Chapter Sypnosis: Wander struggles to rejoin the group while searching for a way out of the story. At the same time, Genesis has to decide whether or not she should let herself act on her feelings for Wander.

Characters featured:

- Wander

- Genesis(Lord Dominator)

- Westley

- The Wordsmith(OC)

"WANDER!"

Genesis scrambled to her feet, intent on running after Wander, but even with how fast she was he was gone before she could do anything. Looking at her feet, she saw Wander's hat on the ground, and she could swore it gave an energy of hollowness. As she slowly picked it up, Westley began hyperventilating, starting to panic.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man! Wander's gone what do we do?! I can't even see where we are-" A swift, stinging slap snapped Westley out of hysteria, Genesis being the one to administer the slap. She put Wander's hat under her shoulder, because grop-forbid she would ever be seen wearing that ugly thing!

"Calm down Westley, now. We need to stay focused." Genesis said emotionlessly, struggling to keep herself. She had to take deep, steady breaths, to keep her mind from racing, and analyze everything accordingly. "Okay: Wander went east, but we can't be sure if the tree changed directions. So, we need to find the highest tree in this place and climb it, and hopefully we'll see Wander."

"Wow…that's…a really good idea." "Of course it is. I came up with it." Genesis grinned, crossing her arms. "So, what direction do you think we should go?"

Westley thought about this, looking in all four directions. He took his time, tapping his foot. "Hmmm, I think think we should go…there!" And Westley pointed south; right after he did, a lion roared from that direction.

Right after, the watchdog changed the direction he was pointing from south to north. "There!"

Wander fell on the ground with a yelp, relieved he had finally got free from the tree branch. Shakily, he pulled himself to his knees, and traced his hands over his body to check for any injuries. For the most part, he was okay; but he soon found a long gash across his forehead. Gently, he pressed his fingers against it; he quickly winced and pulled his fingers away, finding them coated with black blood. The cut wasn't deep, but was deep enough to draw blood.

"H-hello? Gen? Westley?" As Wander called out, he got to his feet, looking around at his surroundings. The trees were tall and the leaves on them blocked a lot of sunlight. In addition to this, the trees were all so close together, it was hard to see very far.

"Oh…oh my…I'm in quite the doozy, am I?…

Okay, it's okay, just…do your thing Wander. Be positive and find a way out." Feeling uncomfortably warm, Wander stripped off all his clothing in a flash, leaving only his boots on. Then, he ripped off one of the sleeves of the shirt, feeling a twinge of guilt as he did so. "Sorry Miss Wordsmith-I hope you didn't spend too much time making this."

After ripping the sleeve off, he tied it around his his head, making sure it covered the gash and applied the right amount of pressure to it.

"Alrighty, now to look at my surroundings." Wander clapped his hands together, putting on a hopeful smile. "Okay, so it's…dark, but nice and warm! I can't see where Genesis and Westley are. But it's okay, because I'm still alive and I know I can find my friends!"

Wander felt relatively hopeful, but his smile shrunk as he realized how…alone he was. Not only was he totally vulnerable, but he didn't even know where Genesis was or if she was okay. But he knew he couldn't think too much on that-he would become a pessimist if he did that! No, he would stay positive, as always, and find a way through this.

Looking around, Wander looked down the direction he came from. "If I go this way, then eventually, I'll have to run into Westley and Genesis. Yeah, that sounds good, that sounds like a great plan!"

Wander started walking, leaving his clothes folded neatly in a pile.

"So, You're a watchdog, right? You were apart of Hater's army once?" "Yep, sure am and sure was Miss Genesis!" Westley replied cheerfully, all the while looking carefully at each of the trees.

Genesis nodded, also looking at each of trees to find the one that was exceptionally tall. "So, how'd you end up in Lord Hater's army? Were you created by him? Was your planet conquered by him and he forced the people to work in his army? Or did he somehow convince you all to join with his 'seductive charm'?"

Westley paused, a little puzzled as to why the green skinned girl chose now to talk about this, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Um…I'm not really comfortable answering that. It's more of a personal thing. Sorry."

"Eh, it's okay; I don't like talking about my past either. What's done is done, and we shouldn't focus on it, am I right?" Genesis said, giving the watchdog a wink and a smile.

"Yeah, that's really-" "Wait, I think I found the tree!" Genesis grabbed Westley and got him to look at the tree. It had a thick stump, and the tree seems to go further than the tops of the other trees. "What do you think?"

"…Yeah, that looks good. It doesn't hurt to try!"

"Good, then let's get going." Without warning, Genesis threw Westley into the air and watched as he was flung away screaming. After waiting a few seconds with Westley not coming back down, the conqueress decided Westley must have gotten to the top of the tree. "DON'T WORRY WES, I'M COMING UP!"

Genesis pulled on a thick vine that was hanging on one of the tree branches. Roping the vine around the tree, she began shimmying up the tree.

'Hello Genesis~'

"What?! You?!" Genesis cried out, almost losing her balance from how suddenly the Wordsmith' s voice rang out.

'Yes, it is me, the Wordsmith. I'd just like to issue an apology for my…outburst earlier. It was extremely childish and not at all how I usually am, and I feel you've got the wrong impression about this world from it.'

"Shut up, I know exactly what this world is-a prison! And I don't do prisons!"

'Come on my dear, don't be like that. I'm just trying to make a good story, that's all I want. Think about it-you and your friends are the main characters of this story, in a world where no one ages and you can shape it the way you want to. If you work with me and complete this story, I can create an entirely new story for each of you where you control everything.'

Yeah, that's another thing I don't do-negotiating with people who want to put me in jail. No deal!"

'Okay then, be that way. But don't say I never offered.'

Abruptly, the vine Genesis was using to shimmy up the tree seemed to be ripped out of her hands; she was barely able to keep her grip on the tree as she held onto a nearby tree branch. Groaning, Genesis continued climbing her way up.

A few minutes later, Genesis was able to pull herself onto a sturdy tree branch, leaning against the trunk of a tree and rubbing her aching hands. Sitting next to her on the tree branch was Westley, who had his arms crossed as he looked at Genesis.

"Come on Genesis, throwing me into the tree like that wasn't cool!"

Genesis smirked, pulling herself into a position where her feet were hanging off the side. "Hey, would you've preferred having to climb all the way up here?"

"…No." Westley admitted sheepishly, his hands falling to his lap.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." With that, Genesis began to gaze upon the wild forest, but was disappointed to see most of the forest was shielded by the thick tree tops. "Man, look at this place: it'll take forever to find Wander ."

"Yeah, it is. Maybe we can try doing one of those smoke signal thingies!" Westley suggested while he kicked his legs back and forth. Genesis immediately shook her head.

"No, that wouldn't work either. Wander probably wouldn't be able to see it through the trees. But if I know Wander, he'll find a way to find us in no time flat."

"Yeah, that's probably true…hey Genesis, can I ask you something?" The watchdog turned to look at the beauty, shifting a bit uneasily. Genesis gave him a sideways-glance before looking back at the forest. "You already asked one, but go on ahead."

"Are you in love with Wander?" In an instant, Genesis spun herself around to face Westley, her face in disbelief. "What?! In love with-Wander?! What-What the flarp made you think THAT?!" She sputtered.

Westley began, "I don't know how to explain it, but…The energy between you and Wander…feels different than the energy Wander and Sylvia had when they were together. Like, you two care for each other, but on like, a deeper level? Do you know what I mean?"

In love with Wander? Genesis couldn't bear the idea of it. Yes, she had traveled with Wander and kept up the Genesis persona for far longer than she had thought. Yes, she had formed a friendship with the Wander that, admittedly, made her feel less lonely and helped temporarily heal the hole in her heart that-. But, that was nothing to her; she could easily overcome that friendship for her plan, and any so called grief would be fixed by getting whatever was in that tomb. But romance…she had seen what it had done to stronger villains, and she didn't want that to happen to her. It couldn't happen to her-Lord Dominator, the greatest villain in this galaxy and every other galaxy.

"…Genesis?"

Shaking her head, Genesis scooted away from Westley. "No, actually, I don't know what you mean. If I were you, I would jut mind your own business!"

Westley held his hand in the air, torn between grabbing her arm and leaving her be. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I said mind your business!" Still peeved, she shoved Westley with one of her hand. The shove was much harder than Genesis intended it to be, and Westley began falling backwards and flailing his arms before falling off the tree branch. As Westley screamed, Genesis rushed to grab him.

As this all happened, the environment rapidly shifted and changed into a much darker, much damper environment. The tree seemed to disappear, and Genesis began falling as well. Very soon, much sooner than either expect to hit the ground, the two hit a cool, rocky surface.

'Hello, it's me again. I know you said not to bother you anymore, but I believe I jut saved your lives! Seriously, try to be more careful here!'

Standing up, the two took in their surroundings. It was a round tunnel, carved cleanly from Gray rock, with torches lining the wall and water dripping from the ceiling here and there.

"It's…a tunnel. " Genesis stated the obvious, puzzled.

'Yes, it is. The setting is actually for one of my choose-your-adventure stories "Escape the Dreaded Dungeon".'

"Nice story name. Soooo creative." Genesis said sarcastically.

'Are you done?…Good, so let's make a deal, shall we? If you can get through my dungeon-'

"Whoa, hold the phone!" The pink eyed woman interrupted, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I told you once, and I'm not telling you again-I'm not negotiating with you!"

"Genesis, wait!" Westley pulled on her arm, prompting Genesis to actually look the watchdog in the eyes-or, eye, actually. "We should try working with her! I mean, we have no idea how to get out, and she might be our only chance!"

'Westley hit the nail on the head with that. If you don't cooperate, then you'll all just be stuck here forever, like all my other real life characters were.'

Genesis clenched and unclenched her fists, before finally coming to a decision.

"…Fine, we'll play along. So, we just need to get through your dungeon and we'll be free?"

'Correct, Miss Genesis.'

"Well, what about Wander? Is he okay." Genesis nearly snarled as the Wordsmith laughed lightly at this question.

'He is fine: he'll join you two when you finish the dungeon. And, if you manage to meet up with him before finishing the dungeon, you get a special surprise!'

"Yeah, whatever, come on Westley, let's go." Genesis grabbed two of the torches, handing one of them to Westley.

'Okay then, but beware this warning: if you die in this world, you die for real. So, don't do anything idiotic, will you?'

Genesis stood silent for a few moments, absorbing that information. Of course they would die for real in this story, place…whatever, why not? Then, she quickly moved forward, with Westley right behind her.

Wander looked around the tunnel, eyes wide in confusion and shock that he ended up in a whole new environment again.

"Uh…hello, my name's Wander! Anyone here?" Wander called out, taking a tentative step forward.

'Greetings Wander! I'm thankful you're not hurt!'

Wander perked up when he heard the Wordsmith speak,relieved to know he wasn't alone. And going by what she said, there was hope that she was going to help him. "Hiya Miss Wordsmith! Boy, am I glad to hear you! Could you spare a few minutes to explain what happened please?"

'Oh, sorry about all this, but the other story was unfortunately corrupted, so I had to move you three to a story that would fit your free-spirited, strong willed natures. She can't seem to find your friends, but I assure you, they're fine. So, do you need any help getting your way through here?'

"Oh boy, do I ever! Having a friend with me will make things even better!"

'I am so delighted to hear that. Let us continue with this wondrous quest!'

"YEEHAW!" Wander bravely ran into the darkness, unaware of the Wordsmith's true plans for him.

Westley and Genesis stood in front of a fork in the roa-…tunnel, both paths equally pitch black. Neither dared to get any closer than 5 feet away from the fork in the tunnel, not knowing what was on the paths.

"Okay, there's two pathways: one going left, one going right." Genesis stated, directing each of her hands at each of the paths. "Since this is some sort of self-insert book, we know we have a 50% chance of choosing the safe one, and a 50% chance we die. So, we have to choose wisely."

"…Wanna flip a coin?" Westley asked, somehow finding a coin in his costume. Genesis sighed, then nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

The watchdog seemed to smile, then handed his torch to Genesis. "Great! Heads left, tails right!" With another nod from Genesis, Westley flicked the coin into the air. Both watched as the coin flew into the air, then fell onto the ground.

It landed on tails.

"Alright, the right path it is then." "Yeah, all right!" Westley jumped up, pumping his hands in the air.

"Great enthusiasm. You can go first."

"What?!" Westley screeched, his emotions immediately changing from happy to terrified. "But-but what if there's a monster waiting to eat me?!"

"Relax dweeb, if there was a monster, it won't want just a snack-pack. Besides, you're smaller and faster, so you'll be able to get away easier."

"Okay…" Westley said, still not completely convinced. The green skinned girl handed him his torch, then watched as he slowly moved down the right passageway. A few, very tense, very silent moments passed. Then, Westley's voice rang out,

"Hey Genesis, check this out! It's some sort of treasure chest!"

"Really?" Running after Westley, Genesis found him sitting on his knees in front of an open treasure chest. The treasure chest looked like any other treasure chest one would see in stories, being built with brown wood and silver metal. "Sweet! Treasure! What do we got?"

"Eh, it's not really much. Just a couple of swords." "A couple of swords?! Are you kidding me?! That's exactly what we need! Let me see 'em!" Pushing Westley aside, Genesis grabbed one of the swords and whistled. It was perfect: a firm, leather handle, made of thin, 3 foot long silver steel, sharpened to the point of possibly being able to split a hair. "Nice! Come on Westley, take one so we can go!"

"I don't know, I don't like using weapons anymore-" Genesis rolled her eyes and interrupted the watchdog. "UGH, this isn't the time for stuff like that. Just shut up and take the sword already!"

Shoving a sword identical to hers(only smaller so he can carry it), Genesis found where the path continued behind a pile of loose rocks. "Come on, let's go!" Genesis yelled, kicking the loose rocks away. Westley sighed, slouching a bit.

"Soooo, I just choose one?"

'That's correct. Be wary, for you can't go back once you choose a path.'

Wander was currently in the same predicament Genesis and Westley were in(though he didn't know it, of course). There was two paths ahead of him, both veiled in darkness. His eyes darted between the two choices, not sure what to pick.

Finally, he asked, "Well, what do you think?"

'M-Me? No, you're not supposed to ask me, I'm the narrator. You're the protagonist, so you should make the decision-I insist.'

Wander still felt very unsure, but decided that it was really time to get a move on and randomly picked a path. "Then I choose left, cause most people aren't left handed!"

'That, my friend, doesn't make sense. But whatever you say!'

The nomad laughed inwardly, but was also excited that she called him her friend. Walking in the left direction, Wander kept a smile on his face and remained totally calm.

Without warning, Wander was thrown backwards, skidding against the ground on his left side. Lifting the upper half of his body up, Wander watched as huge, writhing mass of muddy brown snake heads crawled out of the darkness, hissing venomously(pun intended).

'A monster has approached you! What will you do? Fight or flee down the tunnel?'

Jumping to his feet, Wander looked around and grabbed a torch from the wall. He quickly snuffed out the flame against the dirt; just as the monster seemed to be ready to attack, Wander waved the stick around playfully, a wide smile again on his face. At first, the monster looked confused, all the snake heads tilting their heads in the same direction. Then, the monster became excited, its tail(?) wagging like a dog's would when it's happy.

"Hey there boy! Wanna-wanna get the stick? Do you? Well then GO GET IT!" Wander chucked the stick as far as he could down the right path(which was pretty darn far), and watched the monster yelp as it ran after the stick.

'Oh…well, that should function as well as the flee option would've been. Anyway, we can continue now!'

"Great! Okay!" Wander once again ran down the path, the loose bandages around his head wildly streaming behind him.

Very soon, Wander reached a sparkling pond in a large, open area of the cavern. All the walls were covered in glimmering, reflective gems, making the scene even more beautiful. "Wow…incredible…"

Looking into the water, Wander soon noticed something at the bottom of the sparkling pond, just out of reach.

'Alright, looks like there's two options. You could dive in the water to investigate the strange object in the water OR go around the pond.'

"Hmm…"

"Hmm…" Genesis looked at the pond thoughtfully, weighing her options carefully.

"I'm gonna go in the pond!" Wander declared, getting ready to dive in.

"We're gonna go around it." Genesis said, followed by a audible "Awww…" from Westley, who also know arguing was pointless.

While Westley and Genesis moved on the edge of the pool of water, Wander swam farther into it, and soon reached the bottom. At the bottom of the pond, Wander saw a gold pair of gauntlets, sticking out of the dirt, and immediately went to retrieve it. When he did, he swam back to the surface, then put them on.

For the next few hours, the Wander and Westley and Genesis all followed a path parallel yet opposite to each other. For instance, while Wander would opt for feeding the magic frog, which led to him almost being swallowed whole by the animal, Genesis decided to not only not feed the frog, but to kick it into a nearby hole.

Though there were a few times the two groups made the same decision, like when they were faced with choice of either going into the obviously haunted part of the cavern, or to face the smelly, green monster. They all picked the haunted path, because the monster was super gross(though Wander and Westley took care in comforting the monster after)¹.

By the time the two groups reached an out of place dead end, Wander was wearing the gold gauntlets, a new wrapping of bandages around his head, and a purple gem amulet. Westley's clothes were much dirtier after the trip through the cave, and Genesis ripped her skirt to reach her knees and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail.

Looking up, Wander could see a small hole, big enough for him to squeeze through. Quick on his feet, Wander climbed up the cave wall, not waiting for Wordsmith to speak to know what to do. Letting his arms go first, Wander wiggled his way through the opening, laughing in triumph when he popped through. He landed on his feet, pausing to brush the dust off his fur.

'Great job Wander! That was really quick thinking there!'

"Thanks! Come on, let's go!"

'Sounds fantastic.

"UGH, COME ON!" "OWW, YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

"FINE!" The green skinned girl pulled Westley out of the hole, then let him fall on the ground. "GROP, your eye is so huge!"

She had tried, and failed, to push Westley through the tiny hole in the dead end. There was no way she could wiggle through, no matter how nimble she was. And now she knew there was no way Westley could fit through it.

"Now we know that that isn't going to work. Any other ideas of what to do?" Genesis asked, slumping against the wall.

"We could…ask that monster from earlier to break the wall down."

"Eww, no! That guy smelt horrible, like rotten eggs!" Westley slumped against the wall as well, trying to think of another plan. The emerald green conqueress tapped her fingers against her thigh, deep in thought.

Then, Westley spoke up, "Do you think Wander is in the same situation we are?"

"I dunno…maybe. That Wordsmith is insane, so I wouldn't put it past her to mess with Wander too. Grop, she's probably listening to us this very moment!" Genesis cried, waving her hands for dramatic effect and then letting them flop back into her lap. "But like I said earlier, Wander will be able to tough things out."

"Yeah, he's great!" Gen nodded. She then took a deep breath, knowing she had to say what's on her mind before she thought it through and chickened out.

"Do you think Wander-" Genesis stopped when she and Westley heard what sounded like a car's tires screeching behind them. Before either of them can move or turn their heads, a taxi crashed through the wall, flinging them a good couple of feet. Amazingly, neither of them are injured.

"Oh, seems we've finally arrived. Salutations comrades!" The taxi's door opened up, and stepped out of it was an older gentleman, most likely in his late fifties, wearing a dark blue suit, black dress shoes, a white undershirt and a red bow tie. He stood at 6 and a half feet and was as skinny as a toothpick; he had lavender skin, salt and pepper hair neatly combed back, and 4 icy blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Westley asked, eye widening at the sudden appearance of this stranger.

"I am the real Wordsmith. The one you are acquainted with is a charlatan, but I know her as my granddaughter."

"What?! Your granddaughter?! Why the flarp would she do that?!" Genesis asked, ready to flat out demand an explanation if he wasn't planning on giving one. Luckily for everyone, he was.

"Let me begin with saying that I was the one who made this story, as well as many stories like this. Using Ak'om technology and my species' innate magic aptness, I created a story that allowed people to actually go inside it and act out amazing adventures and epic romances without hefty consequences."

"Hehe, so like LARPing-" "SHHH!" Westley told Genesis, wanting the older man to continue his story. When complete silence fell, the Wordsmith went on,

"It was, as I saw it, my fait accompli; the use of this method was esoteric however, as it took a large amount of magic and it wasn't yet known if it was dangerous or not. Only I and a small group of very trusted friends could use Now, my granddaughter, while scintillating, was not someone to be trusted with my books."

"So, basically, she got angry and trapped you in your own stories?"

The real Wordsmith nodded, "Precisely. She became a svengali, taking random people, controlling them, terrorizing them. Of course, since these were my stories, I know my way around them, but I couldn't destroy the boundaries of the story without outside help. I was forced to delay my plan to escape until the right people came along to assist me. On that note, it is not necessary to thank me for breaking Gerda's hold over you."

"First of all, I'm gonna assume sven-gali means crazy-head, so I agree with you on that. Secondly, Gerda is her ACTUAL name?!" Genesis asked unbelieving-she would've found it funny under other circumstances. "Thirdly, what do you mean YOU broke the spell?! MY brain chip was what gave us back our memories."

"Come now, think rationally Miss Genesis; Why would a technology meant to store only your memories affect your companions? Besides, I can see by your actions earlier that you never even met Westley before, so your chip wouldn't have any memories of his to restore."

"I also have a question," Westley began raising his hand before beginning , "If you were waiting for us, why'd it take so long for you to get here?"

"Because, I was in one of granddaughter's failed stories 'The Taxi-Man Who's Always Late'!" The Wordsmith added an icy glare directed at the taxi driver to the statement. The taxi driver cringed. "Sorry…you still owe me a couple of credits-"

"JUST GET OUTTA HERE!" The tires squealed as soon as Genesis screamed at the driver, the car backing out and disappearing into the nothingness. "Finally."

Genesis turned back to the older man, her anger fading when she realized how valuable he could be. "So, you know how to get out of this place?"

"Yes, but we have to move posthaste. Your friend Wander has been duped by my granddaughter and is in grave danger." "Then what are we waiting for?!" Westley asked, jumping up and pressing his eye against the Wordsmith's face. "Lead the way, and we'll follow!"

Genesis nodded, though she still wasn't entirely trusting of this stranger who just appeared a few minutes ago, as to be expected of someone in her position. Still, this was the only option they had, and if Wander really was in danger, she had to listen to this guy.

For an old man, the Wordsmith was awfully fast; Genesis and Wordsmith ran at the same fast-pace down the winding and twisting cave halls, with Westley pushing himself to run as fast as he can just to keep up.

"Come on, come on, we have to be close…"

"How do we know the Wordsmith isn't making the hallway longer?" "Trust me, she can't fully master the power of manipulating live story-lands, and she is most definitely still occupied with your companion."

Westley gasps, pointing forward. "Hey, I see Wander! WANDER!"

The three ran into a large, open space of the cave, where Wander was standing in front of what looked to be a glass statue of the female 'Wordsmith' in a elegant dress, with a plain wooden altar in front of it.

"Wow, this is an interestin' decoration you have here."

"WANDER, TURN AROUND! IT'S US!"

"Halt, stop!" The three came to a screeching halt, stopping right in front of an almost invisible bubble surrounding the altar, the statue and Wander. Genesis pounded and kicked on the bubble, trying to crack them open.

"Wander can you hear us?! WANDER!" Genesis screamed, but Wander didn't hear her. He remained focused on the altar, tracing his hands against it. She turned to the older man, "What's that altar supposed to do?!"

"I don't think…you would want to hear, but I'll say that my species' magic is reliant on life energy."

"What's that sup-oh…oh…" Westley trailed off, then proceeded to faint. Genesis grabbed the watchdog, shaking him: "Seriously?! I mean, that's so weak dude!"

Wander looked up, looking for the 'Wordsmith' for guidance. "So what should I do now Miss Wordsmith?"

'Lay on your back on the altar, cross your arms across your chest and close your eyes. Maintain that position and I'll be able to get you oug. Simplicity itself.'

Wander frowned at this, hesitant. "I…don't know. What about Gen and Westley? I want them to come with me. Maybe…I should go back-"

'NO!…I…mean no. You really must hurry, you won't get another chance to get out. I'll stay and make sure your friends get out as soon as possible.'

The wanderer seemed partially satisfied with the answer, nodding at this explanation. "Well, alright then. Better get to it!"

'Now THAT'S the spirit!'

Westley and Genesis continued to kick and yell as Wander jumped onto the altar, the monad oblivious to the remains of previous victims be was stepping on. His friends continued trying to get Wander's attention with no luck. The Wordsmith just stood there, his arms crossed.

"Conserve your energy; this bubble can't be broken until the last moment, as per the rules of quote on quote "dramatic tension"."

"I DON'T CARE! JUST TRY SOMETHING, FOR FLARP'S SAKE!" Genesis screeched, some of her spittle hitting The Wordsmith in the face. Scowling, the wordsmith took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face with it.

"Yes, that's the obvious solution to this predicament. No need to be such a brat about it." Turning to the bubble, the Wordsmith summoned a safety pin, twisted it so the sharp end is sticking out. With a simple motion, the bubble pops in a way reminiscent of a balloon, complete with the sound of a balloon popping.

"WANDER!" Genesis screeched. Wander craned his head to Genesis, his eyes wide. "Gen?"

The statue suddenly came to life, the clasped hands lifted over Wander with open palms, and the statue's eyes opening as Big as saucers. A bright red light from the eyes and palms surrounded Wander, leaving him paralyzed. "Oh dear…"

"I GOT THIS!" Genesis ripped her sword from its place tied on her outfit and threw it at the statue, letting out a warcry as she did. The sword hit the statue square in the chest, shattering it into pieces. "WANDER!"

Genesis pulled Wander into a huge hug, the nomadic eagerly accepting it. When the two parted, Genesis began examining the nomad. "Are you okay? Did any glass get on you?" Because if he was hurt, she could lose her key-that was her reasoning, she told herself.

"No, I'm fine and dandy. Are you alright?" "Heh, who cares about me?"

"I DO!²" The two looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, so close their lips were only centimeters apart. It may have been because she was so tired, or that she thought it would advance her master plan somehow, or maybe she had a brain fart that moment; in an instant, Genesis wrapped her arms around Wander's waist and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

The star warrior froze for a few seconds, but quickly melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the green beauty's neck and closing him eyes. She smelt so…well, she smelt sweaty, but Wander didn't mind that.

And then, as abruptly as she started the kiss, Genesis pulled Wander away from her, shocked that she actually just kissed Wander. Wander remained in a state of dazed bliss, smiling even more stupidly than he usually does.

"Oh grop, I didn't mean that. That was a mistake!" Genesis began walking away, smacking herself internally for acting so irrationally, so stupidly in the moment. "I need a moment…"

At this, Wander pulled himself out of his trance and started to go after her. "Huh?! Gen,wait!"

Before anything else could be done, the world began to shake uncontrollably and fall apart, an animalistic growl echoing through the cave.

'I will not be defeated and taken off my throne by you four! INKLINGS, DESTROOOYYY THEEEEMMMM!'

The colors of the room shifted and reformed into bulking, humanoids with absolutely no facial features. They varied in colors,some completely black while others looked like a rainbow.

"Keep your ground comrades; without a power source, this world will fall apart!" The Wordsmith tucked the still unconscious Wander under his arm, preparing his magic for a fight. Wander went and retrieved Genesis' sword from the pile of glass, the woman in question grabbing the sword and pushing Wander behind her. "Wander, stay close."

"Wait! We can't kill 'em Gen!"

"I'm not-unless they attack me first." Genesis retorted. It was then an Inkling charged at her, and she struck it down with two sword swings. "See what I mean?"

'ARE YOU DEAF?! ATTACK-NOW!'

The Inklings began rushing the four; Genesis and the Wordsmith did surprisingly well standing their ground against the overwhelming forces. Genesis cut one Inkling's arms off, chopped one Inkling's head off, and slashed a vertical line into the third.

"SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!" Wander yelled as each Inkling turned to a puddle of black ink(hence the name) and was essentially killed.

"HA! YOU WANT SOME MORE?!" Genesis yelled, kicking a red ink monster in the jaw. As she did so, their surroundings began shaking even worse. The Wordsmith looked up at the ceiling, getting an idea.

"Genesis, I need you to throw the sword into the ceiling as hard as you can! If we push against the book's boundaries a bit, we'll have an escape route! " "What?! Are you FLARPING kiddin' Me?! That's totally stupid!" Genesis yelled, punching an Inkling in the neck.

"Genny, we gotta trust him!" Wander told his friend, gripping her hand as his back pushed against hers.

"…Alright, here we GO!" Genesis threw the sword with all her power to the ceiling; as it flew, the Wordsmith blasted it with a gold ball of energy, making it glow the same color.

The sword made contact with the ceiling. The ceiling cracked completely, exposing a pure white light that twirled and swirled like a black hole. Genesis, Wander, Westley, and the Wordsmith were lifted towards the ceiling as iron is attracted to a magnet.

'What! You idiots! This isn't the end!'

"Yeah, I think it is! Sorry,but not really~" "WOOHOO!"

The 'Wordsmith' tried to regain control and pull the world back together, straining all her magic. And yet, she still felt the control she had over this world slip through her fingers. With no other option, she went to her last resort…

The book fell on the ground as the fake Wordsmith ran away. Westley, Wander, Genesis and the Wordsmith were flung out of the book, landing haphazardly onto the floor.

"Yes, I'm free, I'm finally free! YAHOOO!" The Wordsmith cheered, jumping to his feet. "Much thanks for your assistance friends-if you'll excuse me, I'm going to burn all my books."

The Wordsmith walked away, leaving his former companions lying on the ground. Wesley also regained consciousness, eyeball fluttering open. When he looked around, he jumped up in excitement.

"We did it! We're out! Yeah!" Genesis rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but chose to said nothing. Westley proceeded to pull Wander and Genesis into a big hug. "Thank you guys so much! I hope I'll see you two soon!"

Westley ran off as well, his eye curved into a smile.

"Huh…so that happened."

Wander turned to his companion, a sweet little smile on his face.

"You're a really good kisser Gen."

Genesis immediately blushed a luminescent green, finding herself at a loss of words. Of all the things, he said that…

"…Thanks. You too." Wander nodded.

"Welp, time to get going…"

"Yeah. Hope we can find our way out…" Genesis laughed. Tenderly, Wander grabbed his partner's hand, giving her a kind, loving gaze.

'Yeah, this could work out…this will be so much more fun.' Genesis thought to herself, hiding a villainous smirk.

Author's note: And I'm finally done with this chapter! I hope I did a good job with the ending of this chapter! Please PM or review me your opinion of this chapter.

Next up: The Boy Wander and The Missing Feathers.

Important info:

- Hero Wander appears

- Even more OCs!

- LET THE PUN FIT THE CRIME!