“I don’t know why I go walking at night, but I’m tired and I don’t want to walk anymore. I hope it doesn’t take the rest of my life, until I find what it is that I’ve been looking for.”

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FUCK!!! GET THIS FUCKING THING THE FUCK OFF ME!!!

Thaddeus hisses and growls as he pins TK to the ground and winds up a claw. Bob and Corey stand-by and watch the tussle while Doc and Dolly, who are several steps ahead of the rest, just now realize it's happening and turn around.

You damn thief! I knew you two couldn't be trusted!

Hey! What the fuck, you two?! Stop! Stop fighting!

Dolly approaches the two beasts snarling and spitting at one another on the ground.

This fucker tried stealing my belt!

Doc paid no attention before but now notices that both Corey and Thaddeus wear some very fine, shiny, gold-plated, leather belts around their waists. Apparently, TK, the pirate-troll, must have taken quite a liking to it.

I just wanted to see it!

I don’t give a fuck about your XBUX!

You would!

The two of them continue to wrestle and Bob picks up a big rock and holds it over his head. Dolly kneels close to Thaddeus to yell in his face to back off; Doc sees this and rushes in front of Bob with his arms out.

Hold!

Bob stops but takes a hard kick from Corey and throws the rock, but short, and Doc catches it and gets smooshed by its weight.

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My Beloved,

If you are reading this then I am surely gone.

We’ve gone through so much together, especially in the last couple of years, that saying ‘good-bye’ seems so strange right now.

But it’s the only answer.

I’ve come to realize the person I’m writing this letter to is not the same person that I shared so many memories with. You’ve become someone else. Someone I don’t know. We all suffer losses and I watched you, the world watched you, for so many years help people JUST like us rebuild their lives. I watched you save people’s lives when they were reduced to nothing. But when the tables turned you let it all burn down around you and did nothing to stop it.

This may be selfish on my part but I will not under my own will take any further punishment and suffering than I already have. I’m going to leave this place knowing that our Angel is in better hands. I’m going to leave you now and hope for the absolute best. But I will not stay here and watch you self-destruct before my eyes.

Love Forever,
sCENSORED

After the letter is signed it’s folded and placed in an envelope and left on the desk. The fireplace on the far side of the room ignites and an eerie shadow creeps across the room. A shadowy hand reaches across the desk and snatches it and slowly retreats back to the fire.

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One, two, three! Pull!

Together the party pulls the large rock from on top of Doc and a strong gust of air enters Doc’s lungs.

Three times.

Doc regains himself and sees that the party has now come to a truce apparently and the journey onward must uphold. It was good to see everyone on the same page. Until they reached their next obstacle.

Man, I’ve fucking heard about this God damn place.

Where are we?

Just coming into the Canyon of Fear, Dawk.

Oh, boy. Will the trees run from me in this place then?

Well, it’s a canyon so there’s no trees, but uh, I dunno. I guess if there was, yeah.

The hair on Thaddeus’s mane stands up and he instinctively growls as he sniffs the air. Corey, too, stands on guard as the party travels in a line into the valley. Bob and TK hang back for a moment, discussing the situation.

So, we’re just curious, when exactly do we get our cut in all of this?

You were about to get cut earlier…

Thaddeus accompanies Corey with a growl.

Hey, we had a deal, and I was just…

TK stops in his trax.

Sup?

The XBUX.

The party stops and faces TK, who is white as a ghost.

The….. The…. T.T.T.T.T.T.T…

Bob smacks TK lightly but hard across his cheek.

Speak man!

The XBUX IS GONE!!
No, wait a minute!

It’s fucking gone man! All of it!

TK freaks out and goes through his pockets and through his bag on his back. Bob begins to notice how empty the bag is as well and also becomes concerned.

Where’s the chicken, dude?

FUCK THE CHICKEN! WHERE’S THE XBUX!!

Guys! Chill out!

Doc watches on as Dolly, once again, plays middle-man and tries to calm the party. Corey complains of someone following the group while Thaddeus remains silent, which is also uncomfortable.

WE’RE FUCKED MAN!

You’re not fucked!

WE’RE FUCKED!!!

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Jenny. What a glorious, most glorious time to finally have a session with you. You’ve seemed quite down lately, my dear. You’ve seemed…. Off your game. You’ve seemed distracted.

Did you get out-did somewhere else and decide it was in your best interest to dabble in someone else’s prize? Better question, did you get phased out of one place and think you belong somewhere else? Because you’re looking in the wrong place. This dream of yours, this vision, this fantasy is a wonderful thing for a princess like you to dream up. This sob story of yours has been great as I’ve pictured you as the abandoned damsel in distress that everyone fusses over all the time… but… unfortunately for you… You’re not the type they do.

Where IS all of this self-doubt coming from anyway? You shadowed a damn UNIVERSAL Champion for the start of it all and you haven’t learned from his mistakes? I thought that was the idea, darling. A couple of months ago we couldn’t get you to shut up about Little Miss Myst and her Shooting Stars. Now, all Little Myst missed was, yet, several other great opportunities. Do you think if you point out all of your failures and shortcomings to everyone else before I do that you’ll look stronger? Yes, I know I’m weak. I know I’m going to lose, but I’ll lose with pride. Okay, Jenny. Or you’ll probably enter the second chance battle royale and try to weasel your way back in again.

You’re not fooling anyone, Jenny. This pity-party your throwing is most definitely sad, but not in the sympathetic way that you were hoping for. You will not fight. You will not win. And the only respect you will be “earning” from this thing is the few that are paying respects at your funeral. This is not Jenny Myst’s big break. This is not a second, third, or fourth chance. This is MY time. This is MY crown. MY throne. Anyone and everyone who joined you in trying to swallow that softball and roll that dice to face me stepped over a line in caution. They stepped over a line that they will soon find out was a line not to cross.

She shrugs me off. Nothing to fear but fear itself, am I right? What about that puddle of fear at your feet ruining those DOC MARTIN’s?! You can’t lie to me. You can’t pretend that this isn’t the biggest deal in your entire career. Your hopes and dreams are all wrapped up into one thing that you think can redeem that little shimmer of a presence that you think matters in this FINE federation. You may play it off like it isn’t and keep on chugging along like the little steam engine of crap that you are, but you know you’re just wasting your time. Set your goals a bit lower, Jenny. You’ve got it in your head that you’ve been defeated so don’t go and make this any harder on yourself that it's already going to be. After you, the better ones will come to me. The remains. And I, personally, can’t hardly wait.

You’ll watch, Jenny, as my crusade was meant to be. You couldn’t have been more right all along. You’re the victim. You’re the short end of the stick. You’re the one that never gets that big chance or that one opportunity to shine. Even though you shined so brightly in your own spotlight for so long. That feeling in the pit of your stomach? That nasty churning that pains you so much? That’s failure, darling. Get used to it.