influence. He isn't just limited to Fourmoon anymore! Maybe when we leave this cave, Peaceful Rest Valley will have purple clouds..." The group had a sinking feeling in their stomachs. Of course, they knew Raltise had some power, as they assumed he was responsible for switching their bodies, but now they knew he could control people's thoughts and actions just as Giygas did not just in Fourmoon, but all across Eagleland. Perhaps the entire world was under Raltise's power.

The group left the caves, rather shakily, but Peaceful Rest Valley was as it had always been, and the sky was a clear blue; not a cloud was visible. They breathed a sigh of relief, but knew they would be facing rabid, untamed animals, people with evil thoughts, and other things that would be intent on destruction. This was not as bad as Raltise himself, but it sure wasn't a help.

The cold, biting air of Peaceful Rest Valley swirled around the group in small spurts, betraying the golden sunlight that was slowly rising over the grass.

Looking out over the hills, Christina in Skulryk's body held her hand up over her eyes to block the sun out as she scanned the hillside. Although the lush environment was full of nature's beauty, it seemed almost dead underneath, like a painting that had been crafted without feeling. She shivered slightly, although whether it was from the wind or from her thought she could not tell.

As she began to rub her arms slightly to warm herself off, she saw a shadow slowly form on top of the hill, rising to a standing position.

I wouldn't have noticed that had I looked up a second too late, Christina thought to herself. Glancing back at the group and then towards the shadow again, she felt that same chill that she had experienced moments before. Throwing caution to the wind, she broke from the group and ran towards the hilltop.

"Where is she going?" Jeff shouted suddenly, alerting the rest of the group to Christina's actions. Dan glanced up, blowing some of Christina's hair out of his eyes.

"She must have seen something! Come on, we'd better follow her!"

At the top of the hill, Christina quickly dodged behind a tree to get a closer look at the shadowy figure. It only took her a moment to see that he was glancing down the hillside, holding a stick of dynamite in his hand. The fuse was lit, glowing softly in harmony with the sunlight.

"No!" Christina shouted, startling the person in front of her as she jumped out at him. When the man turned around, she caught sight of his blood red eyes.

He's one of Raltise's servants! I can't handle this on my own, She thought quickly, desperately weighing her odds. By now, the man had regained his coordination, and was seconds away from attacking Christina. Screwing up all her courage, Christina kicked out roughly with her foot just as the group reached the hilltop, just in time to see the shadowy man double over in agony as Christina's shoe connected squarely with the man's groin.

"Why?" Chartreuse shouted, grimacing in pain. "Christina, who's the guy, and what did he do to deserve such torture?"

Christina looked down at the man, who was rolling on the ground, still suffering quietly. The dynamite had flown out of his hand when he was hit, landing in the water below and defusing it.

"I found this man about to bomb the bridge, waiting until our group crossed it! He was trying to kill us!" Christina yelled, stepping away from the man.

Skulryk stepped forward. "That's Jack Flash! He's the guy who hijacked my truck!"

"Raltise has him now..." Christina replied sadly, still checking behind her to make sure that Flash didn't attempt to attack.

Chartreuse stared at Jack and cringed sympathetically. "I know he may be evil, but he still didn't deserve a kick like that. No man does."

"Yeah, but what do we do with him now?" Christina asked, kicking out lightly with her foot to indicate Jack. Lucky shrugged.

"We're gonna have to do somethin'..."

Owwwwch. That didn't work quite as I'd planned, Jack thought to himself. His dynamite was gone, but he still had the detonator for the satchel charge. He pulled it from his pocket and hit the button.

KABLAMMM!!! The bridge blew apart in a frenzy of flame. The group dove to the ground as logs and splinters flew over their heads.

When the wood and smoke finally settled, Chartreuse got Ness's body up and hauled Jack off the ground. "You JERK! Now how are we going to get to Lilliput Steps?!"

Jack shoved Chartreuse away. The evil voice in his head kept telling him to go further, take them all down.. like a terrible migraine that wouldn't go away. Reaching into the versatile Italian suit once again, Jack took out an aluminum-lined ballcap, signed by none other than the popular Mr. Baseball. The aluminum didn't block out the evil, but kept it down to a low hum. Jack sighed. He had to help himself get rid of the controlling evil before he could do anything else. He turned and started walking up the riverside, towards the northern bridge. The others were going to Lilliput Steps; maybe he'd meet them there. Maybe he'd even be himself again.

"Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going?!" Chartreuse shouted at Jack.

Jack didn't stop walking, didn't turn to reply. "I'm going to Lilliput Steps, because if I stay here then you're going to get on my nerves, and then I'd have to kill you!"

The group exchanged puzzled glances. Wasn't he just trying to kill them before? "He must be pretty tough to fight Raltise's influence like that," Skulryk muttered.

-----

Risosha -- no, Raltise, for there was no semblance of Risosha left -- paced the length of the fishing boat solemnly. He gazed forlornly into the neon distance and speculated on his current situation. All the chess pieces were slowly moving into place; soon, he would have his retribution. Yet the desolate scape of Fourmoon was a bit disconcerting, even for him. His puppets had gone off in search of the adventurers, leaving him all but alone on the waters.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Delisauce jar. Within, the compressed ghost of Prince Poo scrambled frantically. Raltise grinned menacingly. "Good evening, young prince. Though evening need not apply for it is perpetually...night in my city. Yes, yes...my crowning city...mm hmm...quite a lonely city, yes. You will provide me with some company, will you not?"

The ghost of Poo glared threateningly through the glass, but said nothing. Raltise shrugged his shoulders, and paced the length of the deck again, this time heading for a door leading to the inner cabin. Continuing to stare into the jar, he subconsciously grasped the door handle and gave it a quick turn, stepping into the captain's quarters. The room was entirely wooden; paneling framed the walls, a small bed was nestled in a cubby below a porthole to the side, and in the middle of the room a small eating table with a flickering candle stood, a wooden chair with velvet upholstery nearby. A ceiling fan churned noiselessly above.

Raltise placed the jar near the candlelight, and took a seat. He folded his hands before him and rested his chin on them, piercing Poo with his deadly eyes. "Well then, young prince...entertain me with some discussion."

Poo glared spitefully yet again and stuck out his tongue, folding his arms across his chest. "You want a topic of conversation? Well how about this? 'You suck.'"

Raltise straightened in his seat, and passed his tongue sharply over the edge of his teeth, as if considering this. "Yes, hmmm...I see...well, if you speak of the Nightmare Rock, this is quite true. Yes. Quite."

Prince Poo smacked his forehead. They paused. A cool wind flitted through the cabin from the open porthole. An incomprehensible grin framed Raltise's face. "Yes, well, young prince...what say you to a...treat of sorts? Yes, a treat, a most delectable treat!" Poo frowned, not quite sure what to make of this. He waited. Raltise's eyes wandered about the cabin, and he seemed to fix on something, as if he was staring into the distance.

"A small fat man inside of me...I believe his name is Risosha, he desires some satisfying. Yes." Here, Raltise's voice rose sharply, taking on a mighty, commanding tone. "For I have...THE URGE..."

He paused.

"...for some pie."

Poo blinked. He came to the realization that he was obviously dealing with a madman. Raltise bolted from his chair and began pacing the length of the small cabin. "Yes, yes, quite. But what kind of pie? Oh, this is the very question which eludes me so! There are so many desserts to savor, so much to choose from. Mmm hmmm...yes, I see...the traditional tastes might call for Apple, but I am not one for this, oh no!" He gesticulated wildly with his arms. "Then there is of course chocolate pie, but that is far too eccentric even for my own tastes, and I have no milk to wash it down with! Quite!" He stopped pacing, yet still waved his arms about wildly. "Yet there are so many others, so many flavors of all kinds! Blueberry, pecan, cherry, and the ever so delicious smore pie by the delightful folks at Enrich Flavor! A shame I had to turn them all into flames, yes!"

Suddenly, a calm enveloped Raltise, as if an idea had struck him. He snapped his fingers, and grasped the ends of the table, staring intently into the bottle. His bloodred eyes were wide with excitement, and his mouth was twisted into a wild smile as he glared at Poo. "I have it!" He exclaimed. "...Key Lime!" He waved his hand, and by the mere notion a key lime pie appeared on the table before him, complete with knife, fork, plate, serving utensil, and napkin. Raltise sat down, picking up the blue and white checkered napkin and tucking it lightly into his shirt collar, and grasping the utensils. He cut himself a slice, lifted it gently with the serving wedge, and placed it before him on the plate. Then, gazing at his tools of destruction appraisingly, he cut himself a sliver and placed it in his mouth.

As he chewed, Poo watched curiously. Raltise rolled it around in his mouth, savoring the taste. After what seemed like a minute or so, he swallowed it, and smacked his lips in satisfaction. "Yes, yes...quite a triumph! Exotic, yet not without familiarity. A truly wonderful pie that could only be conjured up by the power of the mind, mm hmmm. Yes, well let us attend to pressing matters, shall we? Yes, quite. Well, my puppets, how go things?"

----

Lier shifted uncomfortably as he watched from the treetops as the Phase Shifter flashed into existence. Everdred drifted close by. "Well? What are we waiting for? Why not off them now? Or at least toy with them?" He seemed over-anxious about the prospect. Lier shushed him.

"You know the drill. Just follow them. That is what the Puppetmaster bid us." He descended from the heights, into the jungle depths, eyeing the craft suspiciously as Harsemhin stepped from it, before the startled Tenda chief. Three pairs of bloodred eyes peered through the darkness along with his.

Motonoli seemed to be nodding his head, as if listening to and acknowledging an unheard voice. Then he spoke in whispers. "New orders. Looks like this isn't the path of light after all. Our gracious master can sense these things as the force that binds him shatters. They've walked right into a dead end." Carpainter turned to him, staring blankly through crimson.

"Well then? What do we do?" Monotoli grinned wickedly.

"Kill them."