Revenge: The Bare Necessity

                             by Jonathon Pierce

The Quische sat in the corner of his room. It was crying. Large drops of tears flowed down its round checks and splattered on the floor. It clutched a picture of its only love: the Queesh. The Queesh was a beautiful creature, by blob standards, having curves in all the right places. The Queesh had died bravely, and the Quische was ready to avenge its lover's death.

* * * * *

Jonathon, Iffley, Campuria, and the Twins stood before the Mirror. Jonathon crumpled the note in his hand.

"Enad's reign of terror has to be stopped!" He said, "Campuria, call the Quische, we are about to embark on a journey."

Campuria left silently out of the room. A feeling of remorse permeated throughout the castle. Ambercrombie broke the silence:

"The proclivity Enad has for destruction must cease. I have had a surfeit of his love for death. Only by sagacity may we have a chance to usurp him. "As he ended his speach, Campuria returned with the tear-stained Quische.

"Use your magic, Campuria, to protect us during our journey." Jonathon ordered.

She opened her Book and located the spell for protection. She carefull read the spell and then said, "Lamg!" An invisible forceshield appeared around the group. Campuria began, "This shield shall protect you and your possessions from beings of magic. The spell should last until you return back to the castle. Good Luck!"

The Mirror clouded as it sought T. G. Taft. It reflected back the image of Taft Towers where Mr. Taft was busily sleeping at his desk. Iffley touched the Mirror with the Sceptre, leaving Campuria and the Twins behind.

* * * * *

Susan Smith the IV barged into the office. T. G. Taft bolted from his desk and shouted, "Get out of here, you old bag! Can't you see I'm working?!"

Obviously, she couldn't see that he was working. She said, "Excuse me...sir...but the Patrolsworshks report that Jonathon Pierce is on his way. They report that the...uh...Kwish...no, that's not right..."

"Quische"

"That's it...and the Iffley person are also coming. And it appears, sir, that they're holding a flag of truce."

"When they arrive, send them in." He smiled evilishly.

* * * * *

A helicopter circled Taft Towers and landed gently on the helipad. The helicopter slowly turned back into the Quische. The group then walked down the steps to Mr. Taft's office.

Susan obediently showed them in, where Taft was waiting for them. The moment they entered the office, Mr. Taft lunged for the Sceptre. He screamed in pain as the Sceptre gave him a nasty shock.

"Don't you belive in the flag of truce, Mr. Taft? Iffley asked, his eyes twinkling. He then began to tell his adversary their mission of revenge.

"True, Enad is a threat to my kingdom..." Taft said at the conclusion of Iffley's oratory. "But this truce is only temporary, right...friend?" His mouth curved into a grotesque smile.

"Only until the danger is past."

"A truce, then." He shook hands with the group, opened the desk, and removed the Tiara.

"It's beautiful!"

"I know." With these words, the Sceptre transported them away.

* * * * *

The group appeared in Bronson's castle. Bronson, who had painstakingly laid his traps to protect his castle, seemed very surprised. He opened his mouth, but then closed it, saying nothing. He stared at the Keys, his true nature showing.

"We can allow you to become the ruler of all Enad's territory."

"Open your eyes! I already own all that was his!"

"Then with your help, we can rid the world of Enad forever."

"There is an offer I can't refuse."

"A truce, then, until we resolve our problem with Enad. We must hurry, Adena will be waiting. "With a wave of the Sceptre, the group faded away.

* * * * *

The group rematerialized atop Mount Everest. The giant mountain, now part of the Phire Island, was still the highest point on the entire planet. The view was breathtaking: the land of Furanose could be seen far off to the west; Alarius was off to the north; Bronson's Paradise to the south. The bitter cold did not affect them. Adena and Blue were patiently awaiting the arrival of the other Keys.

"So this is the mysterious sixth Key. It looks facinating. It's called the Note, I believe." Jonathon said, "My name is Jonathon Pierce, ruler of Alarius." He then introduced the rest of the group to Blue.

An idea suddenly came to Bronson for a dimension field. Iffley followed Bronson's instructions and created this device with the Sceptre. Even as they worked, the sky grew dark with black clouds; Enad was coming.

The group held their Keys aloft and concentrated on Enad. The Power surged forth. It raced through the clouds and into Enad's castle. It transported Enad and Kwamkut to Able. Next, it sought out Blotzfrig.

The Dimension Field Device hummed to life as the Power inserted Blotzfrig into it. The machine created a barrier around Able, preventing creatures from leaving or entering this dimension.

Using Taft's excessive imagination, the Power removed all of Enad's clothing. Then the circle placed a spell on Enad, dissolving any type of covering he would try to wear. Unfortunately, Enad was naked forever (According to the laws of courtesy and common sense, naked people are not to leave their homes.)

Adena blushed, turning bright red. The entire group laughed at Enad's predicament. The group's suspicion seemed to lift as Blue invited everyone to dinner.

"Come into my parlor..." Iffley thought as he accepted the invitation....