Joy of Victory

Many people saw Jawjack's body connect with his ship and fall into the water, but no one heard or saw him move. Elder Rai and Hidd were astounded, and Karisa went straight to Ayuka's unconscious corpse. "You did it, Ayuka. Do you hear what I'm saying? You did it!" She proceeded to rub Ayuka's body back and forth, determining that she needed to rest.

"Please, Hidd, provide her with a bed! She must take a break!" Hidd nodded as he leaned against Ayuka's unconscious body. Tandaji sat on the floor, holding his stomach, as he rushed her to the Elder Rai's residence.

"She was able to pull it off. I appreciate it." Tandaji exclaimed as he took a step toward the ocean, where Jawjack's body was drifting.

Jawjack's knocked-out body was shackled and imprisoned in the cage while the citizens waited for the marines. It was also at this time that Codey and the scouts returned to town, shocking everyone, especially Codey.

"What the hell is going on here? There are a lot of wrecked structures, and the terrain is all over the place." He took a peek around and locked eyes with Elder Rai.

"Oh, hello there, and welcome back to town. I'm sorry you returned to such devastation, but our island was assaulted by Jawjack and his pirates."

"Tell me where they are, and I'll take care of them!" Codey didn't have time to ask, so he was taken off guard.

"Thanks to your friend, they are no more; your she defeated them."

They continued ascending the strange cave, still looking for an exit, until they came upon an entrance at the cave's top, where they noticed a stairwell in the distance heading up to a probable surface.

"That should be it, Tim! Those must be the stairs from which I came! We'll be up on the mountain if we take them, and we'll finally be able to get out of here!"

"So, that's the stairwell from which you came. It took you a long time to find it! I was going to relax and unwind when I got dragged into this vexing affair! Seriously, I just want some food! Is it really that difficult?"

"Despite everything that has happened, you still consider eating to be the most important thing? Do you have any idea how to stop thinking about meat, man?"

"Then you get pulled through the lake to a seemingly endless bottom, and claim you're not hungry! After all, the first thing I need when we're out of it is food and rest! It was exhausting enough to be pulled by that hideous creature."

"I believe you have a valid point. Then we should probably hurry up. After all, I'm in desperate need of some lovely ladies! Especially our darling Ayuka! What a precious being!"

Tim smiled and nodded at him, and they both continued ascending the stairway without realizing they have left some traces.

Many individuals applauded Codey for saving their scout team members, but many others doubted his claim that the girl was already dead. "There's no way I'm going to think my daughter was murdered! What exactly are you saying? How did you manage to say that so confidently?" The child's mother had already been in tears, clutching Codey's garments and attempting to conceal the fact.

"Miss, please accept my apologies. But we've looked everywhere for her. The scouting crew stated that the girl vanished in front of their eyes, trapping them. The same thing happened to me, and I'm sure it did to others as well."

The woman couldn't accept Codey's truth, so Ayuka, who was in the worse condition, claimed instead.

"This happened to me as well. When I was running after the identical silhouette of a girl, she simply vanished from view. She left no traces behind, not even a trail that I could follow."

"So, you saw her as well? Then we can safely presume that the girl is not ordinary. She would be easily found if she were a human. She would leave traces if she was someone else in particular. However, ghosts and spirits are not the same things. They aren't going to leave many traces. Although spirits are helpless, ghosts possess unfathomable abilities that even we cannot comprehend. We've always encountered spirits, but never more than five ghosts."

The woman began to succumb to Codey's remarks, and while kneeling, she absolutely froze. She was engulfed in the iciest terror she could easily express; it was unavoidable.

"We're truly sorry, miss, but we are confident she is no longer alive." Claimed a scout who drank a cup of tea because he was cold from staying in the hole,

Then, all of a sudden, the door slammed open, and Nina ran inside, her face flushed with agitation. "Please help! I have no idea what happened to Tim!" Everyone's eyes were wide open. Ayuka was weak, but she was terrified when she heard Nina's booming voice.

Tim and Elliott had been barred by the towering wall, which seemed to them to be the only barrier separating them from the outdoors, shortly after returning above the stairway.

"Elliott, you're being a jerk right now. So, since you stated this was the exit..." Elliott scratched the back of his head as he briefly hesitated in his statement. "However, here was the stairwell from whence I came..."

"... so, then... Why is there no exit?!" Tim smacked the top of Elliott's head with his fist, causing him to frown and grip his own head. "This island, as a whole is confusing. All I want to do now is a return to town!" He screamed while standing immobile and annoyed, staring at Tim.

"I'm sure there's another exit somewhere, so let's go find it." But, before Elliott could flee, Tim's nose began to emit steam as a result of his rage and irritation.

"Certainly not! I'd had enough of this nonsense! I'm going to demolish this wall!" He took a solid stride back, his right hand enflamed. Elliott was startled, so he hid behind a fallen boulder. "You're crazy!"

The flames raged on incessantly, and when it was completely charged, Tim struck forward with all his strength. The wall exploded, and the stony fragments of the wall continued to soar into the air, dispersing the flames in the wind.

One of the little embers even caught Elliott's hair on fire, causing him to scream and rush around frantically trying to extinguish the flame. "Are you trying to burn my hair or something?! When I use Godspeed, moron, I need my hair, it makes me all cool!"

Tim let out a sigh of relief and went outside, finally reuniting with fresh air. He cried out loud and raised both arms without smiling. "At long last, some normalcy!" His voice echoed through the trees as he yelled.

"Of course, he'd disregard me if I said something significant." Elliott's eyes got disdainful, and the two of them made their final preparations to leave.

However, things did not turn out the way they had hoped.

Tim was startled when a tiny pebble landed on top of his head, and he quickly realized what had happened when he spotted a massive stream of rocks sliding down toward him. Seeing this, managed to bulge out his eyes and immediately began running with Elliott.

"How come everything seems to be going wrong?!" As the tremor of the massive rocks continued to shake the mountain road, he screamed. "Maybe it's because you blew up a key section of the mountain! You are a complete moron! What makes you think you deserve the rank of captain?!"

Karisa and Codey agreed to go look for Elliott and Tim, but they weren't prepared for what happened. "Man, we're going to find those two fools... All you have to do now is wait." Codey explained, but then he sensed something odd in the air.

It looked like a meteor was soaring through the sky, coming directly for the town. "Now a meteor? You've got to be joking, right?!" Karisa screamed, her eyes fluttering, but Codey riveted his gaze on the flying item and puzzled.

"Wait a minute, that's..."

Codey's eyes widened as he took in the unexpected situation. Elliott had been hanging behind Tim, clutching his ankles, while Tim stood on top of the rock that had been enflamed by his flames. Elliott's eyes were absolutely white, and the flesh on his face was purple from sickness. "I'm going to throw up..."

Tim smiled and raised his left arm at the same time. "Hey there, guys! Keep your eyes peeled up here! We're on our way down!" Everyone froze in place, apart from Tim, who waved carelessly with his eyes showing joy.

"Tim! That's not a joy ride, moron! You're going to kill us all!"

Tim, on the other hand, was unable to comprehend what Codey said and instead laughed. "Now, everyone, get out of the way!" They heeded Codey's shout, and the big boulder smashed into the floor the next minute after they moved out of the way.

It launched a whirlwind of dust and fire across the city, scattering others like feathers. It also triggered an earthquake that shook the ground. Tim stood confidently with his arms pressed on his hip as the remaining flames and dust vanished in the wind.

He laughed and smiled as he stood there, laughing and smiling. "I'm back after a lengthy absence! Where is the meat?! Huh? Huh? Huh? Where is it?"

He noted that everyone was standing up, especially Codey, who was enraged. "Hey, Codey, You're here as well? That surprised me! Is it safe to say we're ready for some cooked meat now?"

Codey rushed up behind Tim and grabbed him by the hair. His fury and frustration had turned his eyes white. "The only cooked meat that we'll eat is you! You're a complete moron!!"

Tim merely kept repeating the word "ow" while he was yanked back and forth by his hair. Throughout it all, he guffawed with delight. "Please accept my apologies; I think I mismanaged my ride."

"You think?!"

To be continued...