THE CHRONICLES OF FINALGAMER
Forgotten Worlds

"Our destinies and inspirations are shaped by lies, myths and fables."
Alan Wake

It had been a long time since he felt that again.  That cold forced sleep when he woke up slightly groggy upon soft grassy soil, a cool breeze greeting him across his back.  At first he felt like he was waking up within a dream.  That perhaps everything had been a dream and he was still back in Koopin's home.  But the moment he felt himself walking of his own will, the sounds of wind whistling through the trees behind him and the the sea from all around him, he knew he wasn't.
	"Koopin...I'm sorry."
He knew he could not hear him, but he had to say it.  He was back on the road again, this time more unwilling than he ever had been before.  His gear was all still with him, checking everything he had from his scissor scabbard to the pendant around his neck.  He then quickly remembered the photograph in his satchel.  He knew now for certain that this wasn't a dream, seeing the picture of Koopin's family and him happily dancing upon the decks of a cruise ship.
He thumbed it carefully before putting it back into his satchel, seeing that he had also brought his two hammer handles with him as a non-lethal weapon.  He kept forgetting he could equip them onto his back, doing so by slipping them into a looping leather hilt upon the small of his back, a lesser-used part of his scabbard.  Smirking to himself slightly, he began finally taking in his surroundings with the words:
	"Well gee, what sort of weird-ass place am I in now hmm?"
It appeared to be a small island of sorts.  Incredibly small, small enough that he could see the sea from all around him with a few buildings and a very small cluster of trees behind him.  Beyond the trees was a small clock tower, only three times his height a small ways out from the shore.  Two miniature cabins were within the woods, one made of wood and one made of stone with a dark-lit staircase leading downwards.  James decided not to inspect either.

The centre of the isle had a small stone circular fountain, with a tiny wooden ship sunk within it.  In contrast to this to James' right, was the crow's nest of an actual-sized ship, barely able to fit five people at most, sunk within the small dock of the island.  Looking a little ways to his upper-right, the docks had a stone staircase leading towards a huge set of two gears, impenetrable and unmoveable.  Directly in front of him was the main building of the place, a grey-stoned library made out of marble.
To the right of this domed library was a smaller building, which James peeked into to see what looked like the inside of a dentist's office, having one single chair propped back on an axle.  He left it alone, not wanting to even try to touch it.  To the left of the library, was a rocket ship, a dull golden colour simply sitting upon its side.  James immediately felt a childish urge to go touch it, heading along the walkway towards its lonely little platform.  The door however was firmly sealed, and not even his scissors could pry it open.
	"NNNGH!  ...dammit...wait, this is meant to be an island of mist, it's clear as day, what the hell!  ...huh...whatever, I'm doing this now."
He looked at his scissors with some disdain, before sheathing them back into his scabbard.
	"I'm stuck with you until I figure out some way back home.  Well, might as well check the local library then, nothing else seems to work here."
Indeed the library itself seemed to be the only place worth investigating.  He had found several odd devices outside, such as the small wooden boxes with levers beside certain points of interest, but flicking the levers did nothing.  Likewise he found little buttons and cranks within various parts of the isle, all of which also did absolutely nothing.
The main building, while grey and marble on the outside, contained a small room of beautiful wood panelling on the inside.  The moment he stepped through the doorway, FG noted two paintings on opposite side of the bookcase in front of him.  One of the doorway he had just come in through, and one of another doorway that led to some sort of hall of similar wooden structure.  Unfortunately, they had both become tattered with age, and they had started to droop.  To his left and right, opposite of each other underneath the paintings, were two podiums with horrible burn marks upon them, like small craters as if fireballs had been put upon them.  Turning around, he saw a fireplace on the left of the exit, and a top-down view of the island itself on the right.
But the main eyecatcher of the room was the shelf of splendidly preserved books directly facing the exit.  Three rows, all of elaborate designs in green, blue and dark red.  But one book however laid on the floor, plain and green.
	"Huh...odd."
He picked it up but then noticed something very unusual about the bookcase itself.  What he thought were well-preserved books judging by the unblemished spines, were actually burnt and charred up on the inside.  Noticing some page tatters poking from the books themselves, he opened one after another to find that all of them had been destroyed.  Except for that one green book.  He examined it curiously, finding the first page to contain the following.
	"This book was made to order, but it isn't to be read.  ...the fuck does that mean?"

Curiosity beckoned him further, as he flicked through the pages which soon began to turn by their own will.  They flipped open onto a picture inside the pages, but much to his astonishment, the picture began to move on its own.  He could make out some sort of stone-walled maze, dark and foreboding as the first-person view travelled back and forth throughout strange corridors.  The moment he began to touch it however, testing to see if it really was just paper, he was soon taken aback by a powerfully blinding light, as a strange whooshing sound began to fill his ears.
	"Wha-what the hell!?!?"
He barely had time to even say this before he felt a powerful surge begin to suck him in towards the book, trying to throw it away.  But it was too powerful to let go of as he felt his eyes pulled towards the pages, into a world he could barely see as being some sort of stone labyrinth.  Soon he felt his entire body follow him, as he was sucked into the paper itself, screaming at the force of its pull, making his mind feel it could explode with such a blinding migraine from the energy.  He found himself hitting a stone floor, completely trapped within darkness as a single blinding light shined down upon him.
	"Uuuuugh my head...what the fuck was that?"
He was not alone however when a voice boomed all around him, crazily cackling with glee in a high-pitched voice.
	"AAAAAHAHAHAHA!  FINALLY!  It has been soooo long since a new fly was FOOLISH enough to enter my little web of words!"
	"Wh-where am I?!  Who the hell are you!?!?"
	"Ohhhh just a simple splendid man who controls the pages by which you are now upon."
	"Well whoever you are, stop fucking around and help me out here!"
	"I'm afraid that WON'T do, little beastie!  Youuuuuu are my subject now, and I will decide your fate!"
	"...what?"
	"You lie upon the threshold of a new world I have created, weaved and reordered from its predecessor to be FAR more challenging, AND more worthy of my greatness.  Do you really want to get out of here?!  THEN DO IT YOURSELF!  HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!"
	"...why do I always meet fucking lunatics?"
	"WHAT WAS THAT!?!?"
	"None of your fucking business, you crazy bastard!"
	"Crazy!??!  CRAZY?!!?!!  I'll show YOU crazy!"
The world began to shake around him as if it was an earthquake, the raptor falling to the floor until it stopped a few seconds later.
	"I AM THE MASTER OF THIS BOOK!  And if YOU wish to even imagine escaping, then you better learn your place...or else."
	"So what?!  You can't just trap me here!"
	"DIDN'T YOU READ THE FRONT PAGE YOU MORON!?  This book is made to order, but it isn't to be read. When they open up this book, they're sucked inside instead!"
	"Wha-BULLSHIT, it didn't have that second part about being sucked in!"
	"It didn't?!  ...Oops!  I'll have to note that under complaints then will I!?"
	"Well lemme out of here then!  Please?!  I'm on a mission, it's very important I get out of here and-"
	"Oh SPARE me your self-righteous hogwash my little lizard!  YOU are trapped here, YOU must face the consequences, and you are going to do just that, by spending some time in detention, to think about what you've DONE."
	"WHAT DID I DO!?"
	"DISRESPECT ME AND MY BOOK!  Now I send you scaled and lean, to the most unpleasant place you've seen, very scary and confusing, destination of MY choosing!  HOOOOHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!"

Before FG could protest any further, he was sucked deeper into the darkness as he felt his wrists suddenly become tightly bound by cold hard steel, propped up and pulled back until his arms hung above him.  The dark world soon faded away, as he saw the stone-walled labyrinth reappear before him.  This time however, he was not in a corridor, but a cell, seeing a sturdy wooden door set firm against the right corner of the wall before him.  He also found himself tightly chained to the wall, despite still holding all of his gear.  Naturally all he could do was struggle and resist.
	"L-LEMME OUT OF HERE!  GOD DAMMIT YOU FUCKING CREEP, I DUNNO WHO THE HELL YOU ARE BUT YOU CAN'T FUCKING KEEP ME IN HERE!  LEMME OUT!  LEMME OUT GOD DAMMIT!"
	"You should save your breath," said a voice nearby.
	"SHUT UP, I DON'-...wait, who's there?!"
	"Your fellow prisoner for the next century or so."
Looking to his left, within the shade of darkness, was a large wooden perch.  On top of this perch was a barn owl, chained around one leg and barely able to move more than two steps along it.  James looked at him oddly, not entirely sure what to make of it as the owl spoke with a firm British upper-class accent, a hint of sorrow forever written within it.
	"Um...did you just...talk?"
	"Yes."
	"...wow, I've never heard a bird talk in a long time."
	"Would it help if I told you I was once a man turned into a bird?"
	"...kinda."
	"Then it is as I have told you.  I see you were also lured here by Meen's worthless trap."
	"Yeah I uh...wait, did you say mean?"
	"No, Meen.  Ignatius Mortimer Meen.  He is our captor, the one you called a creep."
	"Scuse me, fucking creep thank you."
	"As I said.  Your anger will not help you here, you should save your strength."
	"Where the hell are we?"
	"His magical labyrinth."
The owl flitted his silver wings and softly flapped into a more comfortable spot, staring at James.
	"He has claimed many victims here from all over existence, capturing any he may find suitable for his purposes, be they amusement or otherwise.  Sometimes however he will lay a trap for those such as you.  The curious ones.  Just to see what you will do."
	"Fucking bullshit is what it is, that book had no warning on it!"
	"What book?"
	"Some green book on an island that was SUPPOSED to be full of mist, and it just said that this book was made to order, but it wasn't to be read."
	"...well, you DID read it."
	"Why SHOULDN'T I read a book?!  Goddammit, this is what I get for trying to read, I am never reading a fucking book again."
	"...tell me, do you always swear so spuriously or is it a condition?"
	"It's called being fucking angry, that's what."
	"Understandable.  Tell me, what is your name?"
	"James.  James Campbell.  What about you?"
	"I am Alestes.  I hope that our time together shall be content."
	"Well I don't plan on staying here forever."
	"Then I must warn you, it will be nigh-impossible to escape our bonds by mere strength alone.  For you see, only magic is strong enough to destroy these chains, as well as that door you see before you."
	"Ahhhh huh...and?"
	"And while I can wield magic myself, our inglorious captor Meen has made certain of our incarceration by means of a magical conduit, nullifying all magic that any may wield."
	"...so...he puts us in a cell that can only be opened by magic, yet he also blocks our magic with some kinda anti-magic field?"
	"That is correct."
	"...well this is bullshit...wait...that would ONLY apply to magic, right?"
	"Yes."
A smile crept across FG's features, as he began to summon to his hands a great burning sensation.  He hoped this would work, logically it should to him.  Alestes looked at him with disdain and simply rolled his eyes, ignoring him briefly as the raptor groaned and pushed further with his mind.  
	"Try as you might, your magic shall only be squandered by the nullification he has placed upon us, as well as all us prisoners within the confines of this tomb he calls a labyrinth.  Unless we utilise some form of makeshift engineering between us perhaps, you cannot possibly destroy-"
	"RAARGH!"
	"...it."

In the time that Alestes had tried to explain the difficulty of their situation, James had freed himself of his chains as they now melted into firey lumps, before blasting a ball of fire straight towards the thick wooden door.  The door now laid in a loud crumpled heap against the corridor wall outside, crushed inwards upon itself from the sheer force of FG's attack.  The wrist irons still remained on him, but he soon removed them with some cautious nano-usage, rubbing his wrists gently so as to feel free again.
	"Finally," said FG, "I've been wanting to do that for years."
	"H-how did you do that?!" cried out the owl.  "How could you still possess your magic?!"
	"Because it's not magic," said FG smugly.  "It's science."
	"...science?"
	"Yeah, I'm not using magic, I'm using nanos that create uh...chemical reactions that do stuff LIKE magic, whatever I want really so long as I think it right."
	"...I see...that's...incredible.  To think that a sufficiently advanced form of technology could be indistinguishable from magic itself!"
	"Yyyyyyep.  Lemme get you out of there."
The raptor carefully melted off Alestes' restraints with his fire, freeing him from his perch as he flapped swiftly out of the jail cell and into the just-as-oppressive corridor.  James followed after, carefully gauging the hallway.
	"Thank you my friend," said the owl.  "We must be cautious, my magic is still restrained until we can find and shut down the conduit of this tower."
	"Wait, tower?  This is a tower?"
	"Yes."
	"Oh, right, no problem.  I just end up in some prison that's APPARENTLY a tower and immediately bust out with a talking owl, sure, this isn't weird at all."
	"An owl who was formerly human may I remind you."
	"Right, course."
	"We shan't find any guards here, we are in the low-level corridors where they will not bother with us for long."
	"Wow we're not even considered a threat?  Now I feel insulted."
	"As do I.  Follow me."
With no reason not to, James followed Alestes as he flapped through the grey stone corridors, passing cell after cell of various shadowy creatures, human or otherwise.  Murmurs of madness and discontent were heard from all around him, making him wonder all the more why he had come here.  With this in mind, he asked his new companion:
	"How did you end up here?"
	"I was studying the Cosmic Power, as ordained unto me by my master Acanthropsis.  I thought my troubles had ended when I defeated my archenemy Mentor, who tried to take it from me."
	"Mentor?  Was he like your other master?"
	"No, that was his name, a fellow disciple alongside me who stole the power for himself, and cursed me into this form that you now see before you.  I almost had it in my grasp, until Meen found me in his dimensional wanderings and dragged me into this purgatory."
	"Damn."
	"How about you?" asked the owl politely.
	"I...I was summoned here."
	"Summoned?"
	"Someone told me in a dream...to head to the island of mist.  Apparently that was gonna be where my journey would begin, which I would like to point out is bullshit because that island had NO mist on it at all."
	"...do you perhaps mean the island with a small library, a rocket and a ship sunk within the harbour?"
	"Yeah!  You know it?!"
	"I have seen it when I was taken by Meen.  It is called Myst Island."
	"Yeah right, there wasn't any mist there!"
	"Not mist as in the weather phenomenon, but Myst...as in em-why-es-tee."
	"...ohhhhhhhh...huh, alright.  What's the deal with that place then?"
	"It was once inhabited by a great sorcerer, whose family was torn apart by inner strife as his power became too great.  Try as he might to control it, his two sons began to conquer other lands of their own deviations using their father's power, until the sorcerer was able to free himself through the help of a mysterious stranger.  After which, he left the island behind long long ago.  However, Meen has seen it fit to make it into his base of operations, far away from all those who would dare face him.  I have yet to understand HOW he has managed to do this however."

As the barn owl flitted between the hallways slowly, guiding James deeper within the labyrinthine structure they were apparently in, a strange glow signalled their arrival.  Turning corner after junction after corner of suffering within cells and deadened silence behind empty doors, they encountered a strange room.  A little more open than the others, a glowing beacon of swirling purple rested within a pillar.  The pillar itself was diamond-shaped, carved out of fine emerald with both top and bottom halves spinning in opposite directions.
	"This what you meant?" asked James.
	"Indeed," said Alestes.  "Once we shut this down, my magic will return to some extent, as well as those around us within this floor."
	"How did you know where to go?  You've been in that cell since coming here right?"
	"We prisoners have managed to establish ways of communication."
	"So once we shut this down, that means everyone gets their magic back and we all get out, right?!"
	"Not exactly.  Each area of Meen's lair has at least one conduit of power, all of which are synchronised with each other in order to suppress and weaken all who wield magic.  Taking out this one will simply weaken his hold on us, but not completely erase it."
	"So the more of these we destroy, the more power we all get back?"
	"Yes.  Then, and only then, shall the prisoners be free."
	"Unless I break them out myself."
	"That would be unwise, I am sorry to say."
	"Wh-what?!  Why?!"
	"Consider this.  Most of our fellow prisoners here rely on their magic like I, we are no match for Meen's guards who rely on poisons and brute strength.  Until our magic is restored enough so that they may free themselves, we would be freeing helpless victims to walk straight into their deaths."
	"...dammit.  Okay, if you say so.  How do we destroy this then?"
	"Through this."
With a sweeping gesture of his wing, Alestes pointed towards a small podium in front of the glowing humming font of radiating power.  Upon it was what appeared to be some form of diary entry, with a pencil right next to it.  But the owl noticed something off with the short entry.
	"Hmmm...this seems to be written incorrectly."
	"Oooh look at you grammar nazi."
	"No, this is important.  If we correct the errors then it shall deactivate the conduit."
	"How do you even know that?  You know, you seem to know a lot about this Meen guy for someone who's in jail thanks to him, how long you been here?"
	"...long enough.  I have made contact with various other prisoners through a secret trading route known as the Gnorris Gnetwork."
	"Hah, you mean like passing notes and stuff?"
	"You could say that."
	"So, who was this guy, some kinda asshole teacher?"
	"No.  He was a librarian.  Now, let me guide you on what I shall correct..."
Within very little time, Alestes had corrected the diary entry, guiding FG's hand as he scribbled and erased mistakes, which in turn started the shutdown of the main conduit.  As the crystalline sculpture began to slow itself down, its light of magenta soon fading away, the diary entry glowed as if trying to narrate itself, the roving light of its letters glittering from left to right.

Dear diary
Today shall mark my most miraculous day as of yet!  They all called me mad for thinking I could conceive such power, that I was nothing more than a trite uncontent librarian who could only DREAM of such wizardry in his so-called "tawdry" fan-fiction!  BUT NO MORE!  I have found the ultimate power, the very basis on which I shall build my new reign as ruler of this world!  I have yet to conceive a name but I am quite partial to Meenopolis myself, it just rolls off the tongue so well!
Firstly I just have to figure out how EXACTLY this Linking Book works, I do not know how it ended up in my library but suffice to say it shall do me a world of good!  And I do mean that LITERALLY my dear diary.  And it's all mine, MINE and mine alone!  I'll show those smarties up above, I'll show every bookworm the power I wield!  Then they'll rue the day they ever crossed words with I. M. Meen!

	"Wow," said FG, "I was totally expecting him to write himself laughing like a crazy ass."
	"I wonder," said Alestes, "what exactly is this Linking Book that gave him such power apparently?"
	"Who knows, you ever heard anything like it?"
	"No.  But I am convinced it is something to do with Myst Island.  You were trapped in here by a book were you not?"
	"Yeah."
	"Then that must be the key.  I know little of the sorcerer who once inhabited that island, other than the basic synopsis and that books were involved.  But if we can just find out about that Linking Book, we SHOULD be able to comprehend how he built this place...ah!  Yes, I can feel it!"
	"Feel what?!"
	"My power!  It's coming back to me slightly!"
The owl soon flapped into the air above FG's head and spread his wings, shimmering a light just barely seen from his wingtips.  A smile somehow crept through his beak.
	"Yes...this is perfect, we must shut down every single conduit if we are to stand a chance against Meen."
	"Hah, no problem, how good is your magic now?"
	"Enough to deal with any low-level grunts he may have...such as them."
Turning around, the raptor soon heard then saw a small horde of enemies come charging around the corner, swinging his scissors out for a fight.  Alestes flew away from him, giving him space to wield his blades.  Appearing from the corridor came two large dark-blue spiders, shrieking with venomous intent, as well as three gnomes of five feet tall, with thick beards and heavy wooden clubs.
	"Awwww yeah," said FG, "I've been waiting for this."
	"A battle?" said Alestes.
	"No...a massacre."
Charging towards the enemies before they had a chance to fully comprehend, he plunged his scissors straight into the head of a wretched spider, its shriek piercing his ears as it collaped and twitched its spindly legs.  Backing away swiftly to avoid the brutal swing of a wooden club, FG was about to charge when he felt a strange wave of energy vibrate past him.  The gnome who tried to attack the raptor stumbled backwards in confusion, giving FG the perfect chance to skewer straight through his gut.
With a guttural roar, the beast swung down, forcing James to pull his blades out and dodge back once more, the burly humanoid bleeding profusely from his gut.  His cohorts tried to attack in turn, two more of them trying to charge together into a violent double-swing assault.  But the raptor simply shot out a fireball straight into one of their faces, causing his beard to be set on fire and force him back in a shriek of panic.  The other gnome was kept confused by Alestes' new power, a solid echo-locational power that shattered straight into the mind.

In a fit of fury, one of the gnomes tried to barge past FG and blindly swing at the owl, who simply flapped upwards out of range and shot out another shriek of an echo straight into his brain.  Not wanting to be pincered, FG turned and charged before impaling straight through the back, plunging his scissors through the gnome's kidney region to bleed hungrily down his blades.  As the monster crumpled onto his knees, the raptor pulled out and choked him to death with the scissors around his neck, cutting him violently until blood further spewed from his throat.
When the beast had fallen, he turned just in time to see the burnt-bearded troll roar in a burning charge, thrusting with his club and catching FG in the head.  As he fell back against the podium of the room, Alestes distracted the beast with another echo shriek, only to be hit back in turn by a spider's silk shooting at his wings.  He panicked and flustered to try and get the sticky substance off, while James had recovered quickly enough to thrust upwards straight into the burnt gnome's jaw.  He stabbed straight through the skull, as grey matter dripped from the top.
He pulled out quickly once he was certain it was dead, kicking off the gnome from his blades as only the spider was left, as well as the last bleeding gnome trying to recover.  He wasn't going to give them a chance, and yet despite the last remaining spider shooting his silk to try and slow FG down, he was met with a swift decapitation, the body spasming into rigor mortis.  With the spider's legs crumpling up into itself in its death throes, he thrust through the last gnome's side and ended his suffering, cutting through the heart.
Since it had been so long since he had such a violent battle, he felt the scissors were now almost grateful to have been bathed in the blood of monsters, as he felt a slight weakening of their influence recede from the clutches around his heart.  Like Professor Gadd had said, a ravenous beast could be controlled so long as it was fed well.  He picked up a large key shining thickly from one of the gnome's corpses, his head somewhat dazed from the blow but not worse for wear.
	"Well," said the owl, "at least I do not have to worry about you handling these foes as we progress further in."
	"Heheh, oh don't worry, I'll leave some for you."
	"As much as I do not wish to leave all of the battle to you, my power can only disorient foes for now...unless they are small enough to succumb to my claws and beak."
	"Well, maybe you can peck out their eyes or something, that might work."
	"Hah, very well.  Now let us escape this place."
Heading back the way they came, they kept their guard alert for any signs of activity, possibly in the form of guards coming to inspect the disturbance.  Passing by cell after cell of desperate pleading creatures broke James' heart, and as much as he struggled not to help despite his solemn vows to himself, he knew Alestes was right.  To release such weakened creatures in the potential face of a well-armed force would be suicide to them.  Best that they bide their time until their magic could be restored.

With each one they passed by, a little twinkle of hope could be seen in their eyes.  James saw all sorts of strange people and creatures within their cells.  A boy kicking a soccer ball against the wall.  An astronaut tinkering constantly with his suit and what appeared to be a jetpack.  A man forever sleeping upon a bed with a strange surgical scar upon his head.  He wasn't even sure why these particular beings were special, but Alestes did tell them alongside James that the time for escape was at hand.
As they passed through a long long hallway that opened up into another open room, they saw the exit they had been looking for.  A large purple door, brazen with golden lock.  Just as they began to approach it, a flash of lightning came before their very eyes, causing a puff of smoke to burst straight into their faces.  Standing within the cloud of smoke, was a wiry-looking man with wild white hair, sticking up from his head.  He was dressed in a purple longcoat with a thin face that ended on a thick chin.  The squeaking voice James knew immediately.
	"SO," squawked the man, "youuuuu escaped HMMM!?  Well look who's a clever little bookworm."
	"So you're the fuckhead who trapped me in here," mocked FG.
	"Are you REALLY so crass that you cannot insult me properly you cretaceous cretin!?  How did you even escape?!  You couldn't have freed yourself without your magic!"
	"I dunno, you're so smart you tell me."
James shrugged and grinned smugly while crossing his arms.  He had no time or patience to be diplomatic, and neither did Meen who simply harumphed.
	"Do you really think that the two of you, or anyone, can escape MY labyrinth?!  Hoohoohahahahahaaa, such little simpletons that you are!"
	"You tell me after I gut your FACE!"
Charging forwards, he swung hard at the wizard before finding his claws had simply slashed through thin air.  His whole body fell through I. M. Meen's form, who simply cackled at the raptor's ineptitude.
	"DOHHH you are so STUPID, velociraptor!  No wonder your species went extinct!"
	"SHUT THE FUCK UP, SAY THAT TO MY FACE!"
	"I already AM, you mesozoic moron!  This is simply an astral projection, and if you were a smartie like a good little boy, you would know about that!  Now get back to your cell, and I may forget about this little accident."
	"Your reign ends here Meen," said Alestes, "do not think that we will surrender our beginning advance.  My friend and I will make certain you shall pay for your transgressions."
	"And what are YOU going to do about it, hmmm?!  Claw at my face?!  Peck me on the nose?!"
	"It would not be a target I would miss so easily."
	"...HMPH!  So it IS death that you choose is it?!  FINE, if you will not return to your cell like good little bookworms then you shall SUFFER at the hands of I. M. Meen!  ME, that's who!  HOHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"
With his forceful cackle of raging pride, I. M. Meen disappeared into a swirling vortex of lightning sparks, leaving the two alone within the small hall.
	"Well," said FG, "now I know whose face I'm gonna be skewering next."
	"Let us leave this floor," said Alestes, "hopefully we shall gain another ally that can help us further."
	"And what's stopping us from getting any one of the other prisoners back there?"
	"Believe me, we must choose our allies wisely.  You have not been here long enough to know who's who and who we can trust better.  Not all prisoners can be trustworthy to our cause.  I know just the right person, but he must be higher up within this place.  Come, let us go."

Heading further within, they found themselves passing through yet another dark stone corridor, leading further and further within.  All of them looked the same eventually to FG, but he walked on undeterred.  Prisoners continued to sit within cells, intrigued by the strange creatures who passed them by.  Two wild-looking sisters with colourful hair.  A camel with technicolour eyes looking dazed in a reverie all on his own.  Guards that they met, nothing more than the same spiders and gnomes of before, were quickly executed by FG.
Little challenge was presented to him by the spindly arachnids and brutish short gnomes, minus the occasional silk trap or a lucky club to the head.  Passing to the third level of the Tower, with each new level offering a conduit for them to deactivate and unravel a new part of Meen's already-apparent ego, Alestes stopped at one empty cell.  His shock came fully to his face as he peered inside.
	"...quick, open this cell!"
	"Alright, sheesh."
The raptor flexed his nanomuscles before blasting a fireball straight into the woodwork, crushing the door against the inside of the jail wall.  The owl flew inside with panic upon his face.  Nothing remained except for a rather scruffy adventurer's hat, a fedora to be precise.  He gently flapped down onto the floor, investigating it morosely.
	"...he is gone."
	"Who?"
	"...one dear friend who could have aided us.  Alas, brave Dizzy.  ...I hardly knew ye."
	"Who's Dizzy?" asked FG.
	"A great hero, and a brave adventurer whose enthusiasm was infectious to us, spreading across our hearts throughout the prisoner's secret network.  But I had not heard from him for many moons, and I had feared the worst had come to him.  ...hmm?"
In his beginning grief, Alestes noticed something within the brim of the hat, picking it apart with his beak to unravel the seam and find a note written within it.  His sharp eyes had picked out the off-colour note, opening it up on the ground.
	"What's that?" asked the raptor.
	"This...Dizzy left a note in his hat.  It says we must find...Sophelie?!  She is here!?!"
	"Oh god, look I do not know who ANY of you people are and there's too many names already being thrown around, so just guide me to the nearest enemy so I can keep killing off Meen's forces, okay?"
	"Right, of course.  I will explain more on the way to the dungeon level, I understand that this may be quite overwhelming to a newcomer."
	"Wait, a dungeon beneath the tower that is ALSO a dungeon?"
	"Precisely," confirmed Alestes.
	"...pfft, fine, whatever, what do we have to do, I just wanna get out of here."
	"Dizzy left a note saying that we must find Sophelie, a wise and powerful sorceress who is also captured here.  He has marked out her location for those like us to find."
	"Who was this Dizzy guy really, some kind of legendary adventurer?"
	"Perhaps once, many moons ago.  ...I sense perhaps that we are from a far more ancient time than you could possibly comprehend, James."
	"What do you mean by that?"
	"...I feel that if I explain too much at once, that this may be more difficult for you to swallow.  In truth I...am not entirely certain of all the facts myself for our incarceration."
	"...yeah I appreciate that Alestes, let's just keep going then."
Passing through the third level, they reached the fourth and final floor of the Tower.  But even with the raptor's own strength as well as Alestes' own magic now restoring itself, a more determined challenge would be waiting for them.