Teddy's Adventures in Choa HIATUS

[Lamby]

Choco, Aruesso, and Fox Boy have characters ready. I'm not certain about the order of appearances yet.

[cinnamonstyx]

considering recent events
the leaf wizard needs to magically disappear

[Lamby]

Haha, once the Order of Dev steps in, most villains do run. I'll probably explore their back-story next chapter, so it'll probably run a little longer. You, Choco, and Aruesso are all part of it. You make up Choa's answer to the Emerald City of Oz.

Pink and I are collaborating on a nice, visual map of Choa to post soon. By the way, I'm working on something that will involve the community with this so more on that later. Tell your friends. Tell your pets.

[Pastaa~Chao]

This is such a great story. I love how it's paced and I am thrilled for the next chapter.

[cinnamonstyx]

YO
NOODLE AND BUDDY
ALSO MUNCHKIN AND CHELSEA IF YOU TWO AREN'T DEAD YET
THIS GUY ON THE INTERNET TOLD ME TO TELL MY PETS ABOUT HIS STORY
SO HERE WE ARE

[Lamby]

Good man.

This is such a great story. I love how it's paced and I am thrilled for the next chapter.

I promise not to stop until the story's done!

[Omelet]

Oh man.

I love you. i sound so awesome

[Lamby]

You'll be back more dangerous than ever.

[Chaos the Light Chao]

I like how you linked to things when Pat Tom was talking, which is something Techno himself does with his stories.

[Lamby]

I was wondering if someone would catch that.

[Lamby]

Apology for double-post. Chapters Four through Six will detail the fall of Choa proper and origin of the Order of Dev.
_____

Chapter Four: The Order of Dev, Part 1: The Choa Consensus

“Waitin’ for us? Jus’ whaddya mean by that?” Mint said, rubbing his head and massaging his fluffy, turquoise ears that were never kept tidy or brushed. “’Sides, it’s gonna have to wait. Me and my pal Teddy are on a mission to trounce that no good Leaf Wizard and save my girl.”

Pat didn’t look them in eye, only adjusted his sunglasses and turned his back to them as if his head was someplace else. The moon was already in the sky, shining ethereal beams of light down on the wide rainbow leaves of the striped jungle trees. A colorful phosphoresce seemed to envelop the Candy Forest: mushroom caps glittered in the night; the trees swayed in the breeze, blinking different colors as moonlight reflected off different leaves depending on the trees’ position. Pat’s skin shimmered like a polished suit of armor. He was in his element. The night didn’t lie. No one kept their daytime secrets at this hour. And Pat was the kind of man that had more bottled secrets than was healthy; the night was his reprieve. That was his one condition as an Agent of Dev that was nonnegotiable: if you wanted his help, you gave him his freedom at night. Some whispered that he was a bloodsucker that preyed on young maidens. Some said he wandered to the grave of his deceased wife. And others swore he was Choa’s archangel. But Pat would only say that he was your average, ordinary, every day super hero. The truth was he used to be an aspiring writer and playwright and royal scribe that lived in Dev Castle, just passing his days by with a little bit of paradise. They all did until the day the shadow came.

***

If the Dominion of Dev was Choa’s golden providence, Dev Castle was Choa’s crown jewel. Spotless, marble walls stretched outward in all directions for miles and miles, shining brightly underneath a bright sun. A bustling city sat safely behind Dev’s mighty castle walls, filled to the brim with metallic and gemstone skinned denizens: gold, silver, and onyxto but scratch the surface of the brilliance of Dev’s population. Taverns, inns, gardens, pools, and high white towers that touched the clouds sprawled out across several townships. At the very center was a castle carved from crystal that could perhaps only be described as the splendor of a perfect dream; and inside, velvet curtains, tapestries and golden sculptures furnished every room and hallway. Every balcony was a vista that overlooked the city and the wide, fertile meadows that were the Dominion of Dev.

Today was the annual Choa Consensus, the one day every year representatives from every country in Dev convened in Queen Devan’s Grand Chamber. Devan was Dev’s current ruler, and she was the most beloved of the Dev bloodline. Daven, Devon, and King Dave had all been men, and while they were unquestionably strong rulers, a man lacks the foresight of a woman or any other identification. It was Queen Devan that strengthened the castle walls and established ties with neighboring countries. A round table was placed at the center of the chamber. Visitors were expected to seat themselves promptly; Queen Devan, while possessing numerous womanly wiles, was not dainty nor a pushover. She would not allow others to expect her in any way but the way she presented herself, and if they did, could see their own way out of the castle. She had pearl skin and sharp blue eyes that warded off the threats. She wore a golden vest over a white shirt and skirt, and while it was nowhere near her preferred wardrobe, it would have to serve its purpose for today.

A wide array of colorful characters was seated at Devan’s table and arguing amongst themselves as they waited for Dev to reveal herself. A grey fox man sat in one of the chairs with his arms folded. He said little, but had little to say; the general of the Foxlands was feared, anyway. Ever since his tenure as general began, he had raised a fierce army so that even the Legion of Chrome backed away from his glares. He sat adjacent to the pink fox queen who also said little; she calmly observed the scene with deep, green eyes.

Keeper Pastania of the Pasta Plains, a golden skinned woman who wore a bowl of spaghetti on her head and donned a scarlet dress smiled a pretty smile and subtly provoked the arguments for a little amusement. The Pasta people were skilled magicians that avoided conflicts with their silver tongues. They baked wonderful wheat delicacies that they delivered throughout Choa, mostly to earn trust through the stomachs of the predominantly male rulers. Pastania had purchased a lot of new territory for her people in this manner over the years.

A robot sat at a lonesome end of the table. He observed every visitor through a telescope. These meetings were dreadfully boring and he much preferred to return to his post at the Machine Archipelago where he could resume building games of wit for his people to play. The most vocal of this meeting was Tri von Ert, the Steward of the Legion of Chrome, aptly named for their grey flesh and chrome weaponry that could cut through the hardest of diamonds. As the leader of a country that bordered lands outside of Choa, von Ert was easily paranoid by what he called “stirrings beyond the mountains.” Most of the time, Tri conceded that he might have been overreacting about the stirrings, but today he would not let up.

“I tell you all that a grave danger is soon to befall Choa!” Tri von Ert barked. Pastania snickered, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Do you think they’ll skin us alive with—with grand spatulas of death?” she giggled.

“That time was because my intelligence agency scrambled their systems,” he grunted.

“I’m not worried,” said General Fox. “In fact, let’s see a blight try to attack the foxes. They’ll regret it.”

“I guarantee it. I’ll turn them all into toads,” the Fox Queen murmured.

“None of you are taking this seriously!”

Queen Devan could not bear the commotion just outside her bedroom any longer. She slammed her paintbrush against a white canvas spread out across her desk and briskly rose from her chair. She shoved her guards aside and flung open her doors. Everyone in the Grand table fell silent as she glared at each one of them fiercely.

“Impatience is not a virtue. Someone fetch me my scribe. Now.”

[Lamby]

Guys I haven't forgotten about this, I just won't have free time to finish Chapter Five until Saturday. I'll edit into this post.

[Chaos the Light Chao]

Yay.
I thought it had crashed like all other stories.

[Lamby]

Edit: New plans. Threw out the current plot map. Hiatus until I make a new one. Ugh.

[Lamby]

Teddy is back. New policies also: I will be breaking chapters into pieces so I can update daily without burning out. Each next part's title preview will be a link to a song that alludes to it in some way or is thematic.

CHAPTER 5a: A Friend Alone

“Did ya hear what I said, tin man? It’s gonna have to wait. You want the Great Minty? Then you’re gonna have to wait until I save my girl.”

It was morning now. Minty had protested all throughout the night, urging Teddy to ditch this Funk Wizard character with him while he slept. If whoever they were had been watching them, they could find them again later. Besides, he and Teddy had made a deal, hadn’t they? But Teddy saw the situation differently. Pat seemed like he worked for someone important: maybe Teddy wouldn’t have to fulfill the promise he had made to Minty in the first place. Maybe Pat knew someone who could send Teddy back home. As they sat around the breakfast pit Pat had set up earlier, like all of us, Teddy was deliberating between the valor of loyalty and his own selfish interests.

“Hey, snaggletooth,” Minty barked, “Say something!” Pat shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows above his sunglasses.

“Sit. Roll over.”

“What didja just say to me?” Minty growled until his blue ears were flat against his skull.

“A wise man once told me impatience was a sure sign of defeat. I question why you’re fighting for a cause that you already lost. But it’s cool. I get it. We’re a lot alike, you and me—well, except that I’m fighting to save Choa for everyone, and here you are chasing phantoms of a girl that died ages ago when you should be in your homeland preventing others from suffering what you did. But I understand: once a pet, always a pet. Like I told you last night, man, the Leaf Wizard ain’t the guy to hunt down. He’s a side effect. You ready to listen to what I have to say?”

“I ain’t got to listen to your lies! You’re either with me or with him, Ted, mate! I thought we was pals… can’t believe ya just let this guy lay into me.” Tail tucked between his legs and his face an angry red, Minty bolted deeper into the forests without looking back. Shame hit Teddy like a truck. His heart sank and reigned in a wave of guilt in its place. Minty had taken him in. Teddy owed him at least a modicum of effort to save his girlfriend.

“It’s going to have to wait. Mint is my friend. I believe in him.” Teddy took in a deep breath and trailed the first person he’d ever called friend. Pat rubbed his metallic temples and sighed before standing up. If he knew what he knew now, would he really have turned his back on his friends all those years ago? If not, then why did he expect these kids to?

____

Next time... Chapter 5b: A Friend in Need

[Zacmac74]

<3

Atomic, this is great.

Seriously though, I've been wanting to see how you write. All I've ever seen you do is edit. And write poetry.

It should suffice to say I'm not dissapointed.

[Lamby]

You'll see the entire community eventually. I have a role for everyone: even you. And thanks!

[Lamby]

Chapter 5b: A Friend In Need

Mint crept through the sweet smelling underbrush and pushed through the low hanging leaves as quietly as he could, keeping his body low to the ground. Save for his turquoise ears that peeked over the cyan grass, he was camouflaged and could pad as quickly as a fox could pad while remaining out of sight. The Leaf Wizard was a shrewd and crafty villain, and just because Mint could avoid alerting the man eating rabbits patrolling the deep forest that surrounded the Leaf Wizard’s keep, did not mean that Mint was safe.

A pity that Mint was so upset he was not aware of the avian dangers that swooped down through breaks in the rainbow canopy and circled the once cheery forest floor. A time ago candy cane stalks and flashing mushrooms had lit the way to the Chocolate Lake; now candy stalks lie shattered and rotten and the bright mushroom caps had been torn and had gone dark. Mint remembered that his girlfriend and he had danced along the jovial path many a day together. Tiny feet skittered around the candied fairy circles. Mint crept closer to the sound, spotting grinning blackbirds hopping about and greedily pecking away at the mushrooms. His insides boiling, Minty angrily jumped up and ran over to them, frantically waving his arms and exposing himself.

“Shoo!” he barked. The blackbirds circled around him menacingly and jeered at him with their terrible grins, squawking for help. Within moments a large oak above Mint trembled violently: something was hiding among its leaves. Mint hopped backwards and drew his sword threateningly? “Who’s there?” he demanded. A chuckle answered him.

“Squaw-ha-haw-awk! Look hoose cawling up my tree! Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into, kid? You’re dealing with the Leaf Wizard’s most dangerous soldier now—the Great Kawl Night!” A massive crow man dropped from the tree branches, landing unceremoniously onto the ground before Mint with a thunderous stomp, shaking him silly and knocking the heroic fox onto his backside. “Teach him what for minions, CAW-HAW!”

Hundreds of blackbirds rained down on Mint, pecking and scratching him and tugging his ears. Minty flailed about, dancing here and there and swinging his sword wildly at the cloud of grinning foes.

“Ow, quit it! You’ll pay for this, ya dang squawker!”

“Looks like you’re getting a bird’s-eye-view today, punk! Take him away!” The cloud of blackbirds hoisted Mint into the air, pulling him higher and higher—above the trees!—and towards a stone cabbage looming over the Candy Forest in the distance.

“Ted, where are ya, mate? Help me!” He whined, defeated.

____

Next... 5c: Teddy Fights Back!

[Lamby]

Let's continue this thing.

Chapter 5c: Teddy Fights Back! Part One

Teddy and Pat wandered through the deep forest underbrush for hours on end, searching for some semblance of a trail Minty might have left. But a fox has his pride, and in the heat of the moment Minty had not thought to hint at his traveled path in the slightest. A pungent, earthy smell filled their nostrils the deeper the pair went. Instead of brightly colored candied plants, olive green trees enclosed the forest groves; instead of fluffernutters dotting the landscape, plowed fields had been dug over once beautiful droves of sweet mushrooms. In the Leaf Wizard’s territory, vegetables and green tea were law.

Passing the dull greenery made Teddy feel as if he was back home again, and for the very first time since he had arrived in Choa, it made him feel sick. If he had only seen the potential Choa had to offer earlier, perhaps he and Mint would have felled the Leaf Wizard and been on their merry way by now. But his mind kept going back to what Patrick had said. If Minty was so assuredly positive his girlfriend was still alive after all this time, why had he never tried to save her before? Teddy couldn’t consider any shenanigans. He had to believe that Mint had good reasons. That is what friends did, he supposed; he hadn’t had one until now.

“Hey friend, are you having an intermission, completely missing the wavering branches up there, clueless, or all of the above?” Patrick asked, pursing his metallic lips and looking cross, those eyes of his shining as bright as ever. He had a habit of rubbing people in Choa the wrong way, and some went so far as to reprimand Queen Devan herself for knighting him. But the Queen would not have their posh insubordination, especially when that insubordination insulted one of her most trusted delegates. She would glare at the speaker with her deep eyes and wait for them to say something, give them a chance to rethink their ignorance; once they shrunk back in shame, as they often did in wake of the Queen’s refined wisdom, she would put her fingers to her temples and speak softly, but carry a big paintbrush.

“Maybe Pat doesn’t mince words. Or maybe his heart is bigger than yours, and doesn’t want to steer you wrong.” And the word of Devan was heard.

“Wha?” Teddy was slapped back to reality with Patrick’s piercing voice and dumbly looked upwards. Leaves rained down from the trees above as their mighty trunks bent inwards from the weight they no held. “What the heck—“

“Look out kid!” Patrick barked, dashing forward and pushing Teddy aside with all his might. Teddy stumbled and rolled haphazardly into a carrot crop. By the time he had his bearings the darkly Kawl Night was standing over an injured funk wizard: he was bleeding.

“Finally got me a Dev stooge!”

“A Murder of Crows,” Pat whispered, bitterly. “You’ve got some salt.” Teddy mustered up all of the courage he could into one breath.

“Hey boogerbeak! Get some!”

____

Stay tuned for 5c Part 2: Teddy Vs. Kawl Night!