The Heroes of Aeseganora: Part 1 - The Oca-Tree

The Vegimalese Evils - Part I

As soon as she woke up from her disturbed slumber, and now having the strength to free herself, Tweak struggled, wriggled and writhed until her paws finally broke free of the rope.

She continued to gaze out of the window after doing so, lost in a maze of negative thoughts, until her bunny ears picked up the sound of footsteps, stopping at the doorway of her cell.

She turned around when the door opened, and a badger wearing the black-dark grey hooded cloak which indicated that he was a Slave entered.

"Who are you?" Tweak asked. "Where am I?"

"I'm Innes, the Overseer of the Trainee Slaves," the badger told her, with an expression of soft amusement on his face. "And you are in a private cell. Welcome, Tweaketta Swamprider."

"Who are the Slaves?" Tweak asked, surprised by the name he called her. "Why am I here? Please, let me go. I was just about to retrieve that stone until those tentacles inked me, there's been a mistake!"

Innes had a smile on his face which didn't move; it looked as if he'd learned to smile simply by studying a picture of somebody else smiling; his mouth was the right shape, but his eyes were wrong. They belonged to someone who was contemplating killing you.

"There has been no mistake," he said. "And as for the tentacles, I couldn't allow the Crithax to kill you. We have held you here for a reason. By any chance, would you have happened to come to this world with the following creatures?"

He read out a list:

Barnacles Polarshadow

Kwazii Goldtiger

Peso Frostglow

Shellington Pinecrestach

Inkling Seamountstar

Daschenia Daisythorn

Tunip, Barrot, Tominnow, Grouber, Codish and the Vegimals

"My friends?" she asked, recognising every single of one the names, noticing that the names had the Octonauts' faces drawn right next to them, and felt like slapping herself hard in the face."I believe so," Innes replied. "We require something from all of them, yourself included."

"And what exactly is that?" Tweak asked, hoping it wasn't any of the treasures. The treasures for the Oca-Tree are the only valuables that we have. If they want any of them, they're not getting any of them, her mind helpfully tried to silence that thought.

"I promise you that this is nothing personal," Innes said. "The Slaves will simply require the ship that you used to enter this world, and then we can let you go."

"The Octopod?" Tweak asked, not liking the sound of having to give up her home, the Octonauts' home, in exchange for her freedom. "But why? Can't you use a Gate, or get a Cephalozard to magic up a portal for you?"

"Listen here, you mutant," he replied, stepping towards her and grabbing her face. "We are in need of a machine powerful enough to transport us away from here."

"But what's wrong with here?" Tweak asked frightened, looking at him with narrow eyes. "It's a magical place, there's friendly pirates, not to mention the stunning views from the rolling hills!"

Innes' face turned furious as he turned his head and signalled for another Slave to enter the room and tie her paws again, which they did.

"You travel across the world, helping those in need," he growled. "And yet you are in the dark about the difficulties of this one?"

"Is this because of what's happening to Aeseganora?" Tweak asked. "The loss of magic? The disappearing places? The snow in summer? The sun in winter? Just what is wrong with this place?"