Chapter -8: The Positiveless Negative
Land of Gases; Exposed Twig Village
"AAAAAHHH!" The spiraling, blinding yellow that became Ininap's vision morphed into an indigo sky in a flash, and she collided with the ground. Already she found herself surrounded by buildings, keeping the city alit by their lights, Japanese signs on them, and passerby staring at her with confusion. "Eh, he he, he…" Having these many stare at her already made her uncomfortable.
A fast whoosh sound came behind her as someone appeared on the pavement, "You're not from around here. Identify yourself."
Ininap turned to the woman with terror. She looked very strict with serious; oddly pale white eyes, and wore a night-blue jumpsuit under a green vest. She had onyx-blue long hair and wore a headband with a swirly leaf symbol. "Uhhhh, I-I, Ay'm sort of, eh, from far away.."
"I told you to identify yourself!"
"I-I-I-Ininap Yksvolird, o-of Dnalevelc, Ainigriv, Ay…"
"Is that another village? Were you sent here on a mission??"
"N-No! Ay mean yes, Ay mean… nnnnn, Ay just wanna find Nerehc!" She balled up and shuddered fearfully.
The woman stared at her fixedly. "…Well, you don't seem to have any Chakra flow. Still, before I can let you walk around freely, I should take you in for question-" But unfortunately, an explosion went off a few buildings away to distract her.
"HNNAAAA HA HAAAAA!" laughed a dark-haired girl with evil black eyes and disheveled hair. "Hey Lady Atanih! Where's your 'sight beyond sight', huh??"
"Grrrr! Adaras, get down here right now!!"
"BITE ME, No-Nads!!" The girl flew across the town as Atanih began chase.
Ininap believed the woman had forgotten her just then, so she took this time to run away before Atanih came back. "Hnn! Hnnhnn! Hnn!" She heard some snickering behind a dark alley. "All right, Adaras got their attention!" snickered a black-haired boy with a spiky hairbun. "Quick, Nijoni, let's slip this itching powder in the restaurant before they-"
"Em, hello?" greeted Ininap.
"AAAAH!" Both boys screamed. "Crud, we've been spotted, Iadakihs!" Nijoni exclaimed.
"Wait, who is this twerp?? I haven't seen her around!"
"Um, I am uh, Ininap, and I came here to find my friend, Nerehc. You haven't um, seen him anywhere, have you?" She seemed to scratch several 'itchy' areas as she spoke.
"Nerehc?" Nijoni questioned. "What's he look like?"
"Um, sunglasses, brown hair, a-a red jacket, black shirt, um…"
"Well, no one else fell out of the sky if that's whatchu mean." Iadakihs said.
"Oh." Ininap looked down sadly. "W-Well, would ya help me find him?"
"Ehh, depends, ehhhh… what's he like?"
"Well- um, h-he gets in a lot o' trouble, a-and bugs people a lot; you shoulda seen what 'e did to this one city-"
"Say no more, we're in! Right, Nijoni?"
"Heck yeah! Let's get Adaras in on this, too!"
"Great! …After we finish our prank."
"Be back in a bit." So the duo leapt out of the alley, and Ininap watched as they crept into a restaurant window. …"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Colorful powder exploded inside, and several goers were running out scratching.
Agutrot Island
The morning sun was rising over this region of the Cificap Sea, so it seemed like a lovely time for Hcaz and Yddam to fly down and rest on this island. "Are you sure we can find Nerehc this way?" Yddam asked as they climbed out onto a beach.
"Not exactly. It's a big planet, he could've ended up anywhere. Let's at least grab a bite to eat here." As they were headed to a path between some jungle up a hill, they passed a surprised robot in a white wig and metal skull face.
"Wha-… Hold UP there, YOU!" He hurried over and stopped them. "It's a nega-shilling to park your ship on the beach. And I shall need to know your name." He spoke with a slight British accent.
"…Whaddyou say to three nega-shillings," Hcaz dropped him 3 quarters, "and we forget the name?"
"…Welcome to Agutrot Island, Mr. and Mrs. Htims!" The robot beamed before walking away casually.
"Heheh. Got that from Marines of the Mediterranean." Hcaz smirked. "Changed the lines a little… 'cause that sounded so much cooler. Weird robot, though. Keep your guard up, Dam."
Drums sounded across the air as they drew closer to a town, overlooking it from high atop a hill. Inside a square, twin lines of robots in British naval uniforms marched back-and-forth. On a platform stood what looked to be their commander, a very fat robot with a large gray hat with golden edges, and a big white feather. "Ay, Commodore Gals, what a lovely morning for a promotion, wouldn't you say?" said his short, slim henchman.
"I would say so, Smooth Etep. I can almost smell the crisp air even without any nostril senses. For 10 years, we've had nary an attack by rum-soaked pirates."
"Aye, Sir. You do the Imperial Galactic Navy proud. Earth will forever be safe thanks to you."
"I can never match up to the legend that is Silver-Foot Eniram, but I shall do my best, no doubt."
"Huh… an Earth-stationed Galactic Navy base?" Hcaz observed. "Heh, if those guys did their job more often in our world, we wouldn't have to worry about DNKG. Anyway, let's see if they have any decent restaurants."
After a while of exploring, they conveniently located a pub whose fancy interior rivaled that of the Fancy Banana. Sure were a lot of British-themed areas in this world… "Oh, this is TERRIBLE, Dim Thinker, so very AWFUL!"
"Huh?" The twins looked and saw a nerdy, frantic man with glasses beside a slim, shady adult with a lampshade over his head.
"How we ended up here, I have no clue, well it was that weird spacebender girl with the blue hair, yes, but what POSSESSED her to do such a thing! Don't you have any ideas to get us back home??"
"… click." The man switched his head-lamp off.
"Daddy?" Yddam spoke as they approached.
"WAI-YAH!" His heart almost stopped.
"You winded up here, TOO?" Hcaz questioned.
"OH, dearies, two kids in the same boat as I!" he proclaimed with joy, hugging the duo. "Oh, this is awful, absolutely frightening! The nerve of that girl, sending us to an island out of nowhere, whaddoes she have to impress those boys for??"
"Um, it might be a little more complex than that." Hcaz noted. "We're in another dimension."
"A-An—Another—nnnnyaaaai." Daddy fainted.
"… ..He just needs a while." Yddam said.
"Mmmmm-mm, these mates really know 'ow to make the best motor oil." They glanced back to a couple robots walking by.
"Aye, but we need to get back to work soon. We're supposed to join Tekcorps to Aksoloh today to see about the illegal crystals."
"Oh, aye. What was so bad about those things again?"
"Because they come from…" Their voices faded as they left the pub.
"…Well, that's an ear-raiser." Hcaz commented.
"What about them?" Yddam asked.
"Hmmm… to be honest, Nerehc could've landed on Aksoloh, too; it wouldn't hurt to follow 'em and see what they're up to 'case he isn't there himself."
"Can we eat first?"
"Yeah, we will. You guys wanna join us?"
Daddy was still dizzy and unconscious, while Dim Thinker stood blankly.
"…We'll just put it on your tab."
North Pole; Aksoloh
Ikuyim rented a one-man plane—'cause kids can do that in the Negaverse, and flew to the unbearable colds that were the North Pole, to the shining village that was Aksoloh. It was a lot warmer than Ikuyim anticipated, maybe because of all the lights. The buildings were made of sparkling snow, and many colorful crystals served as the primary lights of the village. Large men in thick tan coats were walking wolves like ordinary dogs as Ikuyim walked down the middle road and studied the village. "E-Excuse me, Sir: where do all these crystals come from?" she asked a passing man.
"Oh, well we mine for them of course, the caves out in the fields are full of them. Odd things, these crystals… they all emit a unique glow, but the yellow ones are the shiniest. Green ones help plants grow, red ones bring excellent warmth, blue ones can purify water, and purple ones, well, just make us feel good about ourselves." He seemed to be wearing a few rings with tiny purple crystals. "And any extras make us a hefty amount of gold, too."
"How much gold; exactly? Any 6 million cnarfs worth?"
"HOH hoh ho! …Actually, there may be. Word tells of a very special type of crystal, Clear Crystal, said to possess very unique powers and abilities, extremely rare and hidden within a region of the caves no one has ever had the manpower to explore. Mmm, but it's all speculation, we have enough crystals to make a living. Speaking of which, must see to my begonias. As you were." With a tip of his hood, he walked away casually.
"Hmmm…" The adventure was climbing, it seemed. This Clear Crystal is one she would have to find. But even if she reached the cave, how would she go about finding this crystal no one else could. Hmm…
"Hey." She twisted her head around to view at an alley; certainly not a dark alley with how bright everything was. It was a cool-looking girl with black long hair and a tan coat and fur hat, wearing a smooth scowl and sucking on a lollipop. "Word on the street is you're new in town."
"Well, if I'm not a snowbunny among boars!" Ikuyim beamed.
"Sure. I'm Atekram. What's your name?"
"Ikuyim. Ikuyim Latsyrc…"
"Latsyrc, huh? Like… latsyrc (crystal)? The ones we have around town?"
"Hehe, hyeah, I guess so!"
"Then, I wonder… if you might be an earthbender?"
"An earthbender? Hnhn, hno! My sister though, she's a lavabender, but I…I never actually felt it in me, but I dunno."
"Hmmm…" She pulled her lolli out, and swished her tongue around. "Well, between you and me, I have an idea where these Clear Crystals might be. I'd be happy to share some of the money with you if we find them… but I don't think we can if you aren't an earthbender. That's why… I wanna experiment. Up for a challenge?"
"You bet I am! Wouldn't it be amazing if I was an earthbender or what?"
"You bet it would. So c'mon. Let's walk 'n' talk." She walked down the alley to the snowfields, and with a look of curiosity, Ikuyim chased after.
Positive Termina; Frosty Citadel
Cheren Uno was on his own adventure, joined by Panini Drilovsky who had decided to come to this dimension outta nowhere, and their friend Thomas. While exploring a frozen fortress, they came to a circular, fairly dark room, looking around. They stopped when arrows were suddenly shot by their feet, and a figure skidded into the middle of the room, his feet leaving a trail of purple fire. "Is that-" Panini began.
"Nerehc?!" Cheren exclaimed.
The Negative turned and faced Cheren with a smirk. "Hey, Cherry. Long time, no see." He held up his sword and prepared to strike. (Play Dark Pit's Theme from Kid Icarus: Uprising.)
Sub-boss: Nerehc EiznekCm Onu
Right away, Cheren and Nerehc were in a clash of their blades. Nerehc was using a sword he borrowed from the pirates as both opposites swung their swords fast before both blades came in contact, their forces pushing on the other. "What's the big idea…" Cheren grunted, "and how did you get here?"
"You tell me." Nerehc replied. "It's your fault."
They jumped to opposite sides of the room. "Me?! Why are you blaming me for your being here?!"
"Does the shrinking door sound familiar?"
"What??" Cheren looked surprised. "How did you-"
"Because when you went in that door and got shrunkified, I shrunk, too! Do you know how scary being a bug size is? ?" he shuddered. "It was a nightmare. And now I'm splorped to this dimension, immediately I knew it was you! So you're going to help me find a way outta this world, as soon as I teach you a lesson!" With that said, Nerehc shot at Cheren with his rocket feet, and the two opposites clashed blades again.
Cheren swung as fast as he could to try and hit his Negative, but Nerehc kept zipping around him, Cheren turning and defending with quick blocks. Cheren was able to kick his foot up into his shin, then give him a strike across the chest. Nerehc jumped back and pulled out a bow as he fired quick arrows at Cheren, which the boy defended with his shield. Cheren ran and tried to swing his sword at Nerehc, but the Negative flew up with his rocket feet and fired more arrows down, hovering safely above the room. Cheren chased him around while avoiding the arrows. After a short while of chasing, Cheren noticed the small ledges that were around the walls of the room.
Cheren threw on his Wolf Mask and turned into his werewolf form. "HOLY CRAP! !" Nerehc exclaimed with a look of utter shock. He fired arrows faster as Cheren began jumping around the wall's platforms, getting close enough to Nerehc to leap at the Negative and tackle him to the ground, forcefully biting at his chest. He ripped a piece of Nerehc's shirt off as the Negative jumped up and flew near the ceiling. Nerehc started to charge lightning in his fingers, so Cheren quickly ran around in his wolf form to dodge when Nerehc fired. Nerehc charged another lightning strike, but Cheren hid behind one of the pillars and avoided. When he peeked back out, Nerehc immediately threw another strike, but Cheren dodged.
Nerehc flew down again as Cheren changed back to a human, clashing with his Negative once again. Nerehc zipped behind and tried to shoot an arrow, but Cheren ducked and rolled behind to perform an upward strike. Nerehc flew back as he charged a ball of purple fire in his hand. He threw it at Cheren, but the boy simply used his shield to bounce it back and knock the Negative dizzy, allowing Cheren to run and deal a few strikes. Nerehc started flying around the room again as he launched more quick arrows.
Cheren turned into a wolf as he started to jump around the small platforms again. He was catching up to Nerehc, but the Negative quickly zipped to the other side. Cheren jumped his way across, but the speedy Negative kept zipping back and forth. However, that's when Panini decided to throw a fireball and burn Nerehc's pants, distracting the Negative long enough for Cheren to jump over and tackle him to the ground. Nerehc tried to crawl away, but Cheren kept him down as he furiously tugged on Nerehc's jacket collar. Cheren ripped another piece of his clothing off as he threw Nerehc to the side. (End song.)
Nerehc lay tired on the floor as he turned at Cheren, his Positive changing back to a human as he gave a smirk. "Didn't know I could do that, huh?"
"Okay… that is almost slightly cooler than being able to fly." Nerehc replied as he got to his feet. "But screw this. I'll catch you some other time. Later, Cherry." With that, Nerehc threw his bow to the ground as he flew out of a hole in the ceiling.
Outside the citadel, Nerehc landed on the snowy ground, the blizzard hard against his face. A pair of footsteps crunched through the snow from the darkness, and over his own sunglasses, the strange Mask Man presented himself with his creepy grin. "I see you can be trusted to deliver belongings… and neglect to give credit when such is due."
"Yeah, well… it wouldn't've sounded cool if I said some creepy guy with masks told me why we're both here."
"It's no crime to feign placing blame… as long as your description for that blame is accurate. You must know that the two of you being here is a fault of neither of you, but you are-"
"Yeah yeah, we've connected by FATE, that's BULLCRAP. The fact is, HE'S stupid and gutsy, I'M not… to an extent. And BECAUSE of his stupid decisions, coincidence or no, I'M the one in trouble! If he gets stabbed by a monster, I choke on a chip, and HOW can I live in peace knowing I could be ZAPPED to a dimension at any time when HE decides to be the hero and DO THE WARP THING?!"
"…" The Mask Man frowned, "It's true that Cheren came here of his own free will, and you were forced here by other means." Oddly, the blizzard began to calm down, making it a bit more tolerable for Nerehc. "Indeed, the idea of this 'Coincidence Factor' is why Positives were never supposed to know about Negatives. That's why the gods kept you separate. To assure them that what becomes of their lives is their own fate or decision. That is still true. And such a separation… has its own negative consequences. I find it a warm feeling… that each being has someone in the universe they are connected to. A single life they can ultimately share, together… the way their destinies can be linked. All opposites… must be attracted to each other somehow."
"Well, it's STUPID. If Cheren continues to do stupid stuff, the universe FORCES me to do something similarly stupid, whether I want it or not! I bet the gods NEVER even considered how we feel being LINKED to someone we didn't like, being FORCED to die whenever they make a noble sacrifice. The gods just saw us as a minor side… nuisance that had to be created in order to 'achieve balance.' You know, WHAT would've been so bad if we were just left as one whole person?"
"…" This idea kept the man frowning. "Imbalance is a terrible thing. To know that one thing decides everything. There is no purity in singularity. There must always be two sides to an equation… because both sides will keep perfect harmony in a singularity. Imperfection will exist between them, yes… but even that is a piece to perfect harmony."
"So I'm just s'posed to ACCEPT Cheren will make dumb decisions that endanger my life?!"
"…" He looked at Nerehc, "You have made an equally dumb decision by choosing to fight him. Both of you will encounter obstacles that you will have to face with your own strength. If you truly don't want to die… then keep yourself from dying. If Cheren wants to survive… then he will. All the two of you can do is help each other, by helping yourselves. And then… helping each other." His loving, warmhearted grin returned. "Believe in your strengths… and help each other." And for the second time, Nerehc saw the back of his large pack as he faded.
"… .. Yeah." Nerehc knew. "I'm gonna have to trap Cheren so he doesn't get in anymore trouble."
Aksoloh; Crystal Caves
Atekram led Ikuyim across the vast snowfields, to a hillside where many dark caves lay, dim colorful lights shining from inside. The two entered a cave of red crystals, the extreme warmth already making them sweat despite the cold outside. "It's blazing in here, so let's be quick." Atekram stated. "It's now or never to see if you have earthbending."
"But if I had it, wouldn't I have known by now?" Ikuyim questioned. "I wouldn't know how to find out now."
"You can take off your shoes. It's not like your toes will freeze off." She slurped her lollipop with that same cool-girl look.
"Ha ha ha! Well… okay!" Ikuyim bent down, unhooked her Mary-Janes, and slipped off her thin black socks, planting her small skinny feet on the ground. "…Nnnn-he-he-he-he-he-he-he!" She began skipping in place silly on the scorched ground. "Ouchies hot, ouchies hot, ouchies hot!"
"Uuuuugh!" So Atekram blasted beams of ice to freeze a few nearby crystals. "There! Now can you stand still?"
"Wow, you're an icebender!"
"Wow, big surprise. Just focus!"
On this much-cooler ground, Ikuyim could stand still as she closed her eyes and leaned a hand against a wall. Things were totally silent… the warmth of unfrozen crystals mixed with the gentle chill of Atekram's ice, keeping a reasonable temperature. She tried to focus on nothing but the wall and whatever wonders lay inside. Seeeeee the wall. Beeeee the wall. Her feet are her eyes… and theeeey seee aaaaaall. There is no up… there is only down. Down to the ground. Down like a frown. And somewhere, inside the deepest mound… was stuff to be found.
…And what beautiful wonders there were around. What she couldn't see with open eyes, she saw far more in the blackness of her eyelids. A deep, vast complex, going for miles beneath the surface… and all throughout, crystals of endless colors. Purple, red, blue, green, yellow, orange… ..so many crystals, so much to see. And now she could see it all.
"I don't believe it… I see them! I AM an earthbender!" Ikuyim never felt so happy. "Mom and Dad will be so proud!"
"I'm proud of you, too…" remarked Atekram with disinterest, "or at least I would be if you can find some Clear Crystal."
"Right, right. Let's see…" She closed her eyes and sensed into the earth again. There were so many colorful crystals, if these ones were clear, she wondered if they'd even have color. …Well, that answered her own question, but more importantly. She wanted to focus on specific areas. She directed her blinded vision down, searching every little room of crystals. She kept going farther and farther into the caves, maybe to areas that were never even explored. She tried to essentially darken a few areas, leaving colored areas surrounded by black. And after she had chosen to darken almost the entire underground… an odd grayish-white aura shone.
"I found them." She spoke at last. "Let's go…" Carrying her shoes and socks, she walked forward blindly into the cave, Atekram alighting a glowing ice sphere to serve as her own light.
It felt as though they were walking for miles, with Ikuyim's eyes closed the whole way, as if she abandoned all senses and followed pure extinct. They were in a vast room above an endless chasm, Ikuyim walking zombie-like down a thin slope along the side of the wall. This path became horizontal as it led behind and around a waterfall. They then entered a cave with a small waterfall flowing into a shallow river alit by blue crystals. As Ikuyim stepped across the water, it eased her feet from walking the rugged ground, and savored its gentle feel before she continued down a new tunnel.
The cave of yellow crystals was awfully bright, so she had to shut her eyes tighter so the light didn't seep in through her eyelids. They make it out of the yellow cave in time, arriving at a beautiful green cave of such crystals, where grass, flowers, and fruit trees bloomed like a forest. Ikuyim opened her eyes to admire the sight, and the lush grass was also a relief under her feet. She wanted to walk around and try the fruits growing around, but a push from Atekram made her frown and keep going, eyes closed again. They found another river cavern where the path ended at a diagonal stream, where Atekram froze the water solid so Ikuyim could joyfully slide down, followed by Atekram at a lesser emotion. This was followed by a chamber of pink crystals, which exerted a strong perfume that almost intoxicated their noses. Their journey would then take them up a rugged wall with plenty of tiny ledges to put their hands and feet on. Afterwards, it was just a gentle stroll down a tunnel of various crystals.
"Atekram… these crystals are all so beautiful."
"Says you to the girl who sees them every day of her life."
"I mean, think about it. They can grow plants, provide light and warmth, clean water… crystals like these are the answer to all our problems. They're all humans would need to survive… it's the ultimate power source. Just imagine what gems like these could do for the world."
"Yes, but if the whole world knew about them, people would swarm us from all over, taking ALL our crystals, and we couldn't have THAT."
"But don't you guys get plenty?"
"Not enough for a whole planet. Better to just not let them know so they don't go obsessing."
Ikuyim was about to walk into a tunnel of purple dim light, before stopping at its edge. "…No… let's go this way." She proceeded down an alternate tunnel.
"Losing your sense of direction?"
"N-No—I mean, that is a shorter way, it's just… filled with purple crystals."
"So what? Let's just head that way."
"But there's something weird about the purple ones. I feel…I don't feel comfortable around them."
"Siiiiigh. Whatever suits your fancy."
So it seemed the walk stretched on a bit longer for not taking the shortcut. The cave grew very dark indeed, Atekram having to keep her Frost Light shining while Ikuyim saw with Seismic Sense. They followed many twists and turns, and Atekram wondered if Ikuyim was actually lost. So far they went… so very far. Until Ikuyim finally came to a dead end. "This is it. Just behind this wall."
"Then break it down."
"Um… I'm not sure how, it's my first time."
"Just do it, it's the easiest trick in the book."
Well, if life was an adventure… this was another step. Planting her hand firm against the wall, feeling every single part of it, she raised her other hand and PUSHED through with a forceful thrust. A bright gray light shone from inside and the girls gaped: a chamber filled to the brim with Clear Crystals, their wondrous glow glinting off their eyes. "I don't believe it… they do exist." Atekram's lolli dropped from her wide-open mouth. It was probably the only other emotion she showed today.
"So beautiful!" Ikuyim beamed. "But what do they do?"
"Who knows. But if it's money you're looking for, this stuff oughta set ya. Grab 'em and let's get moving."
"Ummm… okay. Hnnnn!" Using her new awakened bending, Ikuyim managed to lift a bender's handful into the air. She definitely seemed to have a better bond with these crystals than the normal earth. So the two made the very long journey out of the caves, past all the other crystal rooms, and Ikuyim was careful not to bump the clear ones around too much.
The brightness of outside soon hit their eyes again, and Ikuyim put her shoes back on before they crossed the frosty fields. The sun illuminated the crystals blindingly, and their shine already attracted the attention of townspeople from the outskirts. Murmurs were heard as dozens came to see, almost mesmerized by the light. "Do my eyes deceive me?" a slim old man said. "The Clear Crystals shine before me?"
"Then the legends may be true after all!" a younger, chubbier man exclaimed. "Young ladies, I will pay you a KING'S ransom for those crystals!"
"Ummmmm will 6 million cnarfs' worth do?" Ikuyim asked.
"I have NO idea what those are, but 6 million pounds of gold you shall receive!"
"Hehehehehehehe let me count the money." She sweatdropped, knowing she couldn't lift that much gold.
Exposed Twig Village
"ADARAS, YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE TO COME BACK RIGHT NOW!" Atanih screamed as she chased the trio of cloned girls.
"Oh, we can count to three!" one of them sang. "Question is, can YOU tell which's me?" another followed. "TIME TO SPREE!" They flew separate directions, making Atanih stop.
"Sigh… this daughter of yours, Arukas. I'll never understand why you married him." So the ninja continued to try and chase.
Of course, Atanih was going way off course. Adaras, Iadakihs, and Nijoni were leading Ininap through an underground tunnel somewhere beneath the village. "So you're telling me this girl is from some other dimension?" Adaras asked.
"That's what she told us." Iadakihs replied. "Who was it you're looking for?"
"H-His name's Nerehc." Ininap answered. "H-He can shoot purple fire, and he uses a glowing white sword, and um…"
"He's a real prankster, right??" Nijoni asked eagerly.
"Yes.."
"HE HE HE HYEAAAH!" He and Iadakihs high-fived.
"So, um… w-where are you taking me?" Ininap stuttered.
"You'll see, just hold on." Adaras told her.
They were finally at the center of the cave alit with several lanterns. "Hey… you guys have a R.E.P.M.A.C.S.." Ininap observed, seeing the familiar ship.
"Of course. We are DNK operatives." Iadakihs informed. "You're looking at Sector LG, the best pranksters in all the crew. We'll fly around and find this Nerehc guy in no time at all."
"B-But I don't even know where he landed, he could be anywhere."
"Ehh, more time to kill for us. But between you and me, there's one place in particular we think he might be. Right, Adaras?" He smirked at his leader.
"…" She glanced back at him. "Of course that's where you think he is."
"Huh? Where?" asked Ininap.
"At HcorbNud Kingdom." Iadakihs replied. "Where Adaras's-"
"That's not important." Adaras interrupted. "But if you really wanna go there, then fine. Don't see why he'd land there of all places…"
"Oh, it feels like a reasonable location."
On the mountain that towered over the village, seven heads were engraved into the side, the Seven Egakoh that once ruled the village. The current, seventh statue's, one of a short-haired woman, mouth began to open, and a light shone inside as the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. shot out like a rocket.
HcorbNud Kingdom
They flew miles and miles over the earth, beyond Napaj's boundaries, to the lush, um, barren deserts of Dnaltocs. HcorbNud was the most populated city in all of the land, bustling with townspeople and endless activity. They parked the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. a few miles away from the city before making the arduous walk to it, the sun making Ininap's feeble skin sweat.
"Man, I really needed a vacation from that dump, anyway." Nijoni said with a relaxed posture as they blended in with the dozens of citizens… well, not exactly since everyone was in Arab robes, but they became pretty swallowed in nonetheless.
"E-Everyone seems pretty happy here." Ininap stuttered. "Ay don't see why—living in a hot place like this seems pretty troublesome."
"Why of COURSE we're happy!" a large man exclaimed with a Scottish accent. "Our desert is prosperous with lush trees, rich food, and the cleanest waters ever! And we've all got our ruler, Lord Menma to thank for it!"
"Wh-Wh-Who's Menma?"
"Why, our savior of course! Ever since he came here 800 years ago, he's kept the kingdom alive and thriving, just when it was on the brink of ruin!"
"Ei-Ei-Eight-hundred years? B-But 'ow can he live that long?"
"With his power, of course! Oh- Ay've got to go now, visit the museum if ya want to learn more." He ran off in a hurry.
Ininap further studied the city as they walked, and compared to most Arabian areas she was aware of, this town seemed pretty underadvanced, as if this place hadn't evolved for centuries. "Wh-What kind of power helps someone run a kingdom for 800 years?"
"Timebending, of course." Adaras replied.
"T-Timebending?"
"They call Lord Menma the 'Negative with no Positive'." Iadakihs explained. "The story is that his Positive died a long time ago, but he's kept himself alive with his timebending. He's done the same thing with this very town. For 800 years, he kept the very same people, in the very same kingdom alive. But in the Positive Universe, all of these peoples' Positives have died."
"B-B-But, how can that be possible?"
"Positives and Negatives only follow each other through Space. Not through Time." Adaras informed. "Different eras, same dimension. That's why using timebending is really dangerous. It hurts the universe more than spacebending. In fact, do you want to see what's probably the oldest treehouse on the planet? Well, take a look." They reached the edge of town as Adaras indicated the massive tree standing high above a beautiful Arabian palace a few miles off. "That's Sector BD, run by Princess Adirem and her friends. Not really the strongest sector, pretty timid—you know, you kind of remind me of her, Ininap."
Although that comment did interest her, Ininap noticed something else about Adaras. That laughing, joyful girl who made Atanih's life not a joyful one back in Exposed Twig sounded a lot less ecstatic and prankstery, and a bit more… serious. "Um, A-A-Adaras?" she spoke up. "Is something… wr-wrong? Ya sound… really different."
"..What?" She looked a little taken aback. "I'm the way I've always been."
"It's just, s-since we discussed coming here, ya've been… well, Ay guess I don't know you that well, it's just at the village, ya were…"
"Let's just say girl's a little sensitive about the topic of Menma." Nijoni said, putting an arm around Inap. "But now 'at we're here, let's go meet Adirem. I'm sure you'll really hit it off!" He grabbed Inap's arm and seemed to forcibly drag her along to the palace.
"HEY, we can't just rush over there—UGH, you guys will be the death of me." Adaras huffed before she and Iadakihs chased.
Aksoloh
Ikuyim couldn't believe that so many pounds of gold could be strapped to the bottom of her one-man plane. It was under 6 million, that's for sure, but she hoped it would be a start to helping Sloucher rebuild his park. "Thank you for helping me load these on. Heheh!" Ikuyim smiled at the chubby man that helped her. "I hope these won't be too big a loss for you."
"Oh, not at all. Heh, but those Clear Crystals should provide a worthwhile entertainment!"
"How come? Did you find out what they're used for?"
"Oh, we knew what they could do a long time ago, and it was true! Hah, those wolves NEVER looked more silly!"
"Wh…Whaddyou mean?" Something sounded really suspicious about this whole thing.
"Oh, you HAVE to come and see, it is a HOOT!"
And that's just what Ikuyim did. It seemed that the whole town almost had gathered to the northwest, a huge cup of Clear Crystals raised high onto a platform while spotlights – powered by Yellow Crystals – shone upon them to increase their shining radius. A pack of wolves was in the field close by, and Ikuyim could see the mesmerized, almost mindless look in their eyes. "NOW presenting, Swimming With the Wolves!" A team of waterbenders in the field dissolved the ground beneath the wolves, landing them in a pool of water. The man on the platform with the Clear Crystals waved his arms, and this seemed to signal the wolves to perform a series of acrobatic swim movements as if they were humans… or bulls. One wolf raised his front paws up so another could flip up and stand on them with his own fronts, his hind side straight in the air. His legs spread so three more could shoot up and over him like dolphins, then that standing wolf flipped down and across a stairway of wolves on top of others.
Those wolves all flipped around and stacked atop one-another in a fashion that made hexagonal holes in-between. The wolves in the water swam around while still keeping the standing ones perfectly balanced, and they all began to move around to form many unique multi-dimensional shapes. One row by one, they flipped down like tumbling block walls, and all grabbed onto one's hind legs as they surfed about the pool in the form of a wormlike chain, up to down to up to down.
"W-Wow… so you guys trained your wolves to do all this?" Ikuyim asked.
"No, of course not, bloody things are only good as house pets or sled-pullers." the man explained. "But these Clear Crystals release a hypnotic light that puts unintelligent creatures under a kind of trance that makes them basically mindless, allowing easy control for the humans. I saw a few toddlers over there pretty hypnotized as well – why, we might not have to waste money on servants if we can do THAT! Make children and animals handle all the work, we say, doesn't cost a nega-penny. These crystals are the future of Aksoloh, we tell you, and it's ALL thanks to you, Dearest!"
No way Ikuyim could live with that on her conscience. And she wouldn't let them get away with this, either. She looked right and saw two men hauling in a large wagon of Red Crystals. She rushed over, leaped into the wagon, and used her bending to lift the hot gems and chuck them at the Clear Crystals' platform.
"Waaaah-aaaaahhh-WAAAAAHH!" That excess of heat melted the frosty pillar and caused its user and the shining crystals to fall. Everyone directed their furious eyes to Ikuyim.
"That is NO way to treat Earth's creatures!" When several citizens began charging at her with water or icebending, Ikuyim grabbed and chucked more Red Crystals that smashed against them and caused extreme heat. When she ran out, she hurried downtown as the townspeople chased, grabbing Yellow Crystals from their lampposts and hurdling them forth to make blinding flashes that stunned them for several moments. She seized the moment to run behind a house to steal several Green Crystals from a garden, and when townspeople came around to attack her, she threw and shattered the crystals against them, covering them with an odd moss that wasn't easy to shake off.
Ikuyim then hopped a fence and climbed into the window of another house, the place reeking with Pink Crystals. She proceeded to grab a few of them, run out the front door, and throw them at incoming townspeople to infect their nostrils with a scent that would last inside them for weeks. A good number of townspeople were too preoccupied to chase her now, so it was the perfect moment to run past them, back to the northwest, and seize the fallen Clear Crystals. "You won't be misusing these ANY more!" she declared, raising them up high. "They don't belong to- AAH!" An ice blast froze her legs, startling her as she dropped the crystals.
"Hey, I introduced you to earthbending, I BORED myself following you down that dungeon, YOU aren't destroying our hard work." Atekram told her. "Take your gold and leave, Latsyrc."
Ikuyim lunged a smaller crystal over to break the ice, "I don't think so." She chucked the Clear at Atekram, who froze and ceased its flight before rolling aside and thrusting a trail of icicles from the ground to Ikuyim, who dodged. She grabbed Blue Crystals from a bucket and hurled them to Atekram when an ice beam flew, and the impact turned the watery crystals into huge, glittering chunks of ice. They repeated this routine until Ikuyim had no more Blues to throw, but Atekram could easily grab the large ice chunks and attempt to crush Ikuyim with them. She tried to run to town for more crystals, but Atekram crushed a few in her path, and when two more flew her way, Ikuyim ran around past her, dodging more ice chunks as she maneuvered to the Clear Crystals.
"Leave those ALONE!" Atekram furiously threw three ice chunks, which Ikuyim dodged and allowed to smash the Clear Crystals to pieces. "! …Oops."
The wolves, who had mindlessly climbed out of the pool, shook free of their trance and snarled viciously at the townspeople. But the only thing that kept them from attacking was the sudden sound of burning engines, their force blowing snow everywhere.
A small fleet of ships was coming down for landing, and swarms of naval robot troops marched out with guns armed. Out of the flagship marched the largest robot, Lieutenant Tekcorps, whose stomach appeared to be a refrigerator. "This town is hereby condemned for the illegal use of Nature Crystals. All citizens are ordered to turn over any in their possession so we may return them to the caves they originated."
"I-I-I-Illegal use?" Ikuyim questioned, still on the ground. "What's going on?"
"So sorry to frighten you, Child, but you'll have to say good-bye to these crystals. This region is deeply rooted with the Heart of this World, and these crystals grow from its energy to breathe the air of outside to continuously fuel it. Plucking them from where they grow is a dangerous act for the planet; I'm glad we were able to catch on before too much damage happened."
Ikuyim frowned with guilt. "…Actually… I might've broken a few of them."
"Children will be children… but the amount we're taking back should keep the planet in check. We especially need to take back the Purple Gems." So with that, he marched up to Atekram and raised her by the arm.
"Hey-! Hey-! Hey-! Get off, get off!" She squirmed helplessly when Tekcorps reached under her coat and retrieved a small purple gem.
"These Evil Crystals emit a dark energy that drives beings to madness when exposed too long." he said, observing the gem closely. "Used to power devices called 'Darkness Cannons' – another illegal practice. They need to stay with the Heart, too, in order to balance its energy. I think it was the finding of these crystals that gave these people their less-than-reputable personalities. Hopefully they'll become a bit better after an extended break from 'em."
"But it's just so disappointing… these crystals really can help people."
"They are helping people, by giving them a planet. You must learn that even the most flawless fuel source has some strings attached. These people will learn to survive without them."
"…Well… it's better not to use those clear ones, anyway."
"Indeed. Well, run along and play now, we have crystals to clear out." So with that, he marched off to oversee his troops.
Well, Ikuyim guessed these robots would handle things for now. But she had other business to take care of. Glancing briefly at a scowling Atekram, Ikuyim hurried through the village to the gold-packed plane parked outside. After starting it up, her plane had the durability only seen in cartoons as it carried the back-breaking pounds into the sky.
She didn't get five miles from Aksoloh, however, when a ship appeared to be tailing her. "HEY, Numbuh -6am. Is that you??"
"Huh? WHO IS IT?"
"It's Negative 59+58 and Yddam. We went to a naval island and saved Daddy and Dim Thinker before we followed these ships here. How did YOU get to this world?"
"Ummm… I THINK WE HAVE A LOT of explaining to do to each other." she yelled over the wind. "Hey, CAN YOU GUYS help me bring all this gold back to Eporue?"
"Um, I guess. But when we do, we have to find Nerehc, he was blown here too."
"OKAY. We'll get right on it."
HcorbNud Kingdom
Sector LG and Ininap arrived at the walls just outside the palace courtyard. The front gates appeared to be sealed tight. "I think Sector BD have a secret passage around the back." Iadakihs informed. "Anyway, it's nothing we can't make with a few leaps—"
"Hu!!" Adaras gasped, her eyes fixed with fear as she looked to a palace tower.
"What's wrong, Ras?" Nijoni asked.
"It…It's him! The Positiveless Negative!"
Standing atop that tower was a man in a black jumpsuit, with a light-gray fur cape, spiky black hair, and a kitsune mask with 3 eyes. He was very high and far from their view, but in a light-fast leap, he was on the wall above the gate. "Adaras… how nice of you to visit."
"Hello… Father."
"F-F-F-Father?" Ininap stuttered. "You two are… related?"
"It's pretty messed-up." Iadakihs commented. "Menma married Arukas, the Egakoh, and had Adaras before he fled the Exposed Twig and decided to revive this dead kingdom."
"But why would he…"
"To prove that we Negatives don't need our Positives to survive. That day, 19 years ago, when I visited the Posiverse and realized my Positive has gone without a trace… and using my timebending to see what fate befell him… I knew. It's thanks to timebending that Positives or Negatives can continue to survive without the need of their opposites. So I came to this kingdom long-since dead, and revived all of its inhabitants with my powers. It's the same as it was 800 years ago, and though they know such time has passed, Time is naught but an illusion to them. And to me… With no needs of our Positives, we can live forever."
"B-But living without Positives… there just seems something wrong about that. Aren't these the kind of actions that… hurt the universe?"
"It's never been greater paradise. And you shall see that yourself, with your own eyes. How easy it is to exist, WITHOUT YOUR POSITIVE."
"NEEEEEK!" A dim blue aura encased Ininap's form, a glowing clock forming below her feet. "AIIIIIEEEEEE!" The portal flew open, and she fell and fell and fell into the endless chasm.
"Inap, no!" Iadakihs exclaimed before the portal sealed.
"Hey, bring her back, she was trying to find someone!" Adaras yelled.
"Hmph. She'll need that someone as badly as she'll need her Positive. To have to rely on others for strength… that's what our so-called gods try to teach us with these intertwined worlds. It is a weakness, in fact, to have your life bound to someone else. That is why I will show them all… how irrelevant our Positives' existence is!!"