Chapter 2 - Mohandas Karmegan

In this chapter, they meet a villain with a reality-warping book

After processing the death of their friend, Winter the group kept moving forward. The member of the group who missed him the most was Max. As they walked through the dense forest, the group of friends stumbled upon a majestic unicorn.

"Hello," said Alex, as he stepped out from behind a tree so he wouldn't startle the beautiful creature.

The unicorn stopped her walking and turned around to look at them before letting out a gentle neigh. She was radiant, with shining blue eyes and a flowing mane that reflected the sunlight that filtered through the trees. Her skin shimmered with iridescence, and her hooves looked like diamonds. It was clear that she was very powerful; even the most skilled hunters feared approaching her. The group watched quietly as she trotted over to them in curiosity.

The creature's shimmering mane and iridescent horn left them in awe. After taking several moments to get used to the sight of another species for the first time in their lives, they began to converse in hushed tones about how much they loved being together on this adventure. Suddenly, the unicorn let out a loud neigh and bolted away, leaving behind a trail of glitter. As they continued on their journey, one of the friends couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. It wasn't until they reached their campsite that they realized what had happened. The unicorn's glitter had gotten all over their clothing, hair, and scales turning them into walking disco balls. But no matter how hard they tried to wash it off, the sparkly dust stayed on their bodies indefinitely. Mortified, they spent the rest of the night trying to wash it off, but to no avail. From then on, they made sure to steer clear of any unicorns in the woods, not wanting to risk another embarrassing mishap.

Alex took the book out of the bag of infinite storage and turned to page four. And asked justyn what the deal was and on the page of the open book appeared the words "Ha, Ha, Ha, I got you good" Alex, Max, Jeorgar, and Cedar were not happy about the prank Justyn played on them. You better apologize or we're through with you. Their anger and disgust were visible on their faces.

Alex said "We trusted you and this is how you repay us? We demand an explanation."

the others gather around him to offer comfort. Jeorgar places a claw on Alex's shoulder, a gesture of solidarity and support.

on the page of the open book appeared the words " I'm sorry, but I thought it would be interesting to have an embarrassing mishap happen to you guys." Alex looks at the words on the page once more, his anger slowly dissipating as he realizes that their author truly does feel remorse for what happened. He takes a deep breath before saying "We appreciate your apology, but we need to know how this could have happened in the first place. And we need your assurance that it won't happen again."

As they wait for a response, the group can't help but wonder what other surprises their author has in store for them. But for now, they focus on supporting each other and moving forward together The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as they read their author's response as the words appeared in the book.

The group nods in agreement and asks for Justyn's word that he will make sure this never happens again. On the page of the book appeared the words "I'm sorry for what happened I thought it would be ok because you're characters in a book, but I was wrong, it won't happen again." It wasn't the explanation they were hoping for, but at least he seemed genuinely remorseful.

Cedar rubbed his sore skin and fur, still feeling a bit violated by the glitter but willing to move past it. Alex, Max, and Jeorgar exchanged a look of mutual understanding - they knew that forgiving Justyn was the only way to keep their story going.

"Fine, we'll forgive you, but you had better watch your back from now on," Alex said, standing up tall and proud. The others nodded their agreement, and everyone moved to sit down next to each other again.

As they trekked on through the forest they came across a cabin with a plaque that read Dr. Schnitzel Plot Convenience Psychiatrist. The door opens and they enter the cabin to find Dr. Schnitzel and enough seats for everyone to sit on.

The Psychiatrist said "Hi my name is Doctor Schnitzel. Please take a seat so we may begin our session."

He was an elderly man wearing glasses and a tweed coat

Alex sits next to Max and Cedar while the others are scattered throughout the room. As soon as everyone is seated, the doctor begins to speak.

"Thank you all for being here today. My name is Dr. Schnitzel and I am a psychiatrist. You can call me Shnitz. I specialize in treating patients who suffer from problems related to traumatic experiences. They open up to Dr. Schnitzel and talk about the unicorn glitter incident and how it affected them."

"So, tell me what happened. What do you think caused the glitter to get on you?"

Max takes a deep breath and begins to speak "Well, we saw a unicorn and wanted to pet it. So, we followed its trail and noticed it had glitter on it. We tried to wipe it off but to no avail. Then, we went to the cabin to see if there was something we could use to clean ourselves. That's when the glitter got on us."

Jeorgar interjects, "Yeah, I was sitting next to Cedar and I felt this strange sensation like I had been doused with water. I looked over and I was covered in glitter."

Cedar replies "I was so embarrassed I just ran outside and jumped into the lake to clean myself."

"What did you think was going to happen when you followed the unicorn? Did you expect to get glitter on you?"

"No, we didn't think anything of it, we just wanted to touch it. You know, maybe we could get some of that sparkly stuff to put on our hair," Alex said.

"I guess that makes sense. It's nice to hear you talk about this and come to terms with your emotions. Is anyone else experiencing any emotional problems?"

Everyone shakes their head no.

"Great! Now that we've talked about the problem, it's time to talk about the solution. Is there anything you can do to prevent this from happening again?"

"Yes, I'll try to stay away from unicorns and other glittery things," Alex replied.

"That's a great start. Other than that, is there anything you can do to improve the situation?"

"Well, we could just avoid unicorns altogether, but where's the fun in that?" Alex said jokingly.

"Exactly!" Dr. Schnitzel exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "So you guys agree that your emotions are under control? If anything happens to cause you distress, please contact me immediately. I will be available 24/7 for any issues that arise."

"Thank you Doctor Schnitzel," Alex said. "You've helped us tremendously and we appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure."

Alex pulled out the book from the bag of infinite storage and on the fourth page appaired the words "Anything else you would like me to do to help with your healing from your traumatic experience?"

The group gathers around the book to discuss whether or not they want justyn to continue writing in the story. After much discussion, it's decided to keep the author's presence in the book and allow them to influence future events. Alex was shocked when a frog figurine on Dr. Schnitzel's desk said "Justyn must prove through his actions he is truly sorry and do an act of kindness for everyone in the group" That had been on everyone's minds but they didn't want Justyn to know that as he had hurt them deeply. On the page of the book appeared the words "So Alex what would you like for me to do as your act of kindness ?" "You could find us a place to stay the night" responded Alex. On the page of the book appeared the words "noted, now Max, what would you like for an act of kindness ?" Max tilted his head as he thought of an answer and after thinking it through said" We're low on food and water supplies, can you do something about it? On the page of the book appeared the words "When you reach the place you will stay for the night, supplies will rain down from the sky. Cedar, you're next" Cedar said could you do something about the unicorn glitter, I'm tired of dealing with it. On the page of the book appeared the words "Your wish is my command. You're last Jeorgar." I would like something to help me with my condition. On the page of the book appeared the words "Here's a pair of boxer briefs made of cotton mixed with titanium threads" Suddenly a pair of boxer briefs made with dark blue cotton and titanium grey threads That complemented Jeorgar's light blue scales appeared on the ground next to him. After putting them on, they clung tightly to his scaly skin. One of Jeorgar's irrational fears after being cursed by Mimxar Edgecombe was that someone would surprise him by kicking him in his private parts and make him pass out from the pain. Free of unicorn glitter sparkles that wouldn't come off, the group looked for the perfect place to camp for the night, and when they found it later that evening, after setting up for the night, supplies rain the sky. Not just water bottles and food rations, but also medical supplies, and modern-day camping gear they didn't have access to due to being in a fantasy setting. Everyone got a personal tent large enough for them to comfortably fit inside even Jeorgar who was 20ft long had a tent more massive than him. Now that they had matches, lighting the fire was as easy as pie. Although normally Jeorgar used his fire breath to start the fire, this way was less likely to set unwanted things on fire, such as party members who stood too close to Jeorgar when he lit the fire pit. Alex took out the book from the bag of infinite storage and turned to page four. He then said "Ok Justyn, I forgive you. Hey, guys, does anyone else wants to forgive Justyn ?. Very soon after that Everyone else gave a personal reason to forgive Justyn for the very embarrassing unicorn glitter incident. on the page of the open book appeared the words "Thank you guys so much it means so much to me that you aren't holding a grudge against me."

Max said "Grudges man, we don't have time for those" On the page of the open book appeared the words "Thanks for letting me know, it lifted a burden off my chest. Also, My new Quest for you guys is to head over to Penship City and find the place called Rudy's flaws store. As I've realized now that giving characters flaws through pranks is now not something I should do." And so our Heroes Alex, Max, Jeorgar, and Cedar head over to The flaws shop at Justyn's request. They make it to Penship City the next day after being told GPS-like directions by Justyn. They filled up pages five through seven of the book Justyn spoke through. Once there they got more GPS-like directions by Justyn on page 8 of the book. They passed by people and fantasy creatures that could speak the common tongue giving odd glances as the group passed them by. Someone reading a book and walking was an unusual sight to see in this society. Most people they passed by had animal ears and tails of the same animal they were a mix of. One of them was wearing a t-shirt that said Demi-Human Pride, of course, they were also modestly dressed that goes without saying. Once they got to the store that sold flaws, they were met by a friendly shopkeeper who introduced themself as Rudy the friendly neighborhood shopkeeper. Then he told them "It's unusual to see this many customers surrounding a book like that. Can I have a look at it?

Sure said Alex Rudy read pages one through eight and said "Wow this is an interesting story. I already knew we were in a simulation but not that our author suffers from some of the flaws similar to the ones I sell. Well anyways, you can choose a flaw in the house. Alex grabbed a container named Paranoid Max awkwardly grabbed a container named "awkward" with his front paws. Jeorgar grabbed a container named "Humorless" and Cedar grabbed a container named "procrastination" after waiting until the last second to decide to choose a flaw. Rudy said to Alex "I wouldn't take that flaw if I were you, it's a fatal flaw I only sell to those who can deal with the problems that come with it." "What's one of the problems?" asked Alex "Government agents will become aware of your flaw and will secretly harass you for knowing the truth about their shady practices involving puppet masters trying to take over the world" warned Rudy"Fine I'll pick a different one then. Alex picked out "Gullible". Once they left the store, the effects of what they chose took effect on them. Someone randomly told the group a joke. Alex was the first to laugh at the joke. Max laughed awkwardly and after the person stared at Jeorgar and Cedar for a good ten seconds, Cedar laughed while Jeorgar rolled his eyes and sarcastically said "Haha, so funny" stretching out each syllable with contempt. This made the random stranger cry. Alex took the book out of the bag of infinite storage and turned to page nine. He asked Justyn what their next quest was as the mysterious stranger continued to cry in the background. On the page of the open book appeared the words "Your next quest is to go to the Villain Job fair and find a new villain for your story." And so the group left the crying person and found GPS-like directions on page nine of the book that helped them reach their destination. After even more people and creatures give them curious glances as they passed on down the streets. Once they made it to the Job Fair, They were stopped by three bouncer Villains with nametags that read "Achan" "Daghishat" and "Damjan" under the words "Hello, my name is" Achan stepped up to the group and said "If you want to enter here then you'll need to tell us the password. on page nine of the open book, Alex held appeared the words " The password is "We'll see what kind of problems we can get ourselves involved in" Alex told the bouncer the password and they were let inside. They were amazed at all the different kinds of Villains there were, religious zealots, who spewed vile messages on soapboxes, mad scientists who shared their latest inventions, Various Villains looking for henchmen and goons, trickster magicians putting on magic shows, corrupt and incompetent villains of various job positions looking for Villains to join their cause, Abusers looking for support, witches selling cursed objects, and Villains just looking for friends to share popcorn with as they watch the world burn. Surprisingly Hate groups were banned from attending due to how a previous incident that caused a bunch of contention about being like them or death, and so the Villain in charge of the event banned them from ever coming back to the job fair. As they went from booth to booth looking for a villain that was right from them, they came across a group of villains each with a name tag similar to the bouncers. One of the Villains whose name tag said his name was Fridtjof in the group of villains walked up to the heroes and said "What is someone like you doing in a place like this?" Alex said "We have been sent on a quest by Justyn The Author to find a villain for our story" "ok, but if you're here it means that you are a liar so we don't believe you, besides this is where you share your evil deeds, but make sure you only tell the truth about those or you'll be having a bad time" Max awkwardly barked and said, "do you know any strong villains ?" "I used to, but last year an evil lawyer used his powers to remove copyrighted villains from the job fair. So now one of the strongest villains would be a religious zealot who goes by the name of Elder Douglas. And so the four friends went looking for that someone. They found him on a soapbox preaching gospel that was easy on the ears. He was a sorry sight to see. He wore a white formal shirt with stains and holes with the sleeves cut off showing the well-defined muscles on his arms full of tattoos The most peculiar one was of the three monkeys of evil, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. His Black shorts were also stained showing his well-defined calf muscles he wore sandals on his feet that were well-used. His head was bald and he wore a pair of sunglasses. His nose was beak-like and on his face was a scowl. Upon his pocket on his left breast pocket was a handwritten stained cardboard name tag in ivory colored ink which said "Elder Douglas missionary of the Mormon Church. Jeorgar walked up to him, his wing lightly rustling in the breeze as he asked Elder Douglas some questions. "So what's your biggest flaw" "I would say it is that I'm prideful and believe in being right instead of being kind to my fellow brethren." "What's your biggest goal?" "Make others share my viewpoint so that I can feel validated in what I do" "How did you end up like this" "After I stopped reading the scriptures and saying my prayers, I didn't feel like continuing to believe in a kind and loving Heavenly Father and I want others to feel the same way I do" "You don't seem like a good fit for us, have a good day kind sir," said Jeorgar full of contempt. After looking at nearby booths looking for a Villain who stood out of the crowd, they met a werewolf who towered over them. It had the head of a wolf with piercing yellow eyes on a humanoid wolf body with paws for feet and clawed finger-like paws for his front paws. The thumbs were where the dew claws would have been on a normal wolf. There was no way they couldn't mistake this werewolf for anything other than a male. Although he wore no clothes, everyone other than Max shook hands while Max sniffed the werewolf's behind and the werewolf returned the favor after getting on all fours. The werewolf said with great enthusiasm " Greetings strangers I am the great and mighty Fenrir the Werewolf what brings you here to a place like this? Alex told him how Justyn the Author had sent them on a quest to find a villain for their story to which Fenrir responded "Justyn the Author? Can't say that I've heard of him before but if it's a Villain you're looking for I could be your man or wolf. Just one more thing, I'll join your group if one of you can defeat me in combat ." Alex, Max, Jeorgar, and Cedar played a game of touch nose and Cedar lost as he delayed touching his nose because of procrastination. and so he had to fight Fenrir

Fenrir bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Very well. Let's do this. The two combatants circled each other warily, sizing up their opponent.

Fenrir swung around suddenly faster than anyone would have believed possible catching Cedar with an open paw slap. Cedar took the blow full force. But he immediately lashed out with a swipe at Fenrir who blocked it easily. Cedar gave a wicked smile. He began a vicious flurry of blows at Fenrir who was quick enough to dodge them all. For a while, it seemed like neither of them had the upper hand. But then something strange began to happen. Fenrir's heart started to race, but then suddenly he had a panic attack and fell unconscious on the ground. Then another member of the hero team swooped in and covered the werewolf in blankets as he shook uncontrollably from his anxiety attack. Jeorgar went to check on him and asked "What happened?" "Well," said Cedar "He fainted after I hit him" "Oh...I didn't realize." said Max "Let's just take him back home." They left without any fanfare or drama except for the random stranger who kept crying after being scared by Max's barking earlier The werewolf woke up a few hours later, completely recovered with no signs of lasting damage due to stress. So they made their way to a nearby park where there was a huge pond surrounded by a walking path that wound through trees. Fenrir said, "I don't think I'm able to be a villain." Fenrir was extremely sad, he had thought that his sharp claws and fangs and the fact that he wore no clothes would be enough to make him a Villain but he realized that he lacked the heart to be one. Alex hugged him. He felt like a complete failure and like he was nothing. He was starting to feel like he was worth less than a worm. But Alex said with conviction in his voice "Fenrir you're not worthless. You're a good person who is trying to find your place in life despite your flaws. Your strengths are your kindness and willingness to help others and your weakness is your pride which can blind you to your true feelings when dealing with other people. Now come on let's go home and see what happens next" Fenrir smiled, wiping away the tears that ran down his face. The four of them went back to their camp where the other three got some sleep while Fenrir went out into the back area looking for something else to do before he went to bed.

Alex woke up first as everyone else was still asleep. He got out of bed quietly so as not to wake up anyone sleeping near him as he walked out into the back area. There sat Fenrir reading an old book titled "The Holy Bible." Alex crept over to him quietly and took it from him. Fenrir looked at him confusedly. "It's ok. I'm going to give this book to someone who needs it more than I did." Then he continued to read from it until Max awoke and joined them, rubbing sleep from his eyes, then Jeorgar followed, having also woken up, though Cedar slept soundlessly till noon, not wanting to get out of his nice warm comfy tent because that would mean that they would have to start their day by moving again. But the sun rose, the sky grew lighter, and the rain began to fall once more making travel impractical. After seeing that the werewolf was awake Alex told him "Today we'll be working on your powers and abilities. But first I'm asking Justyn what to do next. Alex turned to page ten and on the page of the open book appeared the words "Well done on getting Fenrir to join your group. I was expecting him to be a mighty villain for you guys to fight, but it also works out that he joined your team of heroes. The next thing to do is to make Fenrir look more like a hero instead of a villain and to do that you all will need to go to a tailor in town who can get Fenrir looking a bit more modest. I'll provide directions to the place though." With Justyn's Directions on page eleven, they made it to a tailor shop in Penship City in no time. It had a sign outside with white letters saying "A place where Villains come to turn evil into good ." Inside the store, they found three tailors each sitting at a workbench with many tools surrounding them as well as an assortment of fabrics and garments around them waiting for custom orders. One of the tailors turned to them and said, "Welcome to my establishment! What can I help you fine gentlemen with today?" They showed him Fenrir's who wore no clothes and they decided to give him a custom-fit loincloth that matched his fur color to him for free. (After making some measurements of course.)

After giving Fenrir his new costume, Alex and Max walked over to another wall where there was a mirror. Alex looked himself over before speaking up "Max, why don't you go over here and try some outfits on." Alex said oops, these costumes are out of our budget so we won't be able to buy anything until we earn more money later. That meant that the two of five friends were wearing nothing due to being animals. Alex wore a tunic, trousers, and leather boots. Max the dog wore fur on his body, Jeorgar the Dragon wore only a pair of boxer briefs, and Cedar the Bear wore fur on his body. As soon as Fenrir put on his new outfit he felt like he was starting to look more heroic instead of villainous. The tailor gave him a cloth with which he wiped away any sweat or tears from his eyes then he told him "You look great" causing him to blush. When they got back to their camp they sat down in chairs for lunch where Cedar ate most of it. Then they began talking about what villains did during the day when they weren't fighting heroes and heroes had days off but also doing stuff to prepare for fights and training themselves for battles. They talked about how all Villains used to disguise as well as acting, lying, and stealing to achieve success as well as taking advantage of weakness.

***

One day Fenrir decided to ask Justyn a question in front of the group and so he opened the book to page twelve. He said, "Hey Justyn, if our world is just a product of your imagination mixed with free will, does that mean you control everything that happens to us?" He asked curiously. The group exchanged confused glances as the words appeared on the page that wiggled and squirmed before becoming stiff "No, but I do control the gist of it. I pave the path, but it is up to you to follow it, as an AI writing assistant controls your actions when I don't write what you do. Justyn's response only added to their growing realization that their reality was not entirely in their control. They were living in a world created by someone else, with a predetermined path. But at the same time, they had the power of free will to choose how they followed that path. This meant that this was a dualistic reality with both freedom and limits depending on how one looked at things. Alex spoke up, breaking the silence. "So we have some control over our story, but ultimately it's up to Justyn to decide where it goes?"

Jeorgar nodded thoughtfully. "It seems that way. We're like characters in a book, following a plot laid out by the author."

"Hey Justyn, if we have plot armor, does that mean we can do anything without consequences?" Cedar asked, a mischievous glint in their eye.

"no, if you choose evil actions you'll become a villain"

The group exchanged uneasy glances as the words materialized on the page. They realized that their newfound power came with a heavy responsibility - they couldn't simply do whatever they wanted without consequences. The idea of becoming a villain themselves was unsettling, and they knew they had to use their free will wisely.

"So we have to be careful about how we use our plot armor," Fenrir said slowly. Cedar nodded solemnly. "We don't want to become the very thing we're trying to protect ourselves from."

Jeorgar added, "And we don't want to disrupt the balance of the story. We have to trust that Justyn knows what he's doing."

The group fell into a contemplative silence, each lost in their thoughts. They had been given an incredible gift, but it came with a weighty burden. As they continued on their journey, they knew they would have to tread carefully and make choices that aligned with their moral compass. They were living in a world of free will and plot armor, and it was up to them to use it wisely.

"Justyn, do you ever get tired of being the one in control? Don't you ever wish you could just let us run wild and see where the story takes us?" Fenrir asked, a playful glint in their eye.

"yes I do, you have permission to run wild."

The group stared in shock at the words that had materialized on the page "Yes I do. you have permission to run wild. Could it be true? Did they have permission to run wild?

Alex was the first to speak up. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We don't want to mess up the story."

Jeorgar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean, we just talked about being responsible with our plot armor."

Max, however, seemed excited at the prospect. "Come on, guys! This could be our chance to let loose and see what happens!"

Cedar thought for a moment before adding his opinion. "I'm all for seeing where the story goes. Plus, I know that Alex doesn't like running around and causing trouble without consequences" The group looked over at Alex who responded, "Well... I guess that's true" The group grinned as they realized that even though they had been permitted to act freely, there were still consequences if they went too far. It took some convincing from Jeorgar and Max to convince Alex of the wisdom of letting them try out their plot armor since he had always been opposed to it so adamantly in their earlier sessions. With everyone in agreement, the book flipped to page thirteen, which became a white piece of paper with two words written on it:

You're in charge now

"Go ahead," said the book "Don't worry about getting lost. Just follow your instincts and do whatever feels right. No need to stick to my plan - go wild"

The five friends laughed and cheered at the words on page thirteen as they left the tent and began walking down the path into the nearby forest.

The group fell into another contemplative silence. They had been given an incredible opportunity - one that not many characters in books were granted. But with great power came great responsibility, as they well knew.

Finally, Alex spoke up again. "I say we give it a shot. We can always go back if things start getting too crazy."

Jeorgar hesitated for a moment before nodding his agreement. "I suppose there's no harm in trying."

Cedar grinned widely, his excitement contagious. "Alright then! Let's do this!"

***

Fenrir led the way through the woods with his nose close to the ground, smelling everything around him while the others followed closely behind. He stopped and sniffed the air as he heard something rustle through the bushes and looked around to see nothing but trees and shadows. Alex noticed Fenrir looking around as well and realized that they must have been on some kind of trail that was only visible to Fenrir since he could smell it. Max walked over next to Alex and whispered in his ear "We're being hunted by wolves?" Alex replied "Maybe? I think they might be dogs" The two of them chuckled together. Max took a look around at their surroundings as if just realizing what they were doing, and shivered slightly.

Fenrir started once more, moving a little faster now with the scent of their prey leading them toward their destination. A short time later they arrived at an old abandoned shack near the riverbank with broken windows and a missing door. There was a large hole in the roof which allowed rainwater to drip inside the structure, which made it seem like there wasn't anyone home despite there being tracks nearby that indicated otherwise. As they approached closer, they could hear a faint noise coming from within. Cedar got ready to make his move as Alex stepped forward with his dagger drawn out. Just as he began to push open the creaking wooden door, he felt someone grab him by his arm and pull him back hard enough to send him tumbling down the path back into Max who had moved up behind him. Before either one of them could react, however, several long sharp claws slashed across both their stomachs in quick succession and they fell back onto the path in pain and gasping for breath. They turned their heads to see who did it before taking another few hits across the chest before they finally collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Fenrir charged past Alex, knocking aside the first wolf he saw as it tried to attack him as well. It was about the same size as Fenrir, but its fur was different colors - white on top fading to grey around its legs, ears, neck, and tail. Jeorgar quickly pushed past his fellow companions and ran straight through the doorway of the shack while Max rolled away in a daze on the ground trying to regain his bearings after being hit so suddenly by the creature's powerful claw strikes. Cedar stood motionless as Jeorgar sprinted towards a small table that was covered in broken bottles that appeared to be used for drinking alcohol and other things that people put booze into. He grabbed one bottle filled with clear liquid and chucked it at the closest wolf as soon as it pounced at him with a loud bang! The glass shattered against its body and it cried out with surprise at the sudden attack, giving Jeorgar just enough time to reach the kitchen area where he picked up an iron skillet off the stove, flipped it, and brought it down upon the beast, hitting it directly on its head and knocking it unconscious. By this time, all three remaining wolves were gathered together, ready to attack their new prey once more.

Fenrir charged forward again only to meet the same fate from the wolves. This time they weren't able to knock him over or catch him by surprise, however. Their claws tore into his flesh even harder than before, but the strength of his regenerative powers made the wounds heal almost immediately. He growled loudly and lunged toward one of them, causing it to fall backward and yelp in fear. It then noticed the rest of its packmates looking back and forth between each other and the one Fenrir had knocked to the floor, making it look like there was some sort of battle going on when in reality it was simply playing possum while the others recovered from its earlier attack. Fenrir started attacking yet another wolf as Max got up off the ground next to Cedar who was still standing stock-still not doing anything except breathing heavily.

Alex quickly regained consciousness after being hit so suddenly by the wolf's claw strikes and rushed into the room right as Fenrir slammed his opponent into the wall and ripped out part of its throat with his teeth. The first wolf now lying dead on the floor with two bloody holes torn through his furry torso. Alex stepped forward and began slicing through the neck of the last remaining wolf, severing its head completely before it could get away. They turned around and looked at each other, wondering what had just happened. Alex grabbed a piece of meat that fell off the severed wolf's head and popped it into his mouth. He tasted a little bit of blood mixed with a strong flavor that reminded him of chicken, which he'd never tried before.

Fenrir grabbed a chair that lay toppled over on top of an old broken table and tossed it straight onto one of their heads, sending it flying across the dirt road until it came to a stop against a nearby tree. "How do you like me now? Huh?" His words were full of venom and aggression, clearly upset from having been attacked so many times in such quick succession by multiple foes.

"I guess we should probably have kept our plan a secret from them," Cedar said as if trying to console Fenrir.

Max shook his head in disbelief as they all stood together in front of the shack laughing about what had just occurred. There was no telling how much time had passed since they entered the forest.

And with that, the group set off on their new adventure, eager to see where their newfound freedom would take them. As they ran through fields and forests, fought battles, and made alliances, they knew that they were living in a world of endless possibilities - one where anything could happen, and everything was within reach.

The wind blew through their hair as they ran, each step feeling more exhilarating than the last. The world around them seemed to come alive with vibrant colors and sounds as if they were seeing everything for the first time. As they passed by a small stream, Fenrir suddenly veered off course and splashed into the water with a loud laugh. Jeorgar, Max, Cedar, and Alex exchanged a look before following suit, diving into the cool water with abandon. For hours they continued on like this, laughing and playing like children without a care in the world. They scaled mountains, swam in rivers, and explored hidden caves - all while letting their imaginations run wild.

But eventually, the sun began to set and the group realized that it was time to return to their story.

As they made their way back to their original plotline, Fenrir couldn't help but feel grateful for this unexpected detour. He knew that they had been given a rare gift - one that he would never forget.

And as they settled back into their roles as characters in a book, he couldn't help but wonder what other surprises lay ahead. After all, anything was possible now that they had taken control of their own destiny.

with their imaginations, but they never expected to receive a message from him. Excitement and curiosity filled the group as they huddled around the book, wondering what else their author had in store for them.

on page Thirteen of the open book appeared the words " I'm glad you decided to return because I'm not sure what I would have done if you stayed rouge." unbeknownst to them when they were "free" of Justyn's influence he had simply let the AI assistant fill in the gaps of the story Justyn based this tale with edits to the characters names which also was made with details from an AI assistant. Back to the book page "Anyways, you need to go back to the Villain Job fair and find a villain with an evil-looking book. I gave my powers to someone else while you went rogue and over time they became evil. The end result was that they became a book that can bend reality that makes characters evil who touch it. If you don't stop them then everyone within a one-mile radius will be under the book's influence. This villain has control of the minds of anyone who touches it. I'm sure you'll be able to overcome this villain easily. Good luck and I'll see you later.

Your Friend

-Justyn"

The five friends stared at each other blankly as their excitement began to fade away.

Cedar turned towards Alex as he sighed "I guess we're going back after all." Alex nodded slowly, unable to keep his face straight due to disappointment and anger building up inside of him. Jeorgar looked on quietly, still unsure about what had just happened and hoping that perhaps they could continue without any more problems as they had experienced before. Fenrir cocked his head to one side as if confused by their reaction before walking over and resting his large head in Cedar's lap, much as Max did whenever he felt lost or scared. Fenrir's furry ears twitched in curiosity and he gazed into Cedar's eyes with a look that seemed almost apologetic. He lifted a paw onto the edge of the book and scratched idly against the cover as the others sat there watching. After several moments of silence, he spoke softly so only Cedar could hear "You know, you can always change your mind too you know?"

Cedar smiled warmly "No." He whispered, "I've made my choice." As the night grew late, the four remaining friends finally curled up around their bedrolls for the evening while Fenrir continued to stare at them through the window. In an attempt to take his mind off of things, Alex asked Cedar to tell them another story from the beginning - this time starting from the moment they first met. Alex took note of everything and began writing down a few notes and ideas to work into future chapters. Eventually, though, they fell asleep under the starlit sky as the wind gently rustled leaves across their campsite.

The next day started as normal as they walked along the path until they came upon a sign posted near a tree:

Villain Job Fair

Entrance is free but please do not steal anything

Open till 6 pm

The group entered the job fair and began their search for the villain. They met a guy on a bench who seemed to be enjoying the sun. He wore a black trench coat and wore a fedora hat to cover his shaved head. on his chest was a name tag that said, Argo. When he saw Jeorgar, he stood up and approached him "I'm sorry, are you by chance looking for work?" he inquired with polite interest in his voice. Jeorgar simply shrugged his shoulders before responding "No thanks." Alex asked him if he knew anything about an evil-looking book that could make people evil by touching it and Argo responded with surprise in his eyes "Wait! How did you know about the book? No one knows about the book!" Alex pointed towards the book nearby as well as the fact that he had seen the man's face before in the pages of the open book. Argo nodded slowly and scratched the back of his head as if thinking to himself for a moment. The others waited patiently, wondering what their response would be.

Eventually, Argo turned to them and smiled, and said "There's been a bunch of people that have come by asking about it recently. I wouldn't worry about it though. Go and enjoy yourself, you'll find it eventually." And then he went right back to reading his book. Alex walked away confused by how easily everything had gone so far but still confident in the outcome. He was convinced that they'd figure out where the villain was soon enough.

They don't believe him and begin to interrogate him more. He tries to give vague answers like "no" or "it's not my problem" until Cedar takes matters into his own hands...

"You can tell us," Cedar said gently as he knelt next to Argo, placing both hands on the ground and meeting the villains. Argo got annoyed and said "Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pee. I'll see you tomorrow" with a smug grin on his face before turning around and leaving without another word. Suddenly as he started to leave, Argo begins to shrink until he became a baby wearing oversized clothing made for when he was an adult. It began crying softly muffled by the clothing covering the baby's face. They looked towards Jeorgar who seemed quite shaken by the entire thing - even Alex could tell something bad was going on just by looking at him. So he opened the book to page Thirteen and asked Justyn if he knew how Argo became a baby and on the page of the open book appeared the words" I had to do that, he's a henchman of the person with the book. I don't like to kill people with my powers though, so instead I just shrunk them down into a comic relief baby."

Alex sat there stunned as everyone stared at the book in confusion while Fenrir went over and picked the baby up and held him close to his face. "Here you are, here you are little one," said Fenrir. He turned to look at Jeorgar in disbelief "Is this really what you were expecting? Do you honestly think that you'd be able to defeat someone with such power?" Suddenly the naked baby peed on Fenrir's foot. Cedar laughed hysterically at him while Alex and Jeorgar tried their best not to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Cedar laughed. Max gave a few laughs himself before saying "What a cute baby! Look at those little feet! Hey buddy, why don't we put some clothes on you for a change?" The others laughed along but it was obvious they were trying very hard not to let out all of the tension they felt.

"Max is right, don't you agree, Alex?" Jeorgar said quietly as he grabbed the baby from Fenrir's hands and quickly dressed the infant with a pair of pants made out of leaves and a shirt made from bark.

Fenrir just ignored the situation and kept carrying the baby around while they continued to walk through the job fair. Suddenly a crazy lady came up to them and said my baby give me back my baby! She has him in her arms and she keeps yelling at him and screaming for help. She's in a rage, shouting at the top of her lungs. Alex said, "I'm sorry ma'am but we don't know where your baby is." Yes you do, he's right there in your arms, she screamed angrily at him. Alex said, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Perhaps you'd like to take a seat and we can discuss this calmly." The lady sat down on a bench and said "Thank you. I'm sorry about the outburst, it's just that my baby is so dear to me and I feel like something terrible has happened to him." The crazy lady took the baby and ran off with him elsewhere at the job fair. A couple of guards rushed over after hearing her screams but they were too late - as soon as she disappeared with her precious child, she stopped making noise and appeared perfectly calm.

Alex stared at Cedar in surprise who had remained quiet throughout the entire exchange as if knowing what would happen next.

***

Eventually, they found the woman. She was muttering to herself under her breath. Alex took the baby back, and the woman cried out one more time. My baby give me back my baby !" Alex said "Yes, yes, I understand completely. However, if you don't give your baby back to us, we will have no choice but to call the police," said Alex. The lady didn't seem too happy with this response. She said, "Oh well, that's ok, I guess. I guess I will just have to give my baby back to you if that's what you want." "Thank you, ma'am. I'm glad we could reach an agreement. I'll be right back," said Alex. He walked over to Fenrir and placed the baby in his arms. The Crazy lady handed them one of her baby diapers and said "Thank you, thank you very much for taking care of my son. I appreciate it so much. Please don't tell the authorities about this, and please let me give you a gift." She handed the diaper to Fenrir. Alex said, "Thank you for the gift. We appreciate it." She smiled and said, "I only ask that you don't share this information with anyone else. I would hate for anyone to get hurt. Especially my baby." Max said, "I don't think that will be a problem since we're all friends here." She looked at him in confusion before she replied with a smile "You know, when he's older he's going to have to learn how to deal with the world around him. So now is as good as any to begin learning. Right?"

The four then headed back to their campsite as the lady followed them silently behind them. When they got there they saw the group of guards who had gone after the woman earlier standing there as they waited for something to happen. They decided not to disturb them and instead, they went up to Cedar's tent where they stayed inside for the rest of the night. Once everyone was asleep and dreaming, Cedar stood up from his bed and walked outside into the dark, silent forest surrounding the job fair site.

***

The next day the group of friends (with a baby in tow) went back to the Villain job fair and continued on their journey to find a villain with an evil-looking book. As luck would have it though, none of the villains seemed particularly interested in being heroes or having an open heart like Fenrir. One guy wore an old bathrobe with an eye patch covering one of his eyes while another was a tall man who wore a business suit, and his name tag said Mr. Big. He was a hulking brute of a man. He was over six feet tall and weighed approximately 300 pounds. Alex went up to Mr. Big and asked if he knew anything about an evil-looking book, Mr. Big said "Oh yes, I know all about that! That silly thing? It's nothing but trouble." Alex asked him about the henchman Argo that he had met the previous night when Jeorgar shrunk him down - he mentioned that the villain called him 'Pinky.'

"He's rice," Mr. Big said as he rubbed his big hand through Pinky's hair. "I don't even mind doing menial tasks for him anymore. But don't tell anyone else because they'll try to make me do something awful for him again!" he then told them of a villain named Mohandas Karmegan who was an evil doctor. "He goes around giving people powerful drugs that make them monsters. said Mr. Big "To avoid being turned into a monster, you must touch the evil-looking book's cover. So far, no one has managed to stop this villain from doing what he does." Alex said, "Thank you so much for talking to us. This has been most helpful. Well, I guess we'll see you later." The group continued on their journey. They search for Mohandas Karmegan's booth at the villain job fair.

They were walking towards his table when Cedar began staring intently at some sort of poster hanging on a wall nearby. When they looked closer though, it appeared to be blank. Cedar stared hard and eventually, it seemed as though it began to fade away until there was nothing left except a few faint scratches and spots where it was attached to the wall. When they found the booth, they saw a sign that said out for lunch. Everyone was already seated in the booth - apparently, the villains didn't have jobs after all! All of the villains just sat in the back waiting for someone to order food. Max said, "Looks like our villain is gone."

Cedar took a look around at all of the villains gathered together at once before he walked up to the front counter with Fenrir right behind him. As he approached, he noticed that there wasn't anyone working there at all. There was only an empty chair sitting next to another man who had an evil-looking book lying on his lap. The man smiled slightly and spoke quietly but said 'You're not going anywhere today, buddy.' A couple of other people had heard what he said but none dared say anything about it. It would be considered rude by these people to point something out about another person unless they wanted to be viewed as a bully or worse yet, a villain themselves. This villain also happened to be the first one they'd met from this town, and as far as they knew he could've been the leader of this group of villains.

Alex asked the group "Hey, we were wondering if you know where Mohandas Karmegan went? We want to talk to him for a bit." One of the men at the table stood up and pointed to a door leading outside. The man said, "Oh yeah, I'm sure that's where he is." He then called for everyone else to follow him outside. When they got there, it was obvious that it was much too hot out there so they came back inside the booth. Cedar walked over to the seat that the man was in previously, grabbed his bag which contained the evil-looking book (and all of its contents), placed it on his chair, and sat down with his legs crossed under his chair in front of him. Max sat on his feet while Alex sat on Fenrir's shoulders facing him with their backs against the wall.

They waited patiently for fifteen minutes or so before the door opened again. A man dressed up like a doctor opens the door he had an evil-looking mustache, an eye patch, and random scars everywhere on his face. He was bald and looked like he hadn't bathed in a long time and his clothes were dirty. Alex said, "Hello, sir. My name is Alex and these are my friends, Cedar, Fenrir, Jeorgar, and Max, I also have a baby who is named Argo. We're looking for a villain with an evil-looking book. Do you happen to know anything about such a villain?"

Mohandas Karmegan scoffed at this response - obviously, they weren't going to give up easily - and replied "Well, what do you want from me? I don't know any villains that come here looking for heroes!" So where's the book? asked Alex. "It's around here somewhere," said the man. He then pulled out a book from his pocket and flicked through it. Suddenly, he wrote in the book and they were transported to a grandiose battle arena with intricate detail. On the stands were various animal-human hybrid creatures and were those who the villain had previously used the power of the book on. At the other end of the arena was a curtain. It was rustling in the light breeze going over it. A hologram of Mohandas Karmegan's head spoke "My faithful minions, today I will defeat the heroes and bring about a new era of darkness and evil. Today I shall destroy all of you and rule this land as my own." The audience booed and chanted "Kill the heroes!" The man with the book spoke again "So what if they can beat you? You're still a great villain." The crowd cheered. The man with the book said, "Well they may be stronger than you, but you can't beat them all. I can. That's why I decided to put a spell on you all so that you can't use your abilities against me. Now, let's begin." A roar filled the air and every single person in the stadium began to chant "Kill the heroes!" The man with the book said, "Ok, let's begin!" Mohandas Karmegan used the power of his book to make a shark appear out of thin air, at first it flopped like a fish out of water but it quickly gained strength. It had green eyes, wore a pair of glasses, and had a mohawk wig on its head. As soon as it saw Argo it lunged towards him. Alex took Argo and jumped out of the way just before the creature would've eaten him whole. Cedar the bear threw something which appeared to be some sort of shield made of ice that he'd found earlier. It encased both Alex and Argo inside of it, preventing the shark from getting to them while simultaneously protecting them from harm.

Alex could see the fear on Argo's face as he screamed and cried. Fenrir roared with rage from above, charging at the shark with his sharp claws extended. He managed to get past the shield and swipe Mohandas Karmegan across his cheek with his claw causing Mohandas Karmegan to scream in pain and surprise. The man used the power of the book once again by creating a large stone wall surrounding himself and the rest of his henchmen. However, Jeorgar the dragon was able to use the wind to lift parts of that same wall into the air (which was an incredibly powerful gust considering how big the arena was) and drop them on the other side of the arena where they crashed onto the audience below killing many people there and causing massive amounts of damage!

One of the bystanders was a horse-headed woman with a name tag that said Mrs. Falldorf barely managed to not get hit and left the area with her daughter running next to her saying "Mommy, don't leave me!"

***

The shark moved toward Alex, Cedar, Jeorgar, Max, and Fenrir. It didn't look like it could even move a single muscle. But it did. It swiped its tail at them and hit the group with a crushing blow. Suddenly the baby began to cry. The baby peed on Fenrir's foot again. The group got mad at Argo and threw him off Fenrir's back. Suddenly the shark went in for the kill. They had no choice but to run away from this menace but Fenrir had gotten too far ahead so he couldn't reach them in time. While trying to escape, one of Mohandas Karmegan's henchmen shouted "Faster you fools! If you want to live then run faster than that monster can pursue you!" They were all able to outrun the shark as long as they kept moving fast enough - but just as the shark stopped pursuing Alex, Jeorgar, Cedar, and Fenrir because it was unable to keep up with their speed, the villains closed in around the four of them and began to attack them with sharp swords. One of those blades came flying straight at Alex's neck. Luckily he was able to duck down slightly (barely) and avoid having his head cut clean off.

The hero's plot armor began to kick in and the shark was unable to pierce their defense. Suddenly, Alex's arm shot forward with his sword attached to it. The blade cut through the shark's back and it fell to the ground dead. Alex said, "Ah-ha! Victory! Mohandas Karmegan is no more!" Everyone cheered. The man with the book said, "I knew you'd be able to beat him. He was strong, but you are so much better however I will say this join me or die. We are in a simulation and I need help taking Justyn the Author down. If you join me, I will return your powers to you and you can have everything you ever wanted. If you refuse, I'll kill you and everyone that you love." The group thought about it for a moment and then they nodded. They couldn't resist the temptation after having their powers taken away. Alex said, "We'll never join you," The man with the book said "Fine, I guess one of the creatures on the stands will have to fight you then. Let's see which one wins." A Minotaur wearing a transparent dirty loincloth and a battle axe jumped down into the arena and attacked the heroes.

Jeorgar tried to use his fire breath against the Minotaur but it ended up missing the creature. Instead, it hit the wall behind the creature and caused it to burn. Fenrir used his teeth and sunk them into the Minotar's leg, causing it to fall to the ground. Suddenly Argo the newborn baby begin to stink up the whole arena. Everyone looked around trying to find out where the smell was coming from only to realize it was coming from the newborn baby. Alex chucked the dirty diaper he got from the crazy lady at the Minotaur's head. Alex said, "Wow, that smells horrible. I hope you washed that thing recently. I mean seriously how could you let that smell fester? What were you thinking? The Minotaur did nothing but grunt and yell in pain. Suddenly, the baby peed on the Minotaur's face while he was in mid-swing. The Minotaur screamed in agony and began to run around the arena in circles. Alex said, "Great work Argo! We have to catch this guy before we can go back." Jeorgar growled and took off after the beast as well. Cedar charged toward it at full speed and leaped into the air and tackled it to the floor with all of his might. Cedar punched the Minotaur right between its legs over and over again until it fell unconscious (and passed out). Fenrir grabbed the Minotaur by one of its arms and tossed it into the sky and then proceeded to bite through its neck and kill it.

From the bag of infinite storage, Alex pulled out some wipes and cleaned up the naked baby. Alex said, "Don't worry baby, I've got you covered." Fenrir said, "That is disgusting. I can't believe you would do that to a baby. He's like your own son." Alex said, "He is my baby and I don't appreciate you making fun of him. He isn't like any other baby; he has special powers." Alex went over and picked up the baby. The baby started crying again and Alex took him into his arms. Alex said, "Argo, you are a good boy aren't you?" The baby stopped crying and smiled at Alex. Max said, "You know, I think he likes you." Alex said, "Of course he does. I'm his father."

The baby began to wail uncontrollably. The hologram of Mohandas Karmegan's head said, "I don't mind if you killed me, it doesn't matter to me. However, I am going to kill you and your friends anyway. I will send an army of my henchmen to kill you. The curtain opened up and before them stood Mohandas Karmegan with an army of twenty-five henchmen. Alex said, "Thank you, Argo! Thank you for saving us!" Alex hugged the baby close and he felt a tingle run through his entire body. Alex said, "What was that?" Max said, "I don't know, but it must have given us some sort of power. Mohandas Karmegan said, "Like any good Villain I take this as my leave and hope that this is enough to kill you." Then he vanished into thin air. The group had to fight an army of twenty-five henchmen but due to their plot armor, they only attacked one by one and the henchmen shooting arrows at them all missed their targets. Soon after, they were able to defeat the henchmen.

***

"I didn't expect those henchmen to be so weak," Alex said,

Cedar said, "Yeah, no kidding. Those guys couldn't hurt a fly. Let's see what's in the bag." They checked out the bag from infinite storage again. Cedar took out a box filled with bottles labeled 'shampoo', 'conditioner', 'baby lotion', etc., and tossed it aside saying "This stuff looks useful." Jeorgar took something out of his pocket and gave it to Alex and Fenrir who put it on immediately and found it comfortable and smelled amazing! Argo, being naked, seemed to enjoy getting dry cleaned with the magical washing machine.

Alex said, "That thing has some kind of spell on it. We can use it for other things too. Look, we'll just need to buy more food. There should be some money around here somewhere.

Alex looked around the arena. in the book Justyn spoke through on page Thirteen of the open book appeared the words "Thank you, guys, for not turning on me, Mohandas Karmegan is very evil so don't listen to what he tells you to do. I shall make it that every time you take a dirty diaper off of Argo a fresh one will appear nearby." Argo's new diapers began to float to the ground. Alex thought for a second and went over to the arena's curtain. He pulled the curtain open and saw a forest. There were trees and grass everywhere and a river running through them. in the distance, Fenrir heard some sobbing sounds coming from the woods. Alex said, "I wonder who that is?" Alex walked into the woods and found a cage. Inside the cage was two missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. They had stubble on their faces, looked slightly dirty, and wore white shirts, ties with intricate detail, and suit jackets. Black pants and black shoes. On the left side of the suit jackets near the top were name tags that said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one had Elder Elder and the other had Elder Jackson on the tags. One of them was sobbing and the other was comforting him. Alex opened the gate to the cage and asked, "How long have you two been stuck in this cage?" The missionary said, "Well, we've been here since yesterday when we got captured by Mohandas Karmegan's henchmen." Alex said, "I'm sorry. You poor things. How did you get captured?" The last time we were in our world, the year was in 2020. My name is Elder Elder and my companion's name is Elder Jackon. We were in the middle of Proselyting when suddenly a swarm of Murder Hornets came upon us. I didn't know what to do but Elder Elder did. We jumped into a nearby pool and when we came out of the water, we were in this world. We had no idea how we got here. Mohandas Karmegan found us and took us to his castle for questioning. That was when we were captured." The two missionaries looked at each other and smiled. They said, "Oh thank goodness! You're another person from our world!" Alex said, "Really? I thought for sure it would be someone else." "No, there is only one person from your world here," the one called Elder Jackson said,

Alex shook their hands saying, "You are both very welcome to join me and the rest of the group. Where are you guys from?"

Elder Elder said, "I am from North Carolina in the United States of America. Elder Jackson is from Kentucky in the same country. But we were serving a mission in the Pacific Northwest."

Alex asked, "So why were you proselyting in a foreign land?" The missionaries exchanged a glance and then answered, "We were on a mission to spread the good news of God throughout all lands and preach that everyone needs salvation, especially those who live in darkness. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along." Alex closed the gate to the cage and returned to the group. He said, "Come on guys, let's go home." Alex led them back toward the arena where they fought Mohandas Karmegan and his henchmen. Alex said, "We have to find a way to escape from this place." Alex pointed to the far end of the arena. There were stairs leading down below the seats. Alex went down the steps and found himself at the bottom of the arena. Alex, Max, Jeorgar, Cedar, Fenrir, Argo, and the missionaries all looked for a way out of the arena. Until one of them found a switch that made a side gate in the arena open. They found themselves near the Villain Job Fair on the other side of the Job fair that they had entered when they got there. The plan was to head back to Mohandas Karmegan's booth and see if he was there. A villain werewolf walked up to them on his name card was Glendin he was an old friend of Fenrir from his villain days. The Villain said "Well, well, well, if it isn't my old buddy, old pal Fenrir. You look like a savage wearing that loincloth I remember back when you thought clothes were for losers. What happened? Also, do you still get panic attacks? Fenrir remembered why he had ended his friend's relationship over a year ago. Glendin was a jerk to him and when he told him that he had panic attacks now and then, Glendin tried to give him one every day. He told Glendin "I recently became a hero and my panic attacks are none of your business." Glendin tried to give him a panic attack, but since he was no longer a friend of Fenrir it didn't work as well as it had in the past. The missionaries piped up and said, "Have you heard of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?" They shared a message of peace, hope, and redemption. Glendin said "Wow I never knew that could be redeemed for my sins, this changes everything. I need to tell others about what you've told me. And with that, the villain walked away with some light in his eyes. One of the people manning a booth who had overheard the missionaries' conversation with Glendin walked over to them, wearing a name tag that said, Brennan. The person said "What are you thinking, giving hope to a villain is not an evil thing to do. Acting evil is the point of being here and you apparently didn't get the memo. If you keep doing this, how am I supposed to feel validated for chucking dog treats randomly at the dog park just so I can watch the world burn, hmm? Elder Elder told Brennan that he was causing contention and that as something not of God he agreed that they disagree with what he had said. And with that, the conversation was over.

***

As they got closer to the Mohandas Karmegan's booth, they were accosted by various Villains asking them if it was true that they were turning Villains into Heroes when told no, that they were just planting seeds in the hearts of villains each time like clockwork the villain would huff and walk away muttering words of disappointment under their breath, as they believed the lies Brennan had told. Eventually, they made it there after much trial and tribulation.

Mohandas Karmegan saw them and yelled "Ahahaha, now you'll be working for me! HAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed maniacally. Alex said "NO WAY!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "Yes way! I own you and your friends now! You'll be forced to work for me or you'll be killed! I'm going to make you all my minions!" Alex said "No!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "You're going to do it whether you like it or not!" Alex said, "I refuse!" Mohandas Karmegan yelled, "I SAID DO IT, OR YOU'LL BE KILLED!!" Alex said, "Kill me now!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "HA, I thought you'd say that! I knew you'd listen to reason, even if it wasn't in your best interest. Now prepare yourself, because you're going to be put through the wringer until you either agree to work for me, or I kill you." Suddenly they were back in the battle arena once more, and Alex said "I won't let you do that to me. I'm not going to work for you!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "Oh? Then you'll die, just like the other heroes that I've killed!" Alex said, "I'm not afraid to die!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "That's exactly what I thought you'd say. You know, Alex, if you die now, it will actually save you a lot of pain." Alex said, "Please don't torture me." Mohandas Karmegan said, "Then you'll die, and you won't have to live the rest of your life knowing that you were wrong." Mohandas Karmegan opened his reality-bending book of evil and wrote in it "The heroes will join me" but instead of things going the way he wanted them to everyone was able to resist him and Alex was able to say "I'm not joining you, and I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "You're all dead!" Alex said, "No, I'm not!" Karmegan wrote in his reality-bending book of evil and watched with satisfaction as an internet troll appeared out of thin air, ready to do his bidding. The villain had spent a few days perfecting his reality-bending book of evil, and now it was finally paying off. The heroes stood frozen in fear as the troll launched into a vicious attack, hurling insults and threats at them with reckless abandon. Mohandas chuckled to himself as he watched their resolve crumble under the relentless onslaught. But just as victory seemed within his grasp, something unexpected happened. Alex stepped forward, a glint of determination in his eyes. With a fierce battle cry, he charged toward the troll, determined to take it down at any cost. Mohandas could hardly believe what he was seeing. How could this be happening? He had planned everything so carefully...but it didn't matter now. The hero was too strong, too determined to let him win. With a final burst of energy, the hero landed a devastating blow on the troll, sending it crashing to the ground in defeat. Mohandas could only watch in horror as his plans fell apart before his very eyes. At that moment, he knew that he had underestimated the power of true heroism...and that he would never make that mistake again.

The heroes all looked at Alex and asked, "What are you doing here?" Alex said, "I don't want to work for you and I won't let you hurt people anymore!" Mohandas Karmegan said, "Oh? Then you'll die, just like the other heroes who have died!" Jeorgar and Max ran over to him and held him back from killing him. Mohandas Karmegan pointed his reality-bending book of evil toward them and wrote something in it and the next thing that happened was the group experienced Justyn's worst memory. As a result, they were transported to a first-grade class, Alex the human, Max the dog, Jeorgar the dragon, Cedar the bear, Fenrir the werewolf, Argo the human, Elder Elder the missionary, and Elder Jackson the missionary all either became six years old or the equivalent age range for non-human creatures. The Teacher was a Horse headed human and everyone else in the class was six years old children. The children were led by one of the popular kids, and they didn't like their new classmates. The popular kid told the class "These people were mean to me." suddenly a memory of this kid saying to them listen to what I say or else came upon their minds.