Rising Shards

Chumbler Shards #2

Chumbler woke up from a weird dream about a weird little guy and piles of fangs.

“WHERE ARE WE!?” Chumbler screamed. 

Her best pal/friend/lackey Zorta Orca Korbley (Z.O.K. for short) was seated next to her.

They were on a bus.

“We’re on the bus to Rising Shards,” Z.O.K. said. “We both just got transferred there.”

Chumbler came to and woke up a little.

“Rightrightright,” Chumbler said. “After what I did to that family.”

The bus pulled up to the school. It looked fine, whatever.

Chumbler made a vow then.

She was gonna make an impact at Rising Shards no matter what.

And also make lots of time to gamble.

Chumbler Shards #3

“OK, Z.O.K.,” Chumbler said. “First impressions are vital. If we’re going to matter here, really matter, we need to make a splash right away.”

“Hm!” Z.O.K. said. Z.O.K. was generally shy and quiet, which was annoying, but she was obedient, which pleased Chumbler.

“Alright, how’s this for a splash?” Chumbler said. She looked around because she realized she started hyping something up without knowing what.

“Are you gonna…do something?” Z.O.K. asked.

“Man, making a splash sucks. I’m bored already. I’m gonna go break a window or something.”

She didn’t have any good ideas as she and Z.O.K. were shown where their room was.

Chumbler unpacked sadly.

“Maybe this is a good thing,” Z.O.K. said. “The last time you tried to make a splash, you headbutted that teacher in the groin, which was a lot less funny the second time.”

“Mmmmm…debatable. But you have a point.” Chumbler said. “AHH!”

“Wh-what is it?!”

“This like REALLY sucks!”

“What does?”

“Don’t you see? If I can’t make an impact, I’m doomed to fade into obscurity! How am I supposed to get away from my from my various gambling related misdeeds if I’m a complete NOBODY!”

Chumbler Shards #4

“This club thing sucks NGL.” Chumbler said to her pal/minion Z.O.K.

“I thought you wanted to make a splash or whatever.” Z.O.K. said.

“Yeah but how do I do that HERE?”

Chumbler pouted and farted about the club thing. Then she had an idea.

“Oh!!”

“What is it?” Z.O.K. asked.

“We should make a club!” Chumbler said.

“What kind of–“

“A GAMBLING CLUB.”

“Wouldn’t that be like illegal and they probably wouldn’t allow it?”

“Good point,” Chumbler said.

She flipped a table over because she was incredibly mad and had few outlets.

“Wait! That gives me another idea.”

Z.O.K. waited for Chumbler to say what her idea was, but Chumbler didn’t say anything. Z.O.K. sighed. “What’s your ide–“

“Glad you ASKED.” Chumbler bellowed. “If I’m gonna make a splash and gamble here, we have to be crafty.”

Z.O.K. waited again.

And sighed again.

“So what’s your idea–“

“GLAD YOU ASKED.” Chumbler said, vibrating with energy about gambling potential. “We just need to find the club with the flimsiest premise and the weakest minds. Then we corrupt them, until we have OUR club.”

Chumbler Shards #5

Chumbler got her clubmates in a huddle. With her was Z.O.K., Latte, Elisa, Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila.

“Alright team,” Chumbler said. “We have to have a good showing here or we’re effectively screwed.”

The group nodded. They had one shot at this.

Their teacher judge, Ms. Letoh, seemed like a wimp and probably a total pushover.

Still, Chumbler couldn’t let her guard down as their shy teacher approached their booth.

“Hi all,” Ms. Letoh said. She leaned over to read Chumbler’s presentation. “Coffee or Osiris…? And with…a big wheel?”

“It’s a gambling—er! A ‘learning’ wheel. You get to spin it and see whcih thing we talk about first.” Chumbler said.

“Well, alright.” Ms. Letoh said. She gave the wheel a spin.

Chumbler started to sweat as the wheel spun. Whichever one it landed on, one member of the group would be upset. If Osiris won, Elisa would be happy, but Latte would get mad that coffee didn’t win. It was a gamble either way. But Chumbler lived to gamble. The wheel landed…perfectly on a line between options.

“I didn’t plan for this,” Chumbler said. 

“Why don’t we just get the Osiris part over with first.” Latte said. “Because he’s annoying.”

“EX-CUSE me?!” Elisa said. She promptly charged up a ball of energy. Latte grabbed her trusty coffee pot and dumped it on the energy ball.

“Oh dear,” Letoh said as the combination of Kanibari energy and coffee created a portal that absorbed them.

Chumbler Shards #6

The next thing Chumbler knew, she was in a dark place.

“This looks kinda familiar.” Chumbler said.

“Does it?” Z.O.K. asked. “Also, where is everyone else?”

Chumbler looked around, but all she saw were piles and piles of teeth, specifically fangs. Only she and Z.O.K. were there.

“Maybe they died, that’d be interesting.” Chumbler said.

“Or horrifically tragic.” Z.O.K. said.

“Well that big energy ball was pretty big.” Chumbler said.

“You’re basically a poet, Chumbler.”

“Thanks!” Chumbler said. “But we should really focus on getting out of here.

Just then, a weird little guy wearing a mask stepped out in front of them.

“I brought you here. You won’t leave. I brought you ALL here.” the weird guy said.

“Now this feels REALLY familiar.” Chumbler said.

“Chumbler! That’s like a VN mascot character!” Z.O.K. said.

“Huh?”

“It’s gonna put us in a killing game!”

“Oh, that sucks.” Chumbler said. “Wait, I know what to do!” She tried to remember her dream.

“Got it!” She said and fear-farted.

“Ew! Chumbler!” Z.O.K. said.

“No, no, it’s part of my dream!” Chumbler said. “Then I did THIS!”

Chumbler booted the weird little guy into the air.

Chumbler Shards #7

Chumbler and Z.O.K. watched the weird little guy fly into the air, then land to the ground with a thud.

“Did I win?” Chumbler asked as she poked the weird little guy with her foot. “I think it’s dead.”

“Way to go, dumbass.” Z.O.K. said. “You killed the mascot character.”

“Well, now what do we do?”

“You fight ME.”

“Who said that?” Chumbler asked.

A young woman slid down one of the piles of fangs. She was dressed like a pirate.

“Did you like puppeteer that little guy?” Z.O.K. asked.

“No.” the pirate said. “I don’t know what his deal is.”

“Deal was.” Chumbler said.

“Whatever. Anyways, my name is Wayfarer Saga, the most infamous pirate of the void. You’re in one of my many domains, so fight me.”

“Why?” Chumbler asked. “I kinda just want to go back home.”

“Because if you don’t fight me, you’ll never get them back!”

Wayfarer pointed to the piles of fangs. Chellsi, Mikeila-Keila, Elisa, Latte, and Ms. Letoh were knocked out and imprisoned in the piles.

“We have to help them.” Z.O.K. said.

“Ehhh,” Chumbler said. “Do we?”

“I’ll throw in a free slot machine.” Wayfarer said.

“I’m IN!” Chumbler yelled.

Chumbler Shards #8

“Can we both fight?” Z.O.K. asked.

“No, she asked me!” Chumbler said.

“Oh whatever, my Cani power is way cooler than yours.”

“Shut up.”

“Both of you shut up!” Wayfarer Saga said. “Just fight me! I want to fight! I don’t care who!”

Chumbler got out her double bloodsaber, which was two bloodsabers taped together.

“Are you gonna let me fight?” Z.O.K. asked.

“Fine, whatever!” Chumbler said. “I NEED that slot machine.”

Wayfarer drew her bloodsaber and charged.

Chumbler used her Cani power to roll into an energy ball. She shot forward. Saga kicked her away. Chumbler bounced from fang pile to fang pile.

“Why are there so many fang piles!?” Chumbler asked.

Wayfarer pointed at her teeth.

“That’s my Cani power. Watch.”

Wayfarer opened wide and shot a barrage of fangs out of her mouth that hit Z.O.K., knocking her down.

“‘Wahh, let me fight,’ she says.” Chumbler said as Z.O.K. groaned. “Once you pick yourself up, watch and learn how a fight should really go!”

Chumbler charged her roll ball power and aimed at Wayfarer Saga. She was getting that slot machine no matter what.

Chumbler Shards #9

Chumbler rocketed forward, shooting past Wayfarer Saga, who shot fangs at her as she ricocheted around.

“You missed!” Saga said.

“I wasn’t aiming for you!” Chumbler said as she landed with a bounce. “Oh and you suck at fighting.”

“Huh?” Saga said. “OH—“ She wailed as four pillar like piles of fangs fell on her. The others were freed, but most importantly Chumbler got a mini slot machine. Once Ms. Letoh came to, she opened a gate back home.

“Some help you all were,” Chumbler muttered as she hugged her mini slot machine.

Because of the incident, the group got a pass on their Fang Fair project.

Chumbler set up her slot machine next to the stand and dumped out a bunch of quarters from her pockets.

“And you’re sure you’re all alright?” Letoh asked.

The others were shaken but fine. Chumbler pulled on the slot machine’s lever.

“Chumbler?” Letoh asked. “You didn’t answer.”

“Yes. Leave. You’re distracting me from slot.”

After the others left with Letoh, Z.O.K. sighed. Chumbler continued to gamble on the machine.

“What a mysterious series of events. First we portal into a void node, then we fight a weird guy and a pirate girl. She seemed to know a lot about you, Chumbler.”

“Yeah uh huh whatever. Shut up.” Chumbler said, pulling the lever.

“I guess you made a splash after all, huh?”

“Nngh…ergh.” Chumbler said.

“Alright.”