The Immortals of Notoriouslandia
Chapter Thirteen: The Gate, the Golems, and the Key of the Century
The moment the Hydroporelectricity struck, the forest around the gate of Notoriouslandia shattered in all directions—trees split into splinters, the ground torn by shockwaves of water-charged energy and sky-bound lightning.
Its ninety-nine heads weaved like serpents in a storm, launching orbs of crackling water and ionized bolts at the Unbound Team in unrelenting harmony.
The Battle Begins
Mr. Shonk launched himself skyward, riding a surge of Bontaine energy, flinging his trident into one of the heads and sending a shockwave rippling through the beast. But even as it staggered, two more heads whipped around and slammed him into a boulder, cracking the earth beneath him.
Kukranchunlikryting fired volatile toxin bombs infused with crystal residue into the creature's mouth, momentarily sealing several heads shut—but a third cluster of jaws opened and exhaled a cyclone, sending him flying into a ruin pillar.
Sapphire blinked between dimensions, slashing at necks with her multiversal blades, carving glowing gashes across the hydra's scales. But the coordination of the heads was terrifying—they moved as one mind, trapping her in a spinning wall of lightning coils.
Descentedrain fought from the center, wielding psychic bursts and gravitational strikes to tangle, stun, and suppress.
"Ten minutes," he muttered to himself, dodging a pulse wave that glassed the ground.
"We just have to hold for ten—"
He grunted as a strike clipped his side.
The Turning Point
They adjusted. Adapted. Each team member covering the other's weaknesses.
Shonk blasted a shockwave that deflected five converging heads.Kukranchunlikryting infected the water-based attacks and forced some to turn against other heads.Sapphire blinked behind Descentedrain and skewered two heads mid-lunge.Descentedrain pulled all ninety-nine heads downward at once with a full gravity crush, slamming the guardian into the ground.
And with one final group attack—a trident spear enhanced by crystal, toxin, and psychic force—the Hydroporelectricity exploded in a burst of charged mist, water scattering like rain over the now-smoking battlefield.
The storm was gone.
The gate stood open.
They had passed.
The Ruins of Notoriouslandia
They limped through the shattered archway.
The city beyond was not what they expected.
No floating towers. No celestial structures.
Just ruin.
Collapsed skyscrapers. Broken defense drones. Streets swallowed by glowing moss. Bones of machines, beasts, and heroes long gone.
Sapphire's voice cracked slightly.
"So this was the heart of the world…"
Kukranchunlikryting snarled.
"A graveyard."
But the second their boots hit the city's center square—reality shifted.
The Shared Vision
Time froze.
Light dimmed.
And the sky twisted.
This time, all four saw it.
The Immortals of Notoriouslandia appeared—Arthur's flame still burning, Technical's form flickering with data-code, Lux's astral robes swirling with galaxies.
Arthur's voice boomed.
"You have entered sacred ground. Our voices live here."
Technical continued.
"Whoever walks Notoriouslandia can be spoken to. The walls remember. The stones whisper."
Lux's gaze turned grave.
"But beware. Our defenses were never fully shut down."
"The Golden Rockers still guard this place."
Golden Rockers Unleashed
Suddenly, the ruins vibrated.
A rumble of coordinated movement echoed through the stone.
And they saw them—small golem-like constructs, maybe waist-high, made of molten gold and jagged stone. Their arms were spike-covered battering clubs. Their eyes glowed red—full of programmed malice.
Then—they rolled.
The Golden Rockers curled into balls and hurled themselves at the team, like precision cannonballs.
One slammed Mr. Shonk, knocking him flat.Another clipped Sapphire's shoulder, slicing open her armor.Three launched at Kukranchunlikryting, who detonated a toxin mist that momentarily slowed them.
But there were more. Dozens, hiding in shadow. Coordinating. Swarming.
Descentedrain threw up a repulsor dome and shouted:
"Don't engage them directly! Aim for their core joints—the gold rings at the knees!"
Working together, they disabled enough to make an escape—down an alley, through a blasted citadel, and into a collapsed atrium.
There, they found a door.
Ancient. Covered in emerald circuitry. Sealed tight.
But on it… a single padlock. Small. Silver. Inscribed with runes that shimmered.
And the Immortals' voice returned:
"This door holds the blade you seek… the path forward… and answers."
"But it requires the Key of the Century."
"Hidden. Guarded. Waiting."
Setting Camp
Exhausted, wounded, and unsure where the key lay, the team set up camp in the broken chamber just beside the door.
Mr. Shonk collapsed onto a pile of crystal dust.
"I'm gonna need fourteen mango bars after this…"
Sapphire sat beside Descentedrain but said nothing.
Just leaned slightly against his shoulder.
He let her.
They were inside Notoriouslandia now.
But the trials had just begun.
And the Golden Rockers were not the only guardians waking up.
The fire crackled beneath the crumbled stone ceiling. Their makeshift camp near the Sealed Door was lit only by embers and the faint glow of residual runes pulsing around the mysterious padlock.
They were injured. Tired. Worn.
But Descentedrain, as always, prepared for his team.
He passed out supplies with the same quiet care he used during triage.
The Team Feasts
Mr. Shonk's eyes lit up as Descentedrain dropped fifteen Graham Mango Bars into his lap along with a massive jug of iced tea sweating with cold.
"This is the real power-up!" he shouted, tearing into a bar with mango-fueled zeal. "We could take down the Door of Never with this snack combo alone!"
Kukranchunlikryting received a sealed, reinforced thermos marked with hazard tape.
"Extra-hot cocoa... with a trace of acid blend, just how you like it," Descentedrain said, handing it over along with a pouch of scorching pretzels that steamed the moment they hit the air.
The mutant warrior hissed with appreciation.
"Perfect. Spicy. Toxic. Delicious."
Finally, he approached Sapphire, setting down a clean, woven pouch filled with glowing starberries, a polished red-flesh crystal apple, and a bottle of chilled apple juice wrapped in blue-leaf insulation.
Her eyes widened softly.
"You remembered everything, didn't you?"
"Always," Descentedrain replied.
She smiled—warm, quiet. Then, standing up, she extended her hand.
"Then at least give me one dance before the world burns again."
A Dance in Ruins
Sapphire pulled him close, her hands graceful, her eyes gleaming with reflected firelight. She moved elegantly, naturally—like the ruins were a ballroom and she had danced here in a past life.
Descentedrain stiffened at first, unsure, awkward.
But he didn't let go.
She leaned in, whispered:
"You're allowed to smile, you know."
He didn't.
But his eyes did.
Suddenly, Mr. Shonk whistled.
Kukranchunlikryting clapped, sipping acid cocoa like it was wine.
"Look at them go!" Shonk laughed. "End of the world romance! Classic!"
Descentedrain, overwhelmed, gently stepped back.
"We should rest," he muttered.
Sapphire said nothing, but her smile lingered.
Another Vision
Just as they began preparing for sleep, a wave of energy swept through the air.
The Immortals' voices returned, projecting a shared vision directly into the minds of the four:
Arthur spoke first.
"Another guardian stirs—one of stone and code."
Technical followed.
"The Stonelites—humanoid stone constructs, simple in strength, but endless in number. They guard the upper city."
Lux concluded.
"They are not strong alone. But they move in perfect unity. Fight smart—or fall beneath the swarm."
The vision ended with a distant sound of stone scraping against steel.
The Onslaught of the Stonelites
The next morning, the team advanced into the upper district ruins—once filled with marketplaces, hover trams, and statues of long-dead champions.
Now it was home to the Stonelites.
Dozens emerged from the walls and floors, humanoid in size but faceless, carved from obsidian-veined rock with glowing red lines. Their eyes ignited—and they began to fire lasers in unison.
"SPREAD!" Descentedrain shouted, raising a psychic shield that splintered from the first impact.
Mr. Shonk deflected two beams with his trident, then threw himself into a squad of them, shattering four into rubble.
Sapphire blinked across the square, slicing arms, warping stone into sand.
Kukranchunlikryting unleashed a slow-burn neurotoxin cloud that dissolved their inner cores—but still they came, unending, focused.
Until Descentedrain spotted something in the heart of the plaza: a diamond chest, untouched, glowing faintly beneath a crystalline statue.
He dived into the chaos, dodging beams and stomps, reached the chest—and opened it.
Inside, floating on a pillow of starlight—
The Key of the Century.
Silver and blue. Shaped like a trident merged with a clock hand. Radiating timeless energy.
He held it high.
And the Stonelites froze.
Then collapsed.
The Calm and the Camp
They returned to the Sealed Door by sunset.
The key was now nestled safely in a containment field near Sapphire, who sat next to Descentedrain under a half-toppled arch.
She nudged him gently.
"You found it."
"We all did," he replied. "But… thank you."
She didn't answer, only reached over and rested her head on his shoulder again.
This time, he didn't move away.
Mr. Shonk was already asleep, drooling mango paste into his pillow.
Kukranchunlikryting watched the stars silently, swirling his toxic cocoa with a single claw.
The ruins of Notoriouslandia were quiet.
But the Sealed Door awaited.
And beyond it… the Galactic Sword of Wisdom.