“We’re going to die! We’re going to die!” screamed Mrs. Troodle.
Simon ran to the vault that he had broken into earlier and, to his amazement, found that it was still unlocked. As the heavy door creaked open, a gush of neon-blue smoke escaped. Mrs. Troodle shrieked as a gnomelike figure wearing a gas mask stepped out of the room.
“What in tarnation ya try’n to do, woman? Gimme a heart attack?” the old librarian said, taking off his mask and clutching his chest.
The mayor rushed over. “Glumly! Glumly!”
“Ah, Mayor. Do you know what I just heard on the news? Millions—I’m talk’n millions—of them draguno things have been spotted come’n out of the ocean! Can you believe that?”
“Yes, I can,” Mayor Gordon said quickly. “Glumly, listen to me. I need you to unlock the doors.”
“Well, I don’t know ‘bout that,” the old man drawled lazily. “It’s not even 8 o’clock yet. You shouldn’t even be here.”
“Tell that to them!” Dr. Troodle yelled hysterically as a draguno smashed onto the floor nearby.
“What’s going on here?” exclaimed the librarian.
“Glumly, NOW!” cried the mayor.
“Alright, alright. Keep your trousers on!”
The old man ran to his desk and slid open a compartment which revealed a touchpad.
“Let’s see here,” he mumbled while taking off his mittens. “Thumb… Pinky… Thumb… Pinky…” He touched his fingers one by one onto the pad to initiate the open sequence. “Forefinger… Thumb… uh…” He thought for a moment and then finally said, “Pinky” as he touched the pad one last time with his smallest finger.
Just about every door in the library opened at the same time. Now that the dragunos could pillage the building freely, most of them got sidetracked into various parts of the library.
“This won’t do.” The librarian shook his head at the hundreds of dragunos running along the balconies. “Come on, everyone. This way!” He beckoned the Puds to come over to his desk.
After touching the pad a few more times, a secret door built into the tall desk opened.
“What’s down there?” asked Dr. Troodle as he peered at the steps that led into a wall of darkness.
“That’s the bank vault. No draguno will be able to follow us down there. Hurry. Get a move on!”
Like a stampede, the Puds rushed down the stairs into the vault until only Simon and his companions were left.
“Aren’t you coming?” asked Mayor Gordon.
“No,” Simon said in a somber tone, “I’m the only one who knows how to stop the dragunos.”
The mayor sighed deeply. “I feel an obligation to right the wrong that my people caused a thousand years ago. I’m going with you.”
“So am I,” Tonya declared.
“And me, too,” Thornapple chimed in.
“No, it’s too dangerous,” Simon said.
“Ah, let’m go,” the old librarian coaxed. “There ain’t much air down in the vault. In an hour or so, we’ll all be dead anyway.” His words gave little comfort. “You’re a very brave boy,” he continued, “but I just have one question for ya…” He put his gas mask on and asked, “Where in Sam Hill did you get them crazy-looking underwear?”
“I knew it!” shouted Thornapple. “I just knew you could see through clothes with those masks.”
Simon blushed while Tonya smiled.
Dr. Troodle bounded up the steps. “Thornapple, what do you think you’re doing? Get down here before you become a snack for those lizards.”
“I’m going with Simon,” the boy said.
Dr. Troodle stepped out of the doorway in a huff. “Now’s not the time to play heroics, son. Any moment now, those dragunos are going to jump on us, and when they do—”
A giant lizard landed on top of the tall desk and hissed loudly at the people below. Its deep breathing sounded like a congested dragon trying to cough up a fur ball.
“Master Simon,” Holo advised, “I suggest we leave immediately.”
“Good idea!”
Little Har jabbed at the lizard with his spear while Grog swung his club menacingly above his head. At the far end of the library, a herd of dragunos emerged from the stairs and slid across the slick marble floor. Simon darted for the sealed portion of the library while Tonya, Harr, Thornapple, and the mayor followed behind.
“Get back here,” Dr. Troodle yelled.
He was about to chase after his son but stopped when he saw Grog swinging his club towards him. The club swished over the little man’s head and struck the draguno that had jumped down from the tall desk. Upon impact, the reptile hurled towards the secret passageway but fell short—just a few feet away from Glumly.
“Well, I think that’s my cue,” the old librarian said just before shutting the door. “Good luck.”
“No, wait,” Dr. Troodle screamed.
The draguno raised its bruised head, which made the doctor think twice about approaching the doorway.
“Come!” Grog commanded.
Dr. Troodle turned around to see a swarm of giant lizards scrambling towards him. Terrified, he raced into the sealed portion of the library to join the others. Harr pulled the massive door shut just as the dragunos flooded the area. The hungry reptiles pounded relentlessly on the thick metal door, causing the latch to open by itself.
“Won’t lock!” Harr shouted while struggling to breathe through his gas mask.
“Yeah, Simon broke the lock last time we were here,” Thornapple’s mechanical voice sounded from within the blue haze.
Grog tried to put on a gas mask, but it wouldn’t fit over his large head. The noxious fumes burned his lungs as he pressed the mask to his face.
Thorn stared intently at Tonya’s lovely figure but stopped when she noticed him scanning her. “You look good in that mask,” he said nervously. “It does something for you.”
“Don’t get any ideas, pervert!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, Butblacruze.”
She grabbed him by the collar and threatened, “If you call me that one more time, I’m gonna personally feed you to the dragunos.”
Just then, the door popped open a few inches, allowing several lizards to wedge their narrow heads through the crack. Harr immediately pulled on the handle to keep the door from opening all the way.
“Help!” the big Pud yelled as the dragunos frantically clawed at him.
Grog and Little Har pushed the lizards back and held the door in place while Harr tied a piece of rope around the latch and fastened the other end to a bench embedded in the wall. With the door now secure, the three big Puds attempted to blockade the entrance with a large bookcase.
“That’s not going to do any good,” Dr. Troodle scoffed. “The door opens the other way, you dummies!”
“It’s broken!” Simon cried from across the room.
The young man was trying to fit the little red book into the armrest of the bench, but the insignia wouldn’t snap in place like it had before.
“It appears that the engravings have deteriorated over the years,” Holo informed him. “The primitive fumes in this room are not sufficient to preserve metallic alloys.”
“Any suggestions?”
“Try harder.”
“Simon, I don’t know what you’re doing, but whatever it is, you better hurry it up,” Dr. Troodle shouted from across the room.
Simon yelled back, “I can’t get the key to work! If I can just get it to snap on, this wall will open up and we’ll be able to get out of here.”
He twisted and grinded until, suddenly, a large piece of the armrest chipped off and fell. Simon’s heart sank as the metal piece rattled against the hard marble floor.
“Oh, dear,” Holo said. “That wasn’t good.”
In despair, Simon hit his forehead with the book and gave out a moan that reverberated from within his gas mask. A loud yell pierced the room. Simon looked up to see Grog rushing towards them with his club.
Th
e giant lashed out with such great force that when he struck the granite, a long crack ran down the face of the wall, revealing the stonework to actually be a thin veneer put there to conceal the whereabouts of the secret passageways below the city. Simon dropped to the ground as the wild man above him smashed away with his club. Fragments of masonry and dust sprang from the wall as the secret door shattered. Soon, a gaping hole appeared before them.
“Wow!” Dr. Troodle exclaimed as the mouth of the cave sucked away the blue fumes. “If we would have fed your people to the dragunos, I bet you really would be the last one standing! Tell me, are you familiar with the boxing tournaments?”
“Father!” Thornapple scolded.
“Just wondering.”
After entering the damp cave, Simon removed his gas mask and took a deep breath of the foul air. Everyone else removed their masks and followed the young wizard down the dark tunnel. The ancient runes on the walls, as well as the holographic light from Holo-649, gave them just enough light to see.
“Watch out for spiders,” Simon warned.
“Oh, spiders don’t bother me,” Dr. Troodle boasted. “In fact, I love spiders, especially with a nice vinaigrette sauce—mmm, and garlic! Of course, you can’t ever have enough—”
He stopped in midsentence. They had come upon the giant spider that had attacked Simon earlier. The enormous creature’s back was cracked open, and its tissues were already starting to decay.
“What in the world is this?” Mayor Gordon gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Well, I accidentally cast a growing spell on it,” Simon admitted. “But I think it was around seven feet tall before the spell.”
“Crazy!” Thornapple said. “What could have caused it to grow seven feet in the first place?”
“Some sort of mutation, I bet,” Mayor Gordon said, examining one of the legs. “Or maybe it’s a new species we’ve never discovered before.”
“Let’s not just stand around speculating,” Dr. Troodle said. “May I remind you that we have a pack of dragunos on our tail?”
The spider blocked most of the tunnel, so the party was forced to crawl over it… or, more specifically, through it. Simon climbed up the hairy body and crawled over the muscular tissue of the spider’s broken back. The ceiling pressed closely against him as he made his way through the crack in the hard shell. Part of the exoskeleton peeled away in his hand, revealing hundreds of maggots feasting on the spider’s tender insides.
Tonya was next. She almost turned back when she got to the top of the spider and saw the bloody carcass she was supposed to crawl through. Her hair changed to a muddy brown color as her foot sank into the decaying flesh.
“Eewww!” she cried. “This better not leave a stain.”
With one hand holding up her hair and the other pulling herself forward, she crawled over the sticky flesh. One by one, the rest of the party followed suit, until they were all on the other side.
“That was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever done,” Thorn declared. “I can’t wait to go back!”
Tonya rolled her eyes in response.
Simon walked up to the ledge and looked down. A gust of hot wind filled his nostrils and stung his eyes. He could see the faint glow of the hot lava below.
“How are we going to get to the other side?” Thornapple moaned.
“With this,” Simon answered, picking up the spider web that dangled over the ledge—the same web that had saved his life earlier. The acidic thread reacted to the moisture in his hand as he touched it; however, it had also been badly scorched, and most of the stickiness was gone. “Come on, guys, help me pull it up.”
Simon found that if he didn’t touch the web in one place too long, the pain became more manageable. Soon, the thin strand lay in a bundle at his feet.
“Harr, please tell me you have something in your pouch we could use to grapple the other end of the pit?”
The giant opened his leather sack and pulled out some fishing sinkers and a very large hook.
“My goodness,” Dr. Troodle exclaimed. “What type of fish do you normally try to catch?”
“Big fish.”
“Very big,” Grog added with a smile.
“That’s excellent,” Simon cheered. “Now tie it to the end of this thread.”
Harr quickly threaded the hook with the end of the singed spider web. After completing the knot, he licked his burning fingers—then yelped because his tongue now stung from the acid.
“Dumb ox,” mumbled Dr. Troodle.
“Holo, could we have a little more light?” asked Simon.
“Certainly, Master Simon.” The little hologram flickered for a second and then cast a holographic light across the chasm. “How’s that?”
“Perfect! Now, Harr, do you think you could throw that hook to the other side of the pit?”
“Harr will try.”
The skilled fisherman cast out the line with all his strength. Surprisingly, on his first try, it sailed across the chasm and landed securely between two rocks that jutted up next to each other.
“Fantastic throw!” Mayor Gordon said.
Harr rubbed his broken rib and smiled.
“Ah, you were just lucky,” said Dr. Troodle. “So, Simon, you don’t really expect us to burn our hands off climbing that spider web, do you? I don’t think I’m… I mean, I don’t know if my son is strong enough to make it across.”
Thornapple shot him a dirty look.
“Well, since you’re the lightest adult here, I was hoping you could carry Harr’s rope across.”
“Me?” he stammered. “I don’t know about that. My hands are very sensitive. I’m a surgeon, you know, not an acrobat.”
“Here,” Harr said, pulling out some plastic gloves from his leather pouch. The gloves were several sizes too big, but the little man tried them on anyway.
“Thanks… Thanks a lot.”
Harr fastened a loop around the spider web with his rope so that the doctor wouldn’t have to carry all of his weight as he crossed.
“Watch where you’re touching me, you big oaf,” Dr. Troodle whined as Harr tied the rope around the little man’s waist and legs.
“Don’t worry,” Simon said. “If the spider web breaks, we can still pull you back up with the rope.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
“We’re going to give you a little push, okay?”
The doctor started to protest, but Grog picked him up anyway and gave him a gigantic shove. Harr held the line high above his head to make the little Pud slide even farther.
Yelling at the top of his lungs, Dr. Troodle slid all the way to the edge of the opposite precipice. Harr promptly tied the spider web around a stalagmite jutting from the floor.
The doctor climbed onto the ledge. “Grog, you idiot” he yelled. “I could’ve been killed!” He attempted to get out of the makeshift harness but had trouble untying the knots.
“Please hurry, Dr. Troodle,” Tonya urged nervously.
Hissing sounds came from within the tunnel.
“I’m going as fast as I can. If that stupid Pud wouldn’t have tied this so tight, I’d be finished by now,” he yelled in frustration. “Harr, when we get out of here, I’m going to send your whole family to the mines!”
The doctor looked across the chasm just in time to see Harr snatch his son’s spear and launch it across the pit. The tiny man screamed as the projectile whistled through the air with tremendous force. Then, with happy relief, he watched as the spear passed over his head.
“Hah! You missed!”
He turned around to see a huge black spider pinned to the wall behind him. Its legs were still twitching.
“You… you just saved my life.”
“Tie rope,” was the giant’s stern response.
Dr. Troodle wrapped the rope around a large rock and tied it with a surgical knot. Then Harr pulled the rope tight and secured it to an icicle-shaped stalactite hanging from the limestone ceiling.
&nb
sp; Fighting back her fear of heights, Tonya grabbed the rope above her waist and stepped onto the thin web, but after only a few steps, she lost her footing and slipped. Like a guitar string being plucked, the silky thread sprang up and down wildly. Still clinging to Harr’s rope, she reached for the spider web with her foot.
“Slide your feet, Butblacruze!”
Tonya turned her head and scowled at the small boy. The elastic strand stopped vibrating when she stepped back onto it. This time she turned to the side and slid her feet.
A great commotion sounded from behind. The dragunos had gotten past the vault door! Simon looked back into the tunnel to see the dead spider rocking back and forth as the giant lizards gorged on the rancid meat.
“We have to go across,” Mayor Gordon yelled.
“Will the rope hold?” Tonya yelled back.
“We don’t have a choice!”
Grog grabbed the rope and began to cross the chasm with surprisingly great speed. Simon quickly put Holo-649 into his shirt pocket and followed the mayor. Thorn was next, and then Little Har and his father.
“Hurry,” Dr. Troodle shouted.
Simon was about three-fourths of the way across when he felt something wet and sticky fall on his cheek. He looked up to see a group of giant spiders dangling about twenty feet above him. Saliva dropped from their vicious mouths.
“Spiders!” he shouted.
At that same moment, a throng of dragunos rushed into the cavern, but in their haste, several ran off the edge of the cliff. Like a herd of lemmings, the dragunos continued to push each other forward, forcing a dozen more lizards to fall down the pit and into the hot lava.
Suddenly, the spider web snapped and fell away. This time, Tonya screamed when the thread disappeared beneath her feet, but, fortunately, neither she nor anyone else lost his or her grip on the rope.
“I can’t hold on!” Thornapple shrieked.
The giant spiders were starting to descend.
Without warning, the rope slid a few inches down the stalactite. Tonya screamed even more loudly. Then the rope slipped again until it was dangerously close to coming off entirely.
Paraworld Zero Page 27