Part 12: Chapter #6: Radcot's Trap, Part 2

Chapter 6: Radcot's Trap, Continued

Last time in this reality: Bastion decided it would be a capital idea to meet the famously treacherous Duke Radcot. It...did not go well, and now he's a prisoner of the Duke.



But wait! Bastion isn't dead, he's just been captured!

: (But I suppose I should be thankful that I'm being held prisoner in here instead of a dungeon. I wonder what happened to everyone after I was captured. Did they flee? Were they taken hostage as well.
Oh, Bastion, you're not a hostage. Hostages are held in order to induce the payment of some sort of ransom, Radcot has...other plans for you.
: (I should have listened to Galvas. I should have known this was a trap. I feel so stupid...)



But wait! What's this? A rope from the floor above? Has some come to save Bastion?



No, it's just a little girl....and a platypus that was hard to get a good screenshot of.

: Kyu!
: What in they name of all that is holy are YOU?!
: Kyu-Kyu! Don't widdle under the couch like you did last time! Come here, silly! You're the boy from another country, aren't you? Everyone in the palace is talking about you! I've never been to another country! Will you tell me what it's like?
: Perhaps after you tell me who you are, little girl.
: I'm Nana, and this is Kyu-Kyu! Say hi, Kyu-Kyu!
: Kyu!
Hey, has Pokemon done a platypus monster yet?
: I've never seen a creature quite like Kyu-Kyu before. Are you certain that it won't, uh, bite me?
Ugh....I'd rather talk about the platypus than deal with this scene. Did you know the platypus has poisonous barbs on its feet?
: Of course not, silly! Kyu-Kyu is my best friend in the whole wide world! He won't hurt you!
Of course, platypuses (and, as it is not actually a Latin word, that is considered the technically correct plural form) are more famous for being one of the few mammals to lay eggs.
: Now tell me about the country you're from! Do they have an ocean there? I want to see the ocean someday!
The platypus can also, uniquely among mammals, detect its prey by tracking the electric fields created by muscle contractions.
: (I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell my story to this girl. Besides, I have a lot of time to kill.)
Later....
: What a neat story, Bastion! Kyu-Kyu thinks so, too!
It was thought a one time that monotremes and marsupials had a common ancestor than split from placental mammals, but this has since proven not to be the case.
: I wish I could come and see other countries with you...Hey, Bastion! If I show you something neat, will you promise to take me on your adventures? It's a secret passage that will take you outside the palace! I know my dad wouldn't worry if I was traveling with someone big and strong like you, Bastion! Please, Bastion! I'll cry if you won't take me!! So are we going?
The platypus is the official state emblem of the Australian state of New South Wales.
: Well, I really would like to use that secret passage...
: YAY! This is going to be some much fun, Bastion! Let's go!
Unlike other mammals, the platypus' internal temperature is only 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).



And then Andrew teleports in out of nowhere....literally.

: Uh, Bastion, a brief question. What the hell is that thing on the table?

Damn it, Andrew! Pay attention!



I bet you would have liked to seen the epic escape from Muspel Castle, eh? Well, I would have too.

: That was a pretty slick passage, little girl. And I mean that literally. An awful lot of slime on the walls.
: My dad can't let anyone clean it up, silly! Then it wouldn't be a secret!
: Heh, heh. Good point, little girl.
: Besides, I didn't invite you to come with me, I invited Bastion! You're a grumpy old man, like my dad!
: Okay, now THAT one hurt.
: Nana, I thank you for showing me the passage, but I still want you to stay here.
: But it's okay if I go, Bastion! My dad is always too busy to pay attention to me, anyway!
: Or maybe he just gets tired of you calling him a grumpy old man.
: Look, Andrew! My Alba is inside that hangar! I have to retrieve it!
: Then here's the plan: I'll distract the Muspel guards with my fancy moves while you get your ATAC.
: That's far too dangerous, Andrew! You can't fight an army by yourself!
: Who says I'm gonna fight 'em? I'll just keep 'em busy for a while, then make my escape. No problem.
: Someday soon, Andrew, you really must explain to me who you are and where you came from.
: Aw, Bastion, I kind of like the element of mystery in our relationship, don't you? Heh, heh.
: You're not a grumpy old man, you're a WEIRD old man!
: Do they train women from birth on the art of using words to hurt?
: Nana, I feel strange about taking you with me. It's practically kidnapping.
Oh, Bastion, there's no 'practically' about it.
: No, it's not! I want to go with you, Bastion! I don't want to live in the desert anymore! You're going to break your promise, aren't you?!
: No, Nana, I won't break my promise. (Although I'm starting to realize that I never should have made it...)
Remember guys, if Vanguard Bandits teaches you anything, it's much worse to break a promise than commit kidnapping.
: Give up, Bastion. There is not one documented case of a man winning an argument with a woman.
: Kyu-Kyu doesn't like you, old man! I think he's about to bite you!
Adult platypuses don't have teeth, instead using compressed keratin plates in much the same way.
: I think that's my cue, Bastion! Now get into the Alba and go!
: Thank you, Andrew. I'll see you soon!
Later...
: (We managed to escape, but where did Andrew go? He's not showing up on my scanners!)
: Bastion, your cockpit looks a lot like the ones I've seen before!
: The ones you've seen before? What do you mean, Nana?
: Dad lets me ride in his ATAC sometimes!
: (Her father has an ATAC?! He must be a Muspel soldier!) Hold on, Nana! We have some ATACs chasing after us, and I doubt they're going to let either of us leave!

Next Time: Same Time, Same Place, Different Reality!