Logan Meets The Pagemaster Chapter 6

Chapter Six

*It had been a successful battle against Long John Silver and his band of pirates, it was to be a time for everyone to feel happy for their victory… And yet, at that moment, it felt more like they "lost". They just sit by the beach watching the waves slide against the sand back-and-forth, a long silence between them except for the occasional sighs. All of them felt sad, but none more than Richard. A boy who felt on the verge of giving up, practically writing the word "Exit" on the sands. It stands there for a moment before a wave washes off the word and the Pagemaster's voice could be heard in his head*

The Pagemaster's Voice: Seize the courage, Richard. Then you will reach the exit.

Richard: *sighs* I'll never get home.

Fantasy: *assuredly* You did good, honey.

Richard: I lost the library card. I can't check anybody out. *plops his head against his legs* We'll never get to the exit now.

Fantasy: Honey, never say "never" around Fantasy, because sometimes you've got to fight to make a wish come true.

Logan: Yeah, don't give up hope just yet, Rich. We'll get to the exit, I promise.

Popeye: They're absoludely roight! If I said I could "never" beat-ups ole' Bluto, I'd never have Olive Oyls back in me awms!

Isaac: If I stopped believing I could be a "Great Hunter", I'd be stuck reviewing trashy "animal" movies for the rest of my life! But look at me now!

Justin: The point is: If you give up now, you'll never know how far you'll go. And think of what we've done so far: We stood up against Mr. Hyde, we braved the ocean waters and survived Moby Dick, and we took on an army of Pirates single-handedly. All because we believed.

Richard: *sniffs* You really think we'll make it?

Logan: We're your friends, Richard, we'd never lie to you.

Fantasy: *lifts Richard up* So come on. Don't quit on me now.

Loki: *growling, translating* Hate to break up this emotional moment, but Richard did make a point: Even if we get to the exit, the books still can't leave. Without the library card… They're still stuck here.

Isaac: *sighs* He's right. If only we hadn't lost that card.

Bonnie: In the storybooks, this is the part where a miracle is supposed to happen.

Logan: *shrugs* "Supposed" to.

*Meanwhile, far from the others, Adventure had continued his walk along the beach letting out some steam. It was one thing they were stuck on this island and no direction to turn to, but the fact he felt offended by Horror's portrayal of being a pirate. The thought about it just made him so angry*

Adventure: *growls* Huh! That crazy hunchbook. Ahh. You don't see me pretending to be Horror.

*As Adventure mutters to himself, he felt something stuck against his peg leg on the sand. He tries to shake it off but then he stops when he noticed that it was a small piece of paper. Curious, Adventure lifts the page off his leg, reads it, and what he discovers shocks him: Richard Tyler's Library Card! Ecstatic to have it back, it practically falls back onto the sand. As soon as he picked himself off, he rushed to join up with the others*

Adventure: Why are you sittin' around like a bunch of ol' wenches at teatime?! *sticks out both arms, his only hand closed* Pick one.

Loki: *growling, translating* Really?

Richard: *thinks it over* Mmm... *points to the hand with no hook* That one.

*Adventure chuckles, opening his hand, and to Richard's surprise...

Richard: My library card!

Logan: *chuckles* Looks like you got that miracle after all, Bonnie.

Bonnie: Heh. I must be lucky I guess.

Popeye: That's stupendous, Adventure. How'd ya finds it?

Adventure: I wrestled it away from three sharks who was eyein' it for breakfast. At no small threat to me life, neither.

Fantasy: *sarcastically* Mm-hmm.

Richard: *looks around* Where's Horror? Wasn't he with you?

Adventure: *stutters* He was, but he, uh... I mean, I sort of, uh… He, uh…

Logan: *lowers his sunglasses* Adventure...

Fantasy: *puts her arms on her hips* What did you say to him now?!

Adventure: *stutters* Well, I, uh, I, uh, I just, uh, uh… *sighs* I'll go find him.

Fantasy: Yeah, you "better" go find him. And be quick about it!

Bonnie: Oh… I hope he's okay.

Isaac: We haven't been on the island for long, but if hunting experience has taught me anything, you should "never" wander anywhere on a place like this alone. Who knows what dangerous animals reside on this island?

*So off Adventure goes, deeper through the island in search of his missing companion and calling out his name hoping Horror was still alive*

Adventure: Horror! Horror! *gasps* Horror!

*What Adventure sees before him puts him at great shock. There in a center of the island, there was a tiny little kingdom before him. A kingdom of renaissance style structure, complete with their own little ship. In the outskirts of this kingdom Horror laid on his back unconscious while tiny little people tied him up with ropes and hammered him down with stakes. These were no ordinary people: These were a colony of little people of The Kingdom of Liliput from "Gulliver's Travels"*

Adventure: *pulls out his sword* Hang on, mate! I'm coming!

*Adventure rushes down to save his friend. Seeing the new threat approach him, the people of Liliput took out their bows and arrows and fired a few rounds against the new adversary. Adventure manages to cover himself but most of the arrows just simply bounce off of his body*

Adventure: You're lucky I was published with a thick hide!

*The only arrow that manages to land on Adventure was one on his peg-leg. Adventure looks down for a moment, slowly turning back to the little people. Yelling in anguish, Adventure charges toward the little people. Frightened and overpowered, they run away returning to the safety of their castle*

Adventure: *calls out* Come back, ya jellyfish! *looks down at Horror, cuts the binds* Speak to me, mate. *assumes the worst* Ye had a good heart and ye was braver than ye know. *lifts Horror up and embraces him* I… I'd walk the plank if I thought it would bring ye back.

Horror: That's beautiful.

*Adventure gasps in shock, that Horror was alive… And he heard "every" word he said. Soon the others quickly approach*

Bonnie: Adventure, we got worried, so we came as soon as we… *sees the display* Oh, I'm sorry. Did we interrupt something?

Fantasy: *crosses her arms* This is too cute.

Justin: I guess this thick-hided book has a soft spot after all.

*In response, Adventure drops Horror to the ground, the latter picks himself up. Regardless, Horror was so happy to see the others again as they approached*

Richard: Are you Okay?

Horror: *nods* Thanks to my friend here. *hugs Adventure*

Adventure: *growls* Get off me!

Logan: *shakes his head* Oh, you two… Some things just never change.

*Suddenly, a bright flash of light appears… Coming from Fantasy. She looks surprised and happy at the same time*

Fantasy: *wand blinks* Did you see that?

Richard: See what?

Fantasy: My wand! It's blinkin'!

Popeye: But why wouldst it blinks now? Unless...

Logan: We're near the Fantasy Section! Which means…

Richard: The exit!

Adventure: The checkout!

Horror: A happy ending.

Logan: Come on, guys. This journey isn't over yet!

*Knowing that Fantasy knows that section better than either of them, they follow Fantasy toward the outskirts of Adventure and her wand blinking strongly each time. As they make their way out, a thought comes to Adventure, who still feels uncertain about this seemingly coincidental moment*

Adventure: Are you sure that swizzle stick of yours is workin' right?

Fantasy: Hmm. *shrugs* I don't know. Maybe we should test it.

*Fantasy flicks her wand, sending a beam towards Adventure's direction and causing a strange transformation. Seeing this, the group tries to stifle a laugh when they noticed the change: Adventure was now much "pinker", had a golden wig with a crown, had dress sleeves and a tutu, a green glove, which held his sword wrapped in a bow, just like the one on his shoe. But the biggest change of all: Adventure was floating like Peter Pan. The spell did work. But when Adventure noticed, he was outraged*

Adventure: *rips them off* You've gone overboard, missis!

*Adventure is now back to normal… At the worst time, plopping back to the ground*

Isaac: *can no longer hold it* HA HA HA HA HA HA! Now THAT is funny! *laughs hysterically*

*Once they had their fun, our fearless band of heroes continued their journey to the land of Fantasy. Sure enough, as they got deeper and deeper through the forest, they could feel a more whimsical feeling towards this new location. Along the way, passing through the forests and over a hill, many astounding "Fantasy" characters could be seen as a melodious song plays in the background*

Singer: *singing* Whatever you imagine
Is where your heart can go.
There are worlds filled with treasure,
Time without measure,
To learn whatever you may need to know.

Imagine,
And you and I can fly past the sun

*As they climbed atop the hill, to see all of Fantasy in it's magical glory, an elderly woman flew over them from atop a giant goose. It didn't take much for either of them to know who exactly that figure was*

Richard: Look! Mother Goose!

Fantasy: Hey girl!

*No sooner had Mother Goose passed over them, a series of lights flew over the crew. But these were no ordinary lights, they were fairies.

Singer: *singing* And leave all our doubts and fears behind us.

All: Whoa!

Fantasy: *acting motherly* Hello, my little babies. Hi!

*The fairies approach Richard, who holds out his hand to allow them to land there. As they settle themselves, Richard is amazed as the fairies are seen up close. They appeared to look no different than humans, except for a variety of differences. For one, they were smaller and their forms were outlined by bright lights and wings sprouted from their backs. But they were such a sight to see, as they danced around Richard's hands. The crew had hardly seen a sight like this in the longest time since they've been in the library*

Singer: *singing* You see, that's just what can happen
When you look inside your mind.
There's no limit to the wonders you can find!

*And then, the fairies all fly out from Richard's grasp. As they are amazed by their flight, a couple of fairies playfully take Richard's glasses, including Logan's, and flies off as they pursue them. No doubt they were leading them farther along down the world of Fantasy*

Singer: *singing* Whatever you imagine
Can make your life brand-new.

*As they walked along the Yellow Brick Road from "The Wizard of Oz", the fairies pulled a prank on a notable figure, Humpty Dumpty, who was seating himself on a wall. They put his glasses on him causes him to back up with surprise and accidentally fall off the wall. The fairies, still keeping their hold on both glasses, fly through Fantasy with the crew in hot pursuit*

Singer: *singing* There are miracles waiting
So keep concentrating
And I promise you that if you do
Whatever you imagine can come true

*After a long period of walking the yellow brick road, they came upon a seemingly foreboding looking cave of sorts that seem to resemble the jaws of an animal. Of course, neither Logan or Richard were focused on the cave. They were just trying to get their glasses back and the fairies were not making it easy for either of them*

Richard: Hey! Come here! Those are my glasses!

Logan: Yeah, give 'em here! Those are my most expensive pair!

Richard: *follows them to the top* Hey! Don't go up there!

*While Richard and Logan were busy getting their glasses back, the team on the other hand got a look at the cave that stood in front of them. They were all rather anxious to go in there, yet they wondered if they had to in order to get to the Exit. Adventure was the only one to go in there, but it couldn't be denied he was scared, though he didn't show it directly*

Fantasy: What's the matter? Is Adventure afraid to go in?

Adventure: *laughs it off* What?! I live for moments like this. *walks in*

Isaac: Oh brother, now he's taking MY gimmick. *looks to Popeye* We better go follow him and make sure Adventure doesn't hurt himself.

Popeye: Roight! *follows Isaac*

*As the three wander off into the cave, Logan and Richard finally caught up to the fairies who left their glasses lying in front of them*

Logan: All right, you had your fun. Now shoo!

*The fairies fly away and they breath a sigh of relief as they reached for their glasses. The moment they put their glasses out, they look around the horizons and what they say in front of them makes them gasp. There stood a tall mountain before them, with rocks in the shape of books again. And at the very top of that mountain*

Richard: Look! There it is! The exit!

Logan: *throws his arms up* Finally! We're almost there… And hopefully Max will be there waiting for us!

*Upon their discovery, Adventure, Popeye, and Isaac were still wandering the cave. They'd go much faster except everything about it just felt so foreboding. The stalagmites for one looked strongly resembled to teeth. And yet, it wasn't the cave that entirely bothered them… But something else entirely different*

Popeye: Hmm… This place is kinda spooky, aintit?

Isaac: I've been through WORSE caves than this… Can't think of any right now, but still.

Popeye: I don't know, I gots a bad feelin' about this.

Isaac: You still worried about that Mirage chick?

Popeye: Well… Kinda.

Isaac: Ah, no need to fret. Why that Mirage is just a pussy cat. She thinks she's tough, but she never faced an "Azeroth hunter". Just you wait boys, if Mirage ever comes messing with us... *pulls out his sword* I'll take out my sword then I'll pierce her kidneys, I'll rip out her liver, then I'll chop her tail and mince it into beef, and in the words of Lewis Carroll, "Off with her head!" *slices off a stalagmite*

Popeye: How do you know she gots a tail?

Isaac: Why… *suddenly feels the cave rumbling* Uh, what's going on?

*Before them, the cave starts to rumble. Up above them, Richard and Logan have a hard time keeping their balance as the sky started to turn a crimson red.

Richard: Earthquake!

Logan: WHOA!!! *falls off the cave and collides with the group*

Bonnie: Logan, you all right?

Logan: Yeah, fine… *looks around* Where's Isaac and Popeye?

Popeye: *calls out* Hey Logans! There appears to be a caves-inn in here!

*As the group tries to come to terms with what's going on, Richard climbs up a piece of rock to hold on. Suddenly, the rocks ahead of him began to fall apart and as he looks ahead, he a terrible surprise awaits him. For underneath the mounds of rock, a pair of reptile eyes stares out toward the boy, the kid shaking in terror and realizing what it was*

Richard: AAAAAHHHHH!!!!

*Meanwhile, not realizing what they were inside of, the three suddenly see a faint light glowing brighter and brighter at the end of the tunnel. At first they didn't know what it was, until it slowly dawned on them*

Popeye: Wait a minutsk. This ain't no caves… It's a--

Isaac: *eyes widen* DRAGON!!!!

*Screaming and yelling in terror, they run out of the cave as the light got closer and closer, realizing the dragon was shooting fire out of it's mouth. The rest of the crew manage to pull them out as the fire soared out. As more rocks tumbled off the Dragon, it gave a mighty roar as it stood itself up from where it slept. They watch as the dragon gets up, reaching it's full height as they let out a cry of fright at this massive display. A Golden Dragon with many reptilian features particularly along its head. It looked ahead and saw Richard hang on to it's horn at the front of his face. Richard held on as best as he could, knowing that if he lets go it be a long way down. The crew knew they had to save him before Richard becomes the beast's first meal*

Loki: Seriously? Another dragon?!

Logan: Why not? We met all the other characters from the rotunda painting, so it was only a matter of time before we ran into this guy, too.

Isaac: I think I'm going to need a bigger sword.

Popeye: Hey, ifs we couldsk beat Smaug, we can soitenly beat this overgrown iguana.

Justin: Technically, Bard beat Smaug... But considering our experience--

Bonnie: *interrupts* Wait! Where's Richard?

Logan: *eyes widen* Oh no! *points* He’s hanging off its nose!

Fantasy: *opens up, to Horror* Quick! Find page 1,001.

*Horror flips through Fantasy's pages before turning to the one page she referred to*

Horror: Arabian Nights?

Fantasy: That's it!

*Horror rips the page out of Fantasy, who uses her magic to transform the page into a red magic carpet*

Fantasy: Get the boy!

*The magic carpet flies toward Richard, who gets thrown off the Dragon's face and plummets to the ground. Luckily, the carpet catches him just in the nick of time and they swerve away from the Dragon's fiery breath, as the flames scorched everything in sight. The slight curve cause Richard to tumble off the carpet, which recovered Richard and he was floating in the air again*

Richard: Come on, you guys. The exit's up there!

Logan: We're not all gonna be able to fit on that thing.

Justin: But how else are we gonna get up to the top of that mountain?

Logan: Hmm… *snaps his fingers* I’ve got it! *grabs Fantasy and flips through her pages*

Isaac: *crosses his fingers* Please be something with wings. Please be something with wings.

Fantasy: Hey, what do you think you're doing?!

Logan: Quick! Which page is Peter Pan?!

Fantasy: Page 267. Why would you... *eyes widen in realization* Oh, I get it!

Logan: *flips to page 267* Here!

*Without hesitation, Logan quickly rips the page out of Fantasy's book. Swishing her arm around, she shoots out a magic bolt from her wand causing a transformation on the page. Out from the page itself, a tiny fairy came flying out in it's place noticeable by the trail of dust it left behind. But it wasn't an ordinary fairy at all. For this was one of the most famous icons in the media: Tinker Bell*

Logan: Hey, Tink! Long time, no see!

Tinker Bell: *responds with a series of chimes and bell-rings*

Logan: Think you can give my friends and I a lift?

*Tinker Bell flies up above them and gives a salute, sending a partial flutter of dust down toward them. Knowing that wouldn't be enough, she swirls all around the others showering them with pixie dust*

Logan: All right, everyone… Think happy thoughts!

*Even though it was an odd option to do so, considering that a giant fire-breathing dragon stood before them, they tried to clear their minds off the negative thoughts and filled their minds with nothing but the happiest thoughts they can think of. Before long, they suddenly felt light as a feather and one-by-one were lifted high into the air. They all look at each other, amazed with how it worked, and kept that mind strong so the flying would last long. Being that Bonnie was already capable of flight, she activated her anti-gravity projectors to join up with the others in flight, as they sped off to catch up with Richard and his friends on the magic carpet*

*By the time they were up in the air, the Dragon had doused the forest with it's fiery blast demolishing everything in sight except for both teams. They kept a far distance from the Dragon, knowing it would be suicide to take it on head-first despite their fighting experience. Their main focus was to reach the exit itself, which stood just a mere few miles away but it was getting closer and closer. So long as they kept up the pace, they'd be safe*

Richard: We're gonna make it!

Horror: *cheers* Hooray! We're gonna make…

*In his excitement, Horror accidentally knocks Fantasy's wand off her hand*

Fantasy: Ahh! My wand!

*As if it wasn't worse with the wand falling down toward the ground, the Dragon had taken flight and swallowed the wand before their very eyes*

Fantasy: Oh, baby. I wish that hadn't happened.

Isaac: Oh great! Now what?

Logan: Just keep thinking happy thoughts, Isaac! No matter what!

*Unfortunately, happy thoughts may not be enough even for both teams. The Dragon stood in mid-air, it's gaze towards the flying object. Sticking out chest and taking the deepest breath it had ever taken in it's whole life, the Dragon lets loose a massive flow of fire towards the group. Seeing the flame, Logan and his team take a drastic swerve to get away but end up losing control with their happy thoughts off their minds, plummeting to the ground. As for Richard and his friends, they got the worst of it when the fire hit the Magic Carpet, causing it to crash down to where the others fell. They hop on the floor roughly numerous times before crashing into a giant series of books that plummet on top of them at impact. Logan and Richard find themselves squashed against a book entitled "Atlas Shrugged" and with a mighty heave shoved the book off of them*

Logan: *groans* Worse than the landing in the Mesozoic era! *looks at the book* How ironic. Crushed by one of the worst books ever written.

Richard: *gets up, sees the exit sign* Come on, guys! The exit!

*In response, everyone around them groans for a bit after that rough landing. As Logan heads toward his friends to help them up, Richard can no longer wait and instead rushes up to the exit as quick as possible. Course it wasn't his fault, Richard thought that they were right behind him*

Richard: *runs ahead* This way, guys!

Logan: Richard, wait!!

*Suddenly, the Dragon reappears up in the sky, which turns a crimson red as soon as it emerged. By the time the others had come to, the Dragon loomed over them and all the response they could give was a series of gasps. But they had to move quickly because once again the Dragon took a deep breath and fired another round of flames forcing them to wedge themselves between two giant books just before the fire hit them*

Isaac: Phew! That was close!

Bonnie: But what about Richard? He's still out there!

Loki: *growling, translating* The kid made a beeline straight for the exit! He saved himself over us!

Justin: He just left us here?!

Isaac: Loki said it! I didn't!

*Meanwhile, Richard himself had been climbing toward the top of the mountain thinking that the others were right behind him. Along the way, he stopped for a brief moment when he saw a skeleton of a knight warrior lying on one edge of the mountain. Richard didn't know if he was a character from a story or just a wandering character who gave up after a long struggle. He keeps climbing to the top before he could see the exit just a mere few steps away*

Richard: *climbing* We're almost there. *makes it to the top, sees the exit* We made it! *suddenly realizes and turns around* Guys?

*Meanwhile, nearly everyone was still trapped between the two books and hiding out while the Dragon was still out there for them. Numerous times the Dragon tried to burn them out, sending one blast of fire at a time, and each time following the crew ducked and dodged. Though these books were made of stone, they knew they couldn't stay in there forever. Somehow they had to get out… They just didn't know how*

Isaac: Who would've thought it would end this way? Trapped between hard-cover books and a giant homicidal lizard!

Adventure: *draws out his sword* This dragon is history! *Fantasy holds him back, he turns around* Don't try to stop me!

Fantasy: *softly* Be careful.

*Everyone looks confused at Fantasy. For most of the entire journey, Fantasy would usually bicker with Adventure, spewing sarcasm in his face and whatever insults she could make about the bull-hearted book. And yet, seeing this soft side to Fantasy made everyone stunned, the way she urged Adventure to go on even with the odds clearly stacked against him. It even makes Adventure surprised, so much that he tossed his sword aside and bowed down holding Fantasy's hand. No one knew what to make of this, but in this one moment Fantasy smiled at Adventure*

Fantasy: *giggles, curtsies* You really are a classic.

*And then, the most surprising moment finally appeared before their very eyes. Quickly, Adventure turned Fantasy around till the books were face-to-face, they stare each other for a moment and... Adventure and Fantasy kiss. Horror hides his expression with his hands and the team didn't know what to make of this even though to some this was actually kind of cute. Fantasy clearly did not expect that to happen after that as Adventure raises his eyebrows after that*

Logan: Well… That's different.

Adventure: How would you like to curl up with a good book?

*SMACK! Adventure receives a slap in the face in response, hurdled out of the small crack as Fantasy gives Adventure an angry look*

Adventures: Ow! Me bindings!

Fantasy: In your dreams. *goes back inside with a huff*

Popeye: Huh… Tough love, ain't it?

Richard: *calls out* Adventure, up here!

Adventure: *turns to Richard, calls back* Go on, lad! Save yourself!

*Little does Adventure know, the Dragon arches upward facing the unsuspecting character. Unfortunately for Adventure, he starts saying some particular harsh comments about the Dragon… And clearly, it wasn't happy*

Adventure: You think a bag of hot air is enough to stop me?! Dragon? He's more like a dragonfly, he is!

Logan & the Others: Look out!

*Adventure quickly turns around and makes a series of gasps, realizing he just got himself in another mess... Again. With anger in it's eyes, the Dragon looms down at Adventure as he stands petrified before the mighty beast. It breathes in for a few moments and shoots a wave of fire down on Adventure. With smoke covering their line of vision, the crew almost thought that Adventure was burnt to a fiery crisp. Suddenly, a figure emerged through the smoky fog: Adventure, covered in soot, his mustache nearly burnt off and one end lit on fire. It slowly approaches back to their hiding spot, limping from the extreme heat, and collapses on his lap like he was out of it*

Horror: *meekly* Aww, happy birthday. *blows out the flame*

*In response, Adventure faints on his back…An epic fail on his part*

Logan: He'll be okay.

Bonnie: What are we going to do now? We're trapped!

Justin: And Richard's still out there!

*While the Dragon stands perched by that spot, reaching out for our trapped heroes within the confines of those books, Richard had stood by watching the entire scene unfold. At this point, Richard was now at war with his own conscious. Here he was just inches away from the Exit and all he'd have to do was just go on and get home. After all, this was the books' world and not his, Richard already thought it was a just a crazy dream. And yet, there his friends were... In real danger, with a hungry dragon waiting for his latest meal. They were trapped and they needed his help. But Richard was not like Logan or his crew, he wasn't a hero. He was just a boy, who never stood up against anyone or anything in his life. What could he do?*

???: What's the matter, boy? Statistics holding you back again?

*Suddenly, Richard turned around and there she was: Mirage, standing over him, arms crossed, all eyes turned on the boy. An evil smile is on her face as she stares down toward him, as if looking right through him and piercing deep through his soul*

Mirage: I'm surprised you actually made it this far, Richard Tyler. Not many has ever made it this far… And yet, now you face another dilemma. Do you reach the end of the journey? Or do you stay and help your friends? Course I know you all too well, boy; I've seen your progress through this whole trip.

*Mirage disappears from that spot and reappears in another, causing Richard to jump back*

Mirage: Let's face it, kid: To you, it's all just a mound of statistics. You and I both know that the chances of taking on a dragon just to save a bunch of strangers, a group you've known for less than a few hours, are too great even if you tried. It's complete suicide. You had no heart against Mr. Hyde, nor the whale... Why should you risk your life for a bunch of creatures you'll probably "never" see again?

Richard: *takes a deep breath and narrows his eyebrows* Because they're my friends, and they'd do the same for me. You're right, it IS suicide and I AM a coward. I've been afraid all my life. *pause* But not anymore!

*To Mirage's shock, Richard turns around and calls out to his friends*

Richard: Hang on, guys! I'm coming! *runs down*

Mirage: *furrows her eyebrows* Grr… So be it! *disappears*

*As Richard makes his way back down toward the mountain, he turns back to the fallen knight*

Richard: A sword.

*Richard goes to the knight, unsure of whether he should take the weapons away from him… Knowing for sure this was grave-robbing. But, Richard's friends needed him. Besides, he needed the armor and weapons more than this knight does. With a look of determination on his face, Richard pulls off the Knight's helmet, and takes his shield and sword watching it's skull waste away into dust in the wind. Richard Tyler, now decked out and ready for battle, stands atop the ledge and looks down toward the Dragon with a feeling he had never felt… Until now. The moment where he finally felt like a hero*

Richard: *waves his sword* Yes!

*Charging forth into battle, like a brave knight on a noble quest, Richard Tyler rushed forth into battle distracting the dragon. With the Dragon no longer breathing fire by their entryway, everyone gathers out from the books and looks out as Richard goes one-on-one with the dragon*

Bonnie: Is that… Richard?

Justin: It is! With a sword and shield!

Popeye: Just loike the knight from the Rotundas!

Adventure: Ha ha! That's it, boy! Go for the gizzard!

*Richard swings at the Dragon with his sword, but not doing much damage due to the scales. But still, he kept fighting and everyone urged him on*

Horror: Bite him, bite him. *barks like a dog*

*Irritated by Richard's attempts, The dragon shoots it's flames toward the boy but luckily he manages to block the attack with his shield. Richard fights back with his sword, swinging it around trying to find a weak point against the dragon's scales*

Isaac: Come on, Rich! Stab him in the underbelly!!

Fantasy: Watch out for his tail!

Adventure: You've got him on the run!

*Unfortunately, Richard's wave of momentum is cut short when the Dragon wraps it's tail around him. The Dragon squeezes it's tail tight around the boy, forcing him to drop his armor and weapons to the ground as the dragon hangs him there and they stare at each other eye-for-eye*

Loki: *growling, translating* Well, that didn't work.

Bonnie: Oh no…

Richard: *loosens his arms, points out* I'm not scared of you!

*Regardless, the Dragon hurls Richard Tyler into the air. He screams, flailing his arms about, just before he falls Straight into the Dragon's mouth and the beast proceeds to swallow the boy whole*

Logan: RICHARD!!!

Isaac: Oh no… That poor kid…

Logan: Grr… *steps out of the hiding spot*

Bonnie: *grabs Logan's shoulder* Logan, what are you doing?

Logan: *flings Bonnie’s hand off his shoulder* I'm going after him! *walks up to the dragon* Hey you!! Yeah, I'm talking to you, lizard lips!!

*The dragon looks down towards Logan, calling out toward the beast and standing there with a fierce look of anger in his gaze*

Logan: I'm not afraid of you! You know why? Because all you are is just a poorly drawn SCRIBBLE in an otherwise perfectly good library book, you slimy, gut-sucking salamander! Eat me! *jumps up and down* EAT ME!!!

*Outraged, the dragon opens it's massive jaws and lunges toward Logan. The crew gasps in shock as the dragon pushes Logan's body down with it's tongue, sending him deep down it's throat. Having eaten yet another adversary who dared to cross his path, the dragon gives a mighty roar toward the sky as they look on in a brief period of silence*

Bonnie: NO!!!!

Justin: LOGAN!!!

*Meanwhile, it turns out Richard had been sliding down the Dragon's throat, passed the collection of books that the creature ate for one reason or another. Just when it appeared Richard would land to his inevitable death, he shocking landed on an island of sorts in the middle of fire spewing acid. Richard didn't expect this, like something out of "Pinocchio". But what was important was that Richard was alive... Though judging by the lack of oxygen inside the Dragon's stomach and knowing it wouldn't be long before the ground he stood on would dissolve, he knew he had to get out one way or another*

Richard: *coughing* I got to get out of here.

*Richard struggles to climb back up the Dragon's throat even though there was barely any spot to grip on and it's insides were slippery. Suddenly, Logan comes sliding down the Dragon's throat and hollers as he collides against Richard forcing them back onto the small island where Richard landed earlier*

Logan: Ugh!! Gonna be sore in the morning!

Richard: *gasps* Logan! What are you doing in here?

Logan: Rescuing you, of course… Though not exactly one of my best plans.

*Logan takes a seat on the ground, but feels something poking him in the rear. He picks up the object which appears to be a thin looking wand that looked rather bent. Richard gasped as he knew what it was*

Richard: Fantasy's wand!

Logan: Perfect! Maybe we could use it to get out of here!

*Richard attempts to do so, waving the wand to see if it would do anything like a charm or a spell or something. But the wand just makes a bunch of random noises, no spells at all. Otherwise, the wand was useless to either of them now*

Richard: This is not good. Definitely not good at all. *puts the wand in his pants pocket*

Logan: Oh, come on, Rich! Don't give up now. You were brave enough to face down a fire-breathing dragon out there! I'm sure you can figure out a way to get us outta here.... Preferably not digested.

*So they sat on their island, trying to think of a plan to get them out. They knew there wasn't enough time, it wouldn't belong before this island was completely dissolved and they'd soon have the Dragon's acid eating through their skin in moments. All of a sudden, a faint voice can be heard as if beckoning them to do something, something that has repeatedly instructed them to do since this journey began*

Ghostly Voice: *echoes* Look to the books. Look to the books.

Richard: Look to the books.

Logan: The books? *looks around, snaps his fingers* Look to the books! That's it! Quick, maybe there's something in this pile that could get us out of here.

Richard: *grabs a book* Alice in Wonderland. *flips through the pages*

Logan: Alice in Wonder-- WAIT!!!

Queen of Hearts: *pops out* Off with his head!

Richard: *shuts the book* Sheesh!

Logan: Just as mean as I Goofy said she was.

*After that little mishap, Logan and Richard search through all the books. But either each book they picked out was completely useless to them or something from the title made it clear they wouldn't find anything in there. Just when they were about to give up, one particular book manages to catch Richard's eye.

Richard: *reads the title* Jack and the Beanstalk. Yeah, this is it!

Logan: Found something?

Richard: You bet! Now stand back.

*Richard flipped through the pages of the book until he found what he was looking for. Suddenly, the book started to shake in his hands causing the two to step back as if anticipating something disastrous to come out. Instead, to their surprise, a giant beanstalk grew straight from out of the pages and grew higher and higher to the Dragon's throat. That would be the answer to their problems*

Logan: Good thinking, Rich! Quick, grab on! *grabs onto the stalk*

Richard: *grabs onto the stalk and hangs on* I HATE HEIGHTS!!!!

*Logan and Richard hang on as tight as they could as the beanstalk managed to grow and rose to safety. The dragon starts to feel something push against it's jaws, forcing it to open wide. The team look at the spectacle before them and to their surprise, a giant beanstalk sprouts from out of the dragon. But it wasn't the beanstalk itself that shocked them, but the two figures on the stalk: Logan and Richard, two boys hanging on for dear life*

Popeye & Adventure: MATEY!!!

Fantasy: They're alive!!!

Richard: *reaches out* Come on, guys!

Logan: Grab a hold!

Isaac: Don't mind if we do!

Popeye: Goin' up! Top floor: travel goods, menswear, exit sign, and checkout. *chuckles*

*Quickly, they reach toward the boys and hang on as they rose to the top of the mountain and close to the exit. Far above from the dragon, this turned out to be a fun ride for the majority of the team while Bonnie and Fantasy simply flew the whole way. They were near the edge to where two massive doors stood and they prepared to jump. At the same time, the Dragon could no longer hold it in and proceeded to chomp down the beanstalk to bits. Luckily, our heroes barely grab onto the ledge just as the beanstalk drops down. They pull themselves up and lay on their backs sighing with relief following that narrow escape. The books and the rest of the team check up on Richard and Logan*

Fantasy: Whew. *to Richard* Are you all right?

Richard: *gets up* Wh-wha…?

Horror: *hugs Richard* Master, you saved us!

Adventure: That ya did, matey.

Logan: Yeah, Rich. You're a real hero.

Bonnie: *hugs Logan* Oh, Logan! I was so worried! I thought we lost you!

Isaac: Logan, that was foolish, dangerous, and you nearly gave us a heart-attack. *smirks* I knew I'd make an impression on you someday!

Logan: Gee, thanks Isaac.

*As Richard picks himself up, he gasps when he suddenly remembers something. He reveals the wand he put in his pocket and returns it to Fantasy, who was thrilled to have it back*

Fantasy: Baby, you're the greatest. *kisses Richard on the cheek*

Justin: Hey guys… *points ahead* You might want to take a look at this.

*They all turn to face the massive doors that lay before them, under the Exit that loomed brightly in the sky. For as it appeared, at the top of this mountain, was some sort of a tower of sorts with the doors in the shape of spines of books. After all this time, they finally made it… The end of their journey*