Strolling into town, cloaked in cloth fabric of a gray black patch design, both Sam and Dilan would move in through the main dirt road, plenty of eyes staring right at them. A look to the right, wood buildings as if it were still the old west, people hiding behind some barrels while others would be making themselves better known, mostly women and children. To the left, the same, a Saloon, a bank run down, and several houses…
“Hey Sam.”
“I know...”
Looking each in the face, nothing but a blank sleight striking back at them. Some a little more thick in the face with beards and mustaches, some grumpy looking.
“Is it just me or are there more buildings in this town than there are people?”
“And so very few men...”
Looking ahead, a group of three slowly approaching, one dressed nicer in a black suit and top hat with two muscular people alongside him.
“Welcome strangers… why are you here?”
“We uh, we don’t know. Our home burned down far from here and we’ve just been wandering for weeks from town to town...”
“Is that so missy? Hmm… and what should we do about it?”
“We-well sir, w-w-with your permission, we’d like to maybe just, sleep on a bench or something for the night and just, rest here for now.”
“Hmph… do I look stupid to you kids? Cut the act.”
Both Sam and Dilan then looking to one another with their heads turned would look back to the man.
“Alright, we’ll play the not so fun game then,” Dilan in turn mumbled slipping his arms inside the cloth cloak letting it flop drop around his feet, holding up a black badge, “We’re agents with an order that investigates strange occurrences such as the many rumors surrounding this town, an order so secret that not even the CIS or FBI know we exist, only staffing members of the president are told outside of the Supreme Court. We are agents from the Order of Natural, Unusual, and Strange known in short as ONUS. We’re here to scope out this town, you can either allow us access to do such or we will arrest you here and now on the spot along with anyone else who impedes us of our duties.”
Sam, with a quick glance to him, a quiver, then a glance back to the man in the suit who would appear to be looking over the badge, black with a gold plating, then to Dilan.
“ONUS you say… I… eh… alright uh, I guess… I’m inclined to believe that one.”
“Good answer,” Dilan would mumble back in response placing the badge back into his pocket.
“So uh… what can WE do for YOU then?”
“Allow us access around the town without any interference and into the forest.”
“I uh… well I… er...”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no, no problem… uh… yeah just… just do what you need to do and begone as soon as possible. Those folktales about our town being possessed and what not aren’t true though I can assure you,” he’d say, stepping back and going left with the other two.
“We’ll soon see. We’re going to check out the town for now then the forest. Have a nice day sir.”
Both Dilan and Sam would walk forward, Dilan paying him no attention, “Where did you come up with that idea…”
“What, that little stretched lie or the phony badge? Figured after the last charter it might come in handy even though we didn’t really need to reveal ourselves. Made it in metal shop.”
“Ah… neat.”
“Well, you’re the main brains, where do we start?”
“Hmm… I would say the library but considering how the people here are and how it went last time, we should just check the forest first.”
“Ah, yeah, library didn’t help last time. Plus, yeah, they probably hid everything already judging by their nature anyway.”
“To the forest then.”
Both walking away, the townspeople murmuring among themselves back and forth, an object in the shadows darting off into the forest nearest their entry point. A girl behind, looking up to the man in the suit, his hand placed upon her and then a nod, her nod back and a slight smile as she in turn would run right after both Dilan and Sam.
-
Continuing forward, further into the forest, both Dilan and Sam glancing around, her hair blowing in the wind as Dilan’s shaggy purple greed dyed hair flopped back and forth.
“Man… what are we even looking for Sammy?”
“Sammy? Really..? And I don’t know, anything out of the ordinary?”
“Like what?”
Dropping down in front, a black object, followed soon by several others about thirty feet ahead of them. The figures landing, several black wolves with glowing red eyes, snarling with foam the color pink coming from their mouths, one barking out, the others clawing at the ground as if ready to charge.
“Like that?”
“Like that.”
“Oh.”
Both looking forward, Dilan yawning and Sam not even batting an eye, behind something else quick to approach though from that direction as well, the voice of a young girl, “You guys, quick, run away!”
Sam turning a side step to look back, seeing the girl, “Huh? Oh, it’s you, that little girl we saw. Why, what’s the problem?”
“Those wolves- urk,” she’d spit before stopping, out of breath, “Those wolves, those wolves aren’t normal wolves, they’re the Pixie Guardians, you can’t beat them!”
“Pixie Guardians?”
Snapping, one wolf bolting forward with Sam turning back to face it, Dilan’s eyes glowing yellow as the hair in his face parted, sending its red eyes into a yellow mirror affect, collapsing stiff as a board which in turn was followed by more running by the others. A blue aura appearing right before Sam & Dilan and a blow forward.
SLAM!
CRASH!!
CRACKLE!!!
Crashing into the trees, the wolves dropped, whimpering and quick to run off.
“That… was nothing.”
“I kind of expected more to be honest.”
“Just like that time with Gator Tator right?”
“That time? Dilan, it was not even a week ago!”
“So.”
“Whoa… what are you guys?”
Both turning round to look at the girl, Sam smiling as Dilan in turn spoke back, “I said all I needed to say back at the town… so what can we do to help? You clearly know more than you let on before.”
“Well… you wouldn’t believe me if I told you...”
“Oh trust me, we can handle it, right Dilan?”
“Probably, yeah.”
“We… we were just trying to make you leave. Most people get attacked by the wolves if they enter the forest, they get really hurt.”
“And why might that be?”
“Eep… well… because of the Pixies.”
“Pixies?”
“They’re these little guys that came to our town forever ago and… well… they’ve just completely run it .”
“Run it? What for?”
“It’s… it’s best if I just show you… a few minutes up ahead you’ll see why. The wolves are meant to stop intruders at any cost, which is why we try to make people leave.”
“Show us.”
“We can handle it, trust us.”
“Er… alright, follow me.”
-
Ahead, twenty minutes now away from town, stumbling through shrubs and bushes the three of them went, continuing at a slow pace, the sound of the running wolves ahead moving away, as if in a way leading them back though also stealthfully as if trying not to be followed. The gap closing until the sound of crunching gravel and sliding, the girl holding her arms out to show as a stop, pointing forward at a bush. Heads poked through, they’d soon see what is to be seen…
In front of them, an outdoor factory. Large mushrooms with men slamming away at with a pickax, stationed high on the stalks, the caps regrowing just as quick as they were being broken apart. The caps, dropping down into carts with people pushing them away to a large kettle system, then from there a batch to a grinder, then to people bagging them up with many other machines between the mushrooms and the baggers.
“What is this-?!”
“It’s called Pixie Dust. The Pixies pick optimal climates to grow the mushrooms, then grind them into powder after mixing in their wings when they shed them, like deer. The two things together make some sort of super drug that makes you more energetic and gives you super powers.”
“Pixie Dust?”
“It goes into Pixie Stix. I remember in my research that ONUS has been trying to crack down on Pixie Dust and Pixie Stix for ages. A lot of humans and other entities buy them at high prices and get temporary super powers from them which is a threat to ONUS and the rest of the world. They’ve never been able to bust many of these though.”
“But why does it matter if people have powers?”
“It would uproot the world’s natural order and even the balance of beings like Zaraka. There are also side effects Dilan...”
“Side effects?”
“They-”
“-People who take Pixie Stix can get addicted to the powers they gain but they also destabilize your mind and turn you crazy, which is where monsters can come from. People also use them for black ops military groups. There’s a huge history behind it.”
Both Sam and Dilan would look to the girl, then forward at the operation.
“Yeah, like she said… they can drive you crazy… and prove to be harmful to innocent people when in the wrong hands.”
“So that’s why ONUS is trying to crack down on this… but surely they could figure it out, right?”
“No. The Pixies are just everywhere. It’s nigh impossible to perfectly trace an operation because once the seasons change, they could shift hundreds of miles away or only a few city blocks. The growing conditions for the giant mushrooms are too specific.”
“That’s troublesome but hey, we found one didn’t we?”
“They use our town as an exporter and make our people do the hard labor. It’s been this way for hundreds of years...”
“That’s terrible!”
“Shh, Sam, you’ll-”
“HEY, you three, what do ya think yer doin!? Intruders!”
Sam and Dilan in turn would both bolt up, getting into a serious stance overlooking the op, all eyes on them.
“We’re agents of ONUS, here to place you under arrest and shut this place down!”
“ONUS!?”
“Them, here!?”
The wolves, quickly launching in front of the operation, would snarl, even though they appeared exhausted due to the prior confrontation.
“That won’t work. It takes more than simple dogs to beat us!”
“Then how about me!?!?”
Crashing down, a red bolt of molten rock, followed by an explosion on impact right to the left of the operation and the wolves, standing tall in trousers and boots, a muscular wolfman, fire quickly spreading out and setting ablaze the mushrooms.
“The mushrooms are on fire!”
“Quick, get some water, quick quick!!”
The two looking to the fire, then down at the Wolfman, the eyes of the wolves near him turning black with a red-orange glow, stepping towards him while snarling and still facing the trio above.
“I am Wolf Beast. EdgeLord Zaraka sends his compliments, now let’s dance, eh!?”
“Are… are you serious?”
“Whazzat?”
“A wolf man… for real? Sam, is he serious?”
“I… I think so?”
“Do you know any fun tricks or are you just a wolf man?”
“I am a wolf that walks like a man you twits!”
“Right… alright, we can dance for like, the five minutes it’ll take to turn you into a fur coat.”
“Mmm, right Dilan, let’s do this!”
ns 15.158.61.8da2
