Baking up a New Adventure! (A Cookie Run: Kingdom Story)

Part 6: Pomegranate Village

We made our way back through the cured forest path and to the Pomegranate Village. The Priestess cookies were all kneeling down around the sacred Pomegranate tree in the heart of their village when we arrived. One of them noticed us and slowly stood up to greet us.

"What brings you back here?" She wondered worriedly. "Is there more trouble in the forest?"

"No, there's no trouble," Gingerbrave assured her. "We just came here to ask you something."

"What is it that you need?" She asked. "We'll gladly do anything we can for the cookies that purified the forest."

"We just need to know about the parameters of your magic," I explained.

"Those are trade secrets," The head priestess explained as she walked over to join us. "We could never speak anything of our magic to outsiders. Why do you wish to know?"

"I just need to know... is your magic capable of summoning people from other dimensions?" I asked.

"S-summoning people?!" The head priestess demanded to know. "What would give you that idea?"

"Just a thought," I shrugged.

"Is that ridiculous question the only reason you came back here?" The head priestess wondered.

"Well, I wanted to know because... well, I come from another dimension," I explained. "And I was wondering if Pomegranate Cookie could have used her powers to--"

"We do not speak that name here," The high priestess interrupted me. "Not since she tainted our forest."

"Our powers aren't made to summon people from other dimensions, but since she's studied under Dark Enchantress for a while, she might have learned how to do something along those lines," The first priestess spoke up.

"It's very unlikely, even for her," The head priestess told us. "Dimensional magic is highly advanced, even if she did attempt to learn it, it would take months, perhaps even years, to learn the proper techniques for summoning people to this world from other dimensions. I doubt it was her that summoned you here."

"Well, thanks anyways," I thanked them.

"It's getting late," The head priestess warned. "You should head back to your kingdom. Even though you cleansed this forest, it's still not safe to be out after dark."

"Alright, let's go back to the kingdom, you guys," Gingerbrave decided.

As we turned and left the village, I sighed.

"What's wrong?" Gingerbrave asked me.

"We still have no definitive answer as to who brought me here and why," I explained.

"I know you'd really like to get back to your friends," Gingerbrave assured me. "But the high priestess is right. We should go back to the kingdom and get some rest. We'll keep looking in the morning."

"Okay," I relented as we headed through the path back to the quarry.

With any luck, this will be like Story Mode, I thought in attempts to calm myself. And two days will only be like forty minutes in every other world.

We traveled along the winding path through the quarry, passing the tapestries along the way, past pilgrim's village, along the dragon's spine, past Bear Jelly village, finally arriving in our kingdom just as the moon was starting to rise.

"Woah, OOOF!" I gasped as something tripped me up.

I cast a glance over my shoulder to see that it was Vampire Cookie, who was laying down on the grass.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized quickly.

"Huh? Wha?" Vampire Cookie hardly seemed to notice I had tripped over him. "Oh, hey, I see you've decided to join me. It's nice down here, isn't it?"

"Uhh, I guess," I shrugged.

"Here," Gingerbrave reached out his hand to help me up. "Everyone pitched in to set up a tent for you while we were gone."

"Hahahaha, pitched in! Good one!" Avocado Cookie laughed heartily.

"So, here's where you'll be sleeping for tonight," Gingerbrave told me as he stopped in front of a blue and white tent.

"Oh, wow, thanks, everyone!" I thanked them.

"We hope you enjoy your stay here with us," Sparkling Cookie spoke up.

"I already am," I responded with a grin. "Well, goodnight, you guys. Let's continue our search bright and early tomorrow."

"Right," Gingerbrave agreed. "Goodnight!"

I waved over my shoulder as I entered the tent and curled up into the little sleeping bag that was laid out for me. I guess I hadn't realized how tired I was until now. Sleep came over me within moments.

...

Knight Cookie decided to do one last set of rounds around the kingdom before going to bed, just to check that no cake hounds or other such creatures had followed them back to the kingdom. As he was passing by the steps to the palace, he saw a hooded figure in the darkness. The hooded figure dashed up the steps and into the cookie castle.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Knight demanded to know. "Get back here!"

He chased the hooded figure as they left behind drops of hot sauce wherever they walked.

"Hey! Stop running!" Knight called after the figure.

And so, they did just that, but they stopped in front of the large double doors that led to the kingdom's treasury!

"You stay away from there!" Knight warned as he caught up to the hooded figure. "That room is off limits!"

The hooded figure didn't listen, and threw the doors open.

"Gah! Stop! That's the-!" Knight gasped, but he broke off as he saw the hooded figure was already gone, along with all the treasure and supplies from the royal treasury. "H-huh? Where'd you go? Oh no..."