The Mall was quiet. As it was every other night since the war with the Arcadians broke out. The only sounds that were occasionally heard were the distant soft hum of the mall’s air conditioning unit, the involuntary beeps, and boops of any patrolling Arcadians, and unfortunately, the dying screams of an unfortunate stray Wonder being ripped to pieces by a patrolling Arcadian. But one sound that all the wonder-powered beings of the mall have long since drowned out was the never-ending civil war inside the store known as Critical Quest.
But recently, a few weeks ago. A third party has entered the fray.
As the civil war raged on between the two factions inside the store, they stopped as soon as multiple 8-inch figures in hooded robes carried something almost palanquin-like. The item in question they were carrying was an old-school Redtendo handheld console…one called the Redtendo MS.
The Redtendo MS opened up like a book and three other screens folded out from its left, right, and top of the top screen. As the handheld console powered on, the Redtendo logo appeared on the Main screen. As the inserted game’s logo flashed onto the screen, a maniacal yet hardy laugh roared from the handheld’s speakers. Followed by a scratch on a turntable. The voice began to boom from the handheld’s compressed speaker sound.
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GdAX5K2XYAAdLgV?format=png&name=small]
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GdAX8pnWYAIHa4P?format=png&name=small]
Without any hesitation, he dropped the bass.
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“WHAT?!” The trio exclaimed at what Granny Lamby had just declared. Mr. Honeybun winced in pain as Dorothy missed a stitch as she was repairing any tears in his fluffy body.
“DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE TO HER MAJESTY!” Rainbow Bunny shouted back.
Granny Lamby raised her hoofed hand to calm Rainbow Bunny and said “It’s fine Rainbow Bunny. I do believe this calls for explanation.” She turned to the Trio and resumed “That’s correct, there is another toy out there similar looking to you Sir Handyman. According to rumors, he wore different colored overalls and was even wearing a hard hat that looked similar to yours. But wielded a shovel rather than a wrench. He seemed to be on a journey similar to yours, to find out what kind of toy he is supposed to be.”
“How long ago was this?!” Hank urged as he took a step closer, hoping for any clue. But quickly regained his composure when he remembered he was talking to a Queen. He cleared his throat and started again. “If I may ask…How long ago was this?” He asked in a calmer tone.
“Unfortunately I do not know. But intel says he was heading towards the west wing of the Mall.” Queen Granny Lamby answered as she sat down on her small stage again.
“The West Wing?” Hank pondered.
“The West Wing is where Wonder City resides,” Dorothy responded as she double-checked her stitchwork on Mr. Honeybun. “It’s part of the Entertainment District.”
Hank still needed clarification about how the mall's layout worked.
Mr. Honeybun quickly perked up and excitedly exclaimed “Oh! Oh! I can tell him! The Mall is separated into four districts! The West District is the entertainment district where all things kids and adults find entertaining. Then the South District is where all the Food Courts and Clothes are so people can fill their bellies with greasy food and get clothes so they won't be naked. The North District is where all the fancy jewelry, boutiques, and kiosks are, but a lot of kiosks are full of knockoff stuff according to Chuck. Then the East District is where all the technology stores and all the big expansions are like the Movie theatre and the Funzone Feast! But the biggest store of all is the home base of all the bad guys, Amalgam Electronics!”
The Queen’s court and watching Illustrations were all impressed at the teddy bear’s knowledge of the mall.
“If we leave now, maybe we can catch up to him.” Dorothy said as she switched back from her Nurse outfit to her normal outfit again.
Hank, Dorothy, and Mr. Honeybun quickly bowed in respect to Queen Granny Lamby; Mr. Honeybun did the same a second later.
Hank clears his throat to sound professional. “Your Highness. We give our thanks for entrusting us with your kingdom’s most sacred treasure…..eventually.” He concluded with mild offense.
She embarrassingly cleared her throat and tried to get things back on track “Farewell Wonderkeepers. If you ever need anything for your mission. Please do not hesitate to ask. “
The Handyman, the doll, and the teddy bear stood and walked out of Inkwell’s Bookstore. Feeling quite proud that they defended the Store from an Arcadian invasion. But Hank himself couldn’t help but ponder. He recalled back to seeing the dead illustrations from earlier. If an illustration could no longer connect with its reader, and a toy will no longer inspire wonder in a child if they die….What happens to an Arcadian when they die? They want control of the Wonder for a reason, so what was their reason?
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Hank, Dorothy, and Mr. Honeybun sped out across the Mall’s hallway at high speed! Mr. Honeybun was over the moon happy!
“The Wonderkeepers! We have a team name! That’s so cool!” The teddy bear shouted with a starry-eyed smile.
“Still think we should workshop that name,” Dorothy remarked as she focused on the road ahead. “Besides, before we see the founder gain, we must drop off the Pop-up book at our home!.”
As soon as they turned the corner. Once again, they were passing the display of the X-Station Unlimited. The Launch countdown still ticking downwards.
5 Days
3 Hours
22 minutes
16 Seconds
The looming feeling of the unknown overtook all three of them. Mr. Honeybun even stopped grinning with joy.
Dorothy cuts through the tension by pointing out a small factoid “We should gun it. We have less than three and a half hours left before the mall opens.”
Hank uses his wrench to squeeze down harder on the gas pedal to speed up. After a minute of quiet cruising, they made it to the front of Mr. Wonder’s Toyland. Through one of the security gate holes, one of Doughboy Jack’s privates saw Ol’ Betsy parked up front. He signals the other soldier toys to raise the security gates. Hank, Dorothy, and Mr. Honeybun stepped out. Mr. Honeybun was slightly confused at the sudden change in authority.
As the toy store's gates rise, Doughboy Jack and a squadron of his best soldiers march right out to the trio.
“ATTENTION!” Doughboy Jack commanded. All of his soldiers stood up straight. Dorothy and Hank stood up straight upon hearing his gruff, commanding voice. Mr. Honeybun quickly mimicked their pose.
Doughboy Jack stepped towards the three toys and sternly said “Sergeant Dolly Dorothy and Private First Class Handyman Hank. Have you secured the second Spark of-...” The Sergeant Major’s question was cut off as he turned to look at Mr. Honeybun. One look and it was obvious Mr. Honeybun stood a solid four inches taller than Jack. The Teddy bear refuses to meet the stare of the action figure.
He quickly looked up and down Mr. Honeybun’s fluffy brown body and asked “Now…who is this cotton stuffed tun of fun?”
“I’m Mr. Honeybun, your lordship!” He happily replied. Every toy in the immediate area was ready to reel back from one of Jack's iconic verbal lashings. Dorothy herself was ready to step in if he were to make the teddy bear cry.
Jack’s eyes narrow at Mr. Honeybun and he takes a step closer. Mr. Honeybun was trying not to look him in the eye, his eyes were piercing.
“Teddy bears normally don’t have any names. Tell me, who gave you your name?” Jack questioned, not letting his intense stare on the teddy bear drop for even an instant.
“I-I got my name from my little girl. Her name is Abby!” Mr. Honeybun admitted as he perked up a tiny bit.
“....You have a kid?” Jack uttered, his stare softening a bit.
“Yeah! I’m still waiting for her! But these bad guy Arcadians are making her not come back! I’m now part of the team called The Wonderkeepers! We are gonna get all the Sparks of Wonder and use them to beat the bad guys!” the Teddy bear excitedly declared.
The silence following Mr. Honeybun’s declaration was deafening.
Hank and Dorothy felt embarrassed that this new team name was shared with Doughboy Jack’s Army and the rest of Wonder City. But the thing they didn’t expect was Doughboy Jack leading a salute.
“ATTEN-TION!” The Sergeant barked to his soldiers.
Stolen novel; please report.
He reaches into one of his pockets, pulls out a Private Emblem, and sticks it onto Mr. Honeybun’s chest.
“As Sergeant Major of the Doughboy Jack Playset…I hereby declare you. Private Honeybun!” He slute’s Mr. Honeybun and the rest followed suit.
Hank and Dorothy shared the same look of confusion. Jack wasn’t like this when he swore them in.
“Men! Secure the Spark of Wonder and set up a perimeter guarding it 24/7 MOVE IT!” He Barked once again. All his soldiers ran and lugged the Pop-Up Book inside the toy store. A second group of soldiers surrounds the group of soldiers carrying the Spark of Wonder, each one wielding a Wonder-charged plastic machine gun.
“I and the rest of Wonder City are already aware of your new Team Name. I gotta say, it’s fitting.” Jack admitted as he now faced Hank and Dorothy.
Dorothy herself pondered how exactly he heard about it, but then she quickly remembered.
“Wait….You’re using the walkies again!?” She exclaimed.
“That’s right, the storeowner’s walkie system is slowly getting back on the air.” Doughboy Jack then points to the cashier's desk. Revealing some of his soldiers were adjusting the dial on Mr. Wonder’s walkie-talkie. The same one he uses to communicate with security and the other storeowners.
“You are starting something amongst yourselves. All communications with the other stores have been cut off for well over a decade. But When word got out you safely made it to Manuscript City. I had my men reestablish radio contact with the city to make sure you got in safely. But I presume my man answered too late.”
The looks on the trio’s faces were proof enough, but Hank quickly interjected by saying “Queen Granny Lamby’s Illustrated guard, they recognized your emblem and allowed us to see her!” He stretched his left overall suspender to show his Private First Class Emblem.
Hearing this reassurance helped Doughboy Jack gain some faith in his strategy again.
“But please try a little sooner. We could have been stuck there and not even seen the queen.” Dorothy added with a sense of urgency. Dorothy then signals them both to get back into Ol’Betsy.
Doughboy Jack gave one final salute to the trio as they all climbed back into Ol’ Betsy once more. He Walks back into the toy store.
“Godspeed, Wonderkeepers.” he sighed.
A few minutes pass as they speed down the mall's halls to the center once more. But this time the patrols of the Arcadians were a lot more aggressive than last night. Word must have gotten to Amalgam Electronics that they’ve secured the second Spark of Wonder.
As they heard chiptune music speeding down the hallway, Dorothy quickly made a hard U-turn and parked Ol’Betsy under one of the mall's many wooden benches. The trio ducked down and stayed as quiet as possible. Hank peeked up and saw the two Arcadians patrolling.
A Polygonal tanuki that’s wearing a purple hat, sweater, and shoes and is wielding an oddly shaped cane. Upon closer inspection, they looked to be dressed like a thief. Next to the tanuki was an elf man wearing a dark purple pointy hat, tunic, and black boots. The elf man was wearing a fancy white sword and a wooden-looking shield.
Hank looked at the stark difference between the two Arcadians. One looked like it was more modern while the other looked more similar to what the Arcadians he’s seen so far. More blocky or polygonal….He couldn't help but ponder why they looked so different in terms of realism. The tanuki one has a more cartoon-like appearance while the other looked neigh indistinguishable from a person…minus the pointy ears and spiky style of course.
As Hank slowly lowered himself back down, he accidentally slipped. Making a loud squeak from his boots across the hard plastic dashboard of Ol’ Betsy.
The two Arcadians stopped patrolling, standing there for a brief second. One after the other they slowly turned around and scanned the hallway behind the both of them. The Tanuki scurried close to the bench they were hiding under. His tail flicked with every third step and with each step, a strum of a bass guitar was heard. Hank and Dorothy covered their mouths to mask their breathing and Mr. Honeybun started shaking with fear as the footsteps approached. Dorothy placed her non-deformed hand on Mr. Honeybun’s face and turned his head to face her. Her reassuring eyes made Mr. Honeybun understand that everything was going to be alright.
As the Tanuki thief Arcadian scurried closer, he turned slightly to the right and walked towards the fake potted plant next to the bench…and grabbed the unlucky toy hiding on the inside of the pot. Upon closer inspection, both patrolling Arcadians and the Wonderkeepers saw that it was a Black and White patterned stuffed caterpillar toy that was no bigger than a baby's arm. Just by looking at the helpless toy, the trio could deduce this was a toy accidentally left behind by a small child.
The Tanuki Arcadian let out a sinister snicker and signaled the Elf hero Arcadian to get ready. The Elf Hero Arcadian drew his fancy, elegant, and polygonal sword at the ready.
In the reflection of the Elf Hero Arcadian’s sword. You can see the fear in the plastic eyes of the Monochrome caterpillar. It struggled to squirm out of the Tanuki Thief’s solid polygonal grip. But alas, it was fruitless.
Hank was ready to step out ready to help, but Dorothy and Mr. Honeybun grabbed Hank to stop him. He turns around about to ask why, but both slowly shake their heads. The way they did it was with a ping of deadly seriousness that he had not seen in either of them since the start.
The Tanuki Thief tossed the Monochrome Caterpillar upwards toward the Elf Hero. He let out one savage yet iconic battle cry as he slashed down.
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GdAX_s2W0AAecV9?format=png&name=240x240]
In a split second, it was all over. The toy's cotton entrails rained across the hall like snow briefly as they cascaded onto the floor. Hank and Dorothy saw the whole thing, but Dorothy quickly shielded Mr. Honeybun’s eyes.
The two Arcadians quickly tossed the now-deceased toy into a nearby trash bin. They both resumed their patrols now with a smug sense of sickening glee on their faces. As soon as they were out of sight and out of earshot, Hank’s fist tightened as he stared at the cotton strewed about the floor.
Dorothy takes notice of Hank’s quiet rage and tries to calm him down by adding something to calm him down a bit. “Those were both high Wonder Arcadians. As much as it sickens me to say it, we couldn’t help him even if we tried. If we did, all three of us would be in pieces in that garbage can too.”
Hank wanted to tell Dorothy off at this moment. Especially since he had overheard Dorothy say she wasn’t going to let another toy lose their Wonder on her watch. Was that proud declaration just a lie declared in the heat of the moment? Hank took a deep breath and sternly grumbled.
“Let’s just get to the Founder.”
Dorothy quickly switches on Ol’ Betsy once again and Hank hits the gas pedal with his wrench. The remaining drive down to the Founder’s Fountain was quiet.
After three long minutes of silence, they had finally made it to the Fountain. Hank, Dorothy, and Mr. Honeybun look upwards to see the founder not in his usual pose, but this time he appears deeper in thought and worried.
“Woah….I see him on the camera feeds all the time, but he’s so much taller and marble-y in person!” Mr. Honeybun pointed out in awe as he climbed out of the back of Ol’Betsy. The three then stepped onto the edge of the fountain. Mr. Honeybun took an extra step back from the edge, he knew he wasn’t machine washable.
Dorothy took concern in the Founder's distracted look and decided to get his attention.
The Fashion Doll grabbed one of her sharpened colored pencils in her makeshift quiver and took a deep breath, throwing one right at the shoulder of the Founder. He snaps out of his train of thought and jerks upward in surprise.
“HUH!? WHAT!? UNDER ATTACK!?” He ranted as he quickly darted around trying to see his attacker…but quickly looked down and saw Hank, Dorothy, and a brand new toy to their duo. He calms down and reaches downwards to allow the three of them to climb up on his hand. Hank and Dorothy were on his left hand while Mr. Honeybun stood on his right hand.
“Oh my, has it already been a few hours? Time does fly when you’re bolted to the floor.” The Founder stated with a casual chuckle. He looks at Mr. Honeybun and asks “-And who might you be little one?” He inquired.
“I’m Mr. Honeybun Mr. Founder sir!” The teddy bear cheerfully declared.
“Wait a moment.” The Founder takes a closer look at Mr. Honeybun and squints. “I recognize you! You’re that teddy bear that Chuck found on Santa’s chair in December 2015!”
Mr. Honeybun perked up and cheerfully declared “Yeah! That’s me! Did Abby come back the next day?” Mr. Honeybun asked with hope in his eyes. The teddy bear’s expecting stare burns a hole straight through the Founder’s Marble head.
The Founder’s mind suddenly went blank at that question, he honestly couldn’t remember because so many children come by his fountain every single day to toss coins and the occasional dollar into the water. He knew he couldn’t answer that question without breaking the poor teddy bear’s heart. The statue darts his eyes towards Hank and Dorothy. They both quietly signal him to make something up and FAST!
The Founder quickly clears his nonexistent throat and answers “Uhh….Why Yes! Your Abigail came back a decade later and searched far and wide for you. But sadly you were already gone.”
Mr. Honeybun pouted at the answer he was given. But he perks up again and boldly states. “It’s gonna be okay! Once all the bad guy Arcadians are gone! Abby will come back and we’ll be together again!” His eyes sparkled with hope.
The Founder quickly looks at both Hank and Dorothy again. This time he had a sense of disappointment in them both for not telling this poor bear the truth. But Dorothy’s eyes said say it all. Neither she nor Hank wanted to break the poor bear's heart. So instead, Dorothy quickly decided to change the subject.
“Founder. You seemed a bit distracted a few moments ago, you weren’t even humming like normal either.” Dorothy asked with concern.
“Ah! Yes. You see Dorothy. I had just overheard some troubling news from one of the high Wonder patrolling Arcadains. One of their own has infiltrated a store where the next Spark of Wonder is located.” The Founder voiced with gravity.
The trio quickly got serious and began to listen in. To the location of the next Spark of Wonder.
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This is the Tale of the Spark of the Gamemaster. He was a boy who mastered all the games he played no matter the board and no matter the pieces he played, whether checkers, chess, or even the game TRES! He was almost always the winner, but when he lost to any of his friends he was always a good sport who didn’t even flip the board. The Spark of the GameMaster is the first pair of dice he had ever rolled in his life. It now rests in a store where your next move is always determined by the roll of the dice, the card you draw, or the amount of fake money you have. That very store is under a deadly civil war between two factions as we speak.
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“A Civil War? Why? They all live in the same store. Why can’t they all get along?” Hank asked with naivete.
“Just because you live in the same store doesn’t mean you have to get along. That’s the sad fact of free will Handyman.” The Founder stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Hank was ready to retort, but then he recalled all the trouble he got into with the Cryptid Critters the night before.
“A store where chance and random rules….That’s Critical Quest on the second floor!” Dorothy exclaimed as she pointed to the second floor just above the three of them.
As soon as the store’s name was mentioned. Mr. Honeybun’s smile fell once again a second time.
Hank took notice and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?” as he placed his hand on the bear's shoulder. Mr. Honeybun looks up towards Hank and tells him, Dorothy and the Founder.
“There’s been a lot of complaints from that store from the sweaty adults who go there. Chuck said that if that store doesn’t get it together, the Mall Owner is gonna shut the store down.”
In less than a second, this next journey took a grievous turn.