After making their way down a couple of the steps, the great big ol’ door above them slammed shut with a big loud WHAM! Qaeron and the squirrel were now separated from Mushpuff and Co. Who knows what may happen up there? We’ll reconnect with them later. Hopefully nobody dies!
It soon became apparent that it was very dark in the tunnel everyone was now in. In order to light their way, Plagiarize had to shoot blasts of fire in front of them using his Fire Gem.
The interior of the pyramid was quite old and musty, and the surfaces were all covered in vines and plants and stuff. The fire shot by Plagiarize occasionally singed these vines, but they never really caught fire because that would be highly inconvenient. Everyone literally just finished escaping from a big fire, and it would be rather annoying and repetitive for that to happen again.
Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, everyone found themselves in a large room. Scattered all around it were piles of gold coins and various other shiny valuable-looking objects.
“TREASURE!!!” shouted Klumpkrump, jumping into a pile of coins.
“I wonder why the pirates who stole this pyramid would leave the treasure inside of it,” wondered Bird.
“Oy!” spoke a voice from behind everyone.
Plagiarize whipped around while still blasting out a great big load of fire, nearly burning the source of the voice to a crisp. Luckily, the capybara to whom the voice belonged jumped back in shock, avoiding the flames.
“Oy, ya nearly burnt me up, ya idiot! I oughta blast you for that, ya absolute lump of coal.”
This capybara wasn’t your average capybara, you see. For strapped upon its back was a ginormous deadly-looking gun of ultimate destruction. Mushpuff and Hoofa stood at the ready with their Yalmton Bracelet and Barrel Gun.
“Who the hell are you??” asked Plagiarize.
“I could ask the same thing, ya wad of lamb.”
“Well, it’s a bit of a long story. It all started a--”
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“I don’t care one piece of cheese for any long stories,” said the capybara. “Give me the short version, eh?”
“Collecting artifacts for the purpose of defeating cows,” said Bird.
“Very well,” said the capybara. “Then I will give you my story. Short. I’m Chris. I was with a gang of pirates. We stole this pyramid and took it somewhere remote. Went inside, ransacked it, realized we couldn’t get out. The rest of us died, I got a necklace that extends life at the cost of speeding it up perceptually. I don’t know how long it’s been, but it seems like about 5 hours.”
“Well, I regret to inform you that it has actually been around 30 years,” said Klumpkrump.
“Oh my god,” said Chris.
“Why don’t you just take the necklace off, yo?” asked Bird.
“Oh, I’m definitely taking it off now,” replied Chris. “I was keeping it on in the hopes that something would happen to cause me to be able to leave. Now we must leave. I’ll let you take some of the treasure.”
“Very well, then!” said Plagiarize. “Come right this way!”
The gang led the capybara up the stairs and to the great big door from whence they came, which was conveniently closed. Plagiarize knocked on it.
“Hello? Anyone out there?”
“Did you really not leave anyone up there to guard the door, ya sack of curds?” asked Chris the capybara.
“No, no, I assure you, we left a bear up there to guard it.”
“And a particularly evil squirrel,” added Hoofa.
“You left an evil squirrel to guard the door? How stupid are you?”
“No, the bear was guarding the door and the squirrel. As in, sitting on him.”
“Well, wherever they are, they certainly aren’t there anymore! Oh, I’m gonna be trapped in this pyramid forever!”
“Hey, at least if we don’t manage to get you out, maybe the pyramid will fall apart naturally in, like, a few hundred years, and you can walk on out!” This comment from Hoofa did not lift Chris’ spirits.
“How will I see my family then?” asked the capybara.
“Don’t worry,” said Plagiarize. “You can still visit their gravestones.”
Chris the capybara groaned and sat down against the wall.