Finale Part 2 - The Assassination of Lou Blonger

## **Episode Synopsis**

### **Recap**

The team were in the airship and learnt some lore about the paper boat hat and how it will point to wherever you want to go when placed in a bowl of water. They all went to prepare for the upcoming and Zippy fell asleep. Zippy and Dariun were both in the dream space with Paige and Viso asked if they would help them. As they were going to help, the black ball, now formed into a fully black bunny shaped being, kicked Viso away and lead them through another door. They ran from the dream tree to a cobblestone bridge where Zippy found a door which lead into a chasm. This is where they saw Norman D. Zippy and Dariun tried to pull him to their world but they woke up to a crash before they could.

Karen had landed on the ship. He had a long conversation with the team about how he wanted to take down Lou Blonger, the Ammow company CEO. Karen apologized for the blue flowers and gave them some information about it. He explained that he needs all their help to assassinate Lou to avenge Gilbert. Zippy was against the idea at first but after some tweaking of the plan, he agreed that if he found Lou did cause a lot of harm to them, he would allow Karen to kill Lou by using a secret signal. Karen agreed. They landed at the conference and separated. Zippy went on the beach with Lou, Dariun and Karen started searching backstage in the amphitheatre and Peterson watched the stage and just saw imposter Zippy give a speech about the bullet and bullet pills are flying out into the crowd.

### **Episode Summary**

Peterson looking around, pills still raining down to people who are shoving them up their nose. He relays to Dariun that everyone is taking these pills and he recognises this is not good. If all of these people are taking the pills then Lou will have access to hundreds of people's magical energies. Peterson tells Karen they need to do something quickly. Karen decides they need to find the real Zippy so they wander further back stage. Dracken whispers form Dariun's hip saying he has a bad feeling about all of this and advises Dariun to run if he gets a chance.

Peterson moves through the crowds to get closer to the stage. As he moves, someone grabs his arm and Peterson sees Chris holding two bullet pills. He offers one to Peterson and goes to put one up his nose but Peterson grabs them both and puts them in his pocket. Chris bends down and grabs another but Peterson grabs his arms and asks for advice from Dariun. Dariun says to try his best but they need to find Lou and Chris breaks free of his grasp. Chris asks what is going on and Peterson advises that they don't know what is in them and how the bullet may be dangerous. Chris is not convinced and Peterson tells him that the Zippy up there is not the real deal. Chris sees this and Peterson asks for Chris to try to find Zippy before he takes the pill. Chris goes to find Zippy.

Dariun is backstage with Karen and he sees lots of Ammow people running around moving crates of bullet pills. He sees fake Zippy coming off the stage and an Ammow employee approaches them asking if they should be here. Dariun tells him they are here to grab the special crates in the back. The employee recognizes this as the grapes but asks if they can come back later as they are busy. Dariun tries to deceive them and let him in but the employee asks for them to leave. Seeing he won't get in, Dariun has a quick shoulder check and sees a gnome watching them so concedes defeat and goes to leave but as he does, Karen grabs his shoulder and asks the employee if there is a bathroom. Dariun joins in and they manage to convince the employee to let them come in to go to the bathroom.

They are lead to the bathrooms and there is a short line. They stealthily move around and look for Zippy and Lou but can't find him anywhere in the backstage area. He sees some sectioned off rooms and sneaks his way into a carpeted room with a winding staircase that leads to a second level. There are glass cases filled with Ammow propaganda showing the history of the company. He sees posters of a man stranded in an island then finding a pill followed by a group of people with one man standing elevated in front of them. He sees other items including a small dagger, trumpet and other random bits and bobs which appear to me trinkets of Lou's childhood. Dariun asks if Lou was trapped on the island with Karen but he tells Dariun Lou wound up there somehow and found the grapes, bringing them to Karen's attention when he returned. Karen suspects Lou brought them back and experimented to create the pills.

Zippy is on the beach and the tide is gently washing against the shore. Lou stands in front of him, feet in the water. Zippy says he felt honored to have been put on the pamphlet and Lou tells him he wanted to do something nice for Zippy and was hoping for a favor. Zippy would have like to be notified about the pamphlet and Lou does apologize. After some small talk, Lou asks to just cut the bullshit, admitting he is a bit of a people pleaser but wants to be frank with Zippy. He admits he used Zippy's image to lure him to the Ammow conference. Zippy asks why and Lou begins to pace back and forth.

Lou tells Zippy he has something he needs, the grand treasure clue from the Beroger spire. Zippy is confused as he doesn't understand why the grand treasure means anything and how the Ammow mission is important for the world. Lou tells Zippy he has been a thorn in his side for a while now. That Zippy has been using the Ammow company to fund his travels and it's obvious considering how poor his sales records are. Zippy still doesn't understand, knowing he has not the greatest record, he is thankful for the company for getting him started on his adventure. Lou feels it is difficult to believe Zippy wants the world to be a better place as he goes around ruining everything. Lou thinks Zippy must see what he is doing even if he calls himself as a Greeder, his actions aren't good for the company.

Lou tells Zippy that his first strike was with Ferryn and before he continues, Zippy asks how Lou knows about that. Lou explains he worked with Ferryn and she was supposed to be the next queen of Aurum and she was meant to help Ammow expand. He tells Zippy they have a vineyard in Aurum and found it hard to believe Zippy didn't know about this. Zippy reminds Lou of the level he is at in Ammow so he didn't know. Lou reminds himself about Zippy not knowing about the secret of the grapes and Zippy once again jumps in and asks what he is talking about. Lou pauses for a moment and asks if Zippy is a fool.

Zippy becomes upset and asks about Karen and Gilbert and if he is using people and the flowers. Lou starts to laugh about Zippy speaking to Karen. He tells Zippy he is just a puppet. Zippy believes he is the main characters of his own story but Lou believes no one is. Lou talks about the Ammow mission statement: *We want the world to be a better place*. Ammow uses these pills which can help people but the reason he does this and why he founded this company is because they are all weak. The world is imbalanced. Lou tells Zippy he is being strung along by dangerous people like Karen because he is weak, just like him.

Lou recognises that the world is run on strong people like Felix. The world as they know it is run on grand treasures and people search for them to find a shortcut to strength and to become powerful. But, the people who find these grand treasures are already powerful so the imbalance grows. Zippy reminds Lou of what he said, *what you believe you can achieve*. Lou remembers this and feels he knows how he can achieve his own goals. Lou claims he sees the imbalance and brokenness of the world and he wants people to choose their own paths in life but knows he is weak, this is his dream. Because of this, he cannot become what he dreamed, or so he thought.

Lou is trying to level the playing field with the pills but the bullet will bring everyone to the same base. Zippy thinks on what he said, wondering if he is a fool and if he could ever be anyone. Lou tells him he is right but he has him. Lou asks for the clue from the Beroger Spire again, to help with his plan to destroy all of the grand treasures. Lou explains that the people with the bullet will bring everyone to the same level and let people choose their own path. Zippy believes that he has always wanted to be more, starting as a humble carrot farmer and growing and becoming stronger. He may never reach the top but it was always about the journey, not the destination. If everyone is at the top there is nowhere to grow. Lou tells Zippy he has been played and he needs to stop being a fool.

Zippy tells Lou he is the fool and he is done with all of this. He says to Lou he has been lying to him and to everyone else. He is wanting to force people into something they don't know. Lou tells Zippy they must be forced because if one person does not comply the whole plan is ruined. Lou tells Zippy he is saying that he wants people to struggle and stay where they are but Zippy tells him what he is saying is people should have a choice. Lou tries to explain he is giving people the choice to be someone but Zippy keeps trying to tell Lou that he would never be in the position to say all this without having choice to begin with.

Lou sees people only become successful at the end if at all because the world is unbalanced. Zippy tells Lou life is messy and it is meant to be that way. He uses tomato soup stains on white sheets to describe what he is saying. The sheet may be imperfect but it shows the good times before. The journey the sheet went through to get to what it is, it shows it is different from the rest. Lou believes it's not about the journey or the adventure, it's about the result at the end. The bullet will get people to their destination sooner. Zippy hears this and feels he may have thought this way previously, before he met his friends but he has changed. Zippy sees he has to make a choice and he does not think Ammow is in the picture.

Lou tells Zippy the monks should have killed him at that mansion. This immediately strikes a chord with Zippy. Lou tells Zippy he has been an problem, putting the Flock and the Competition Bureau on his tail from the Beroger spire. Lou thought he could use Zippy, his accomplishments to help him but he believes that Zippy is too corrupted and blind. Zippy yells, wanting him to explain the monks, piecing together it was Lou who caused Norman's death. Lou tells Zippy the monks were looking for revenge, which was their destination. Lou helped them get there, that's what it's all about. Zippy tells Lou that is that was their choice, this is his. He turns off the spell, signalling to Karen.

Peterson is out in the crowds, people are still taking the bullet pills. He notices everyone who has taken a bullet are looking woozy. He takes off the circlet and reverts back to his goblin form and radios to Dariun to give him the signal. He looks down through his mask and summons 8 giant bats and makes them rain from the sky, aiming to making the people scatter. People who have already taken a pill seem too drowsy to care but others who haven't start to run from the stage, some grabbing pills on their way out. Some people come from backstage and shoot at the bats with bows but miss. Peterson speaks to Dariun, saying he needed to act and they are running out of time.

Dariun just started going up the winding stair case. He gets to a large office room with a portrait of Lou Blonger and a wooden desk and a chair. There is a large window looking to the beach and Karen points out to see Zippy with Lou. Dariun hears the messages from Peterson and tells him to get to the beach. As Dariun says this, Karen notices the ant is gone. Karen tells him it's go time. Dariun feel immense power from Karen. He bends down and his legs morph and he smashes out of the glass. There is an explosion of water as Karen has tackled Lou into the water and stabs him through the chest.

The water begins to fall and as it clears, they see Lou Blonger has been impaled. His eyes are glazed over. They see closer that their face starts to melt and skin starts to peel and fall away. A part of his face falls off and there is a strange slime underneath. When Karen goes to remove his arms, he sticks to Lou. The dead Lou Blonger's arm grabs and wraps around Karen. Zippy feels a hand on his shoulder. He feels magic immediately take hold of his body and he stands frozen. He can't speak or move. He hears his heart beat pound as he sense something terrifying nearby. Zippy hears footsteps as the hand is removed and the person comes in front. It is Lou expect he notices two rings, one on each hand. The yellow ring on his left hand's middle finger is glowing.

Karen is being engulfed in this slime thing and they are trying to transform into various beasts but he can't break free. Lou tells him its Concon mucous, and he won't be able to get out without any Concon tears. Lou says he will get back to Karen as he has some CEO disciplinary business to attend to. He turns and looks to Zippy, still paralyzed. Lou kneels down and unbuttons his suit coat. He tells Zippy what the slime form of his said was accurate and he feels Zippy is being unreasonable. He respects Zippy's right to his own opinions but feels he should respect Lou's vision and what he is about to do. If Zippy is not onboard and standing in his way, then he will need to change his mind, forcefully.

Dariun draws his black bow and as he does, he feels the blue flower starting to pulse. The arrow goes flying through the air and Lou is hit. Lou snaps it off and he starts to become blinded. He reaches in his suit pocket and eats a grape, stopping the blindness and closing the wound. Dariun starts to run and the blue flower starts to scream. He trips and falls. It feels stronger and stronger and he can hear the screaming of Karen in his head. The thorny roots are moving up his thigh and the pain is shooting.

Peterson is in the crowd and he feels the pain welling, the thorns grow and he is hit with pain. His bats unsummon. Peterson uses dimension door to try to get to the beach. The door appears and he reaches for the door. He opens it and an arrow hits him in his shoulder, causing him to lose grip on the door. Dariun can see Peterson in the doorway on the beach. The thorn is growing and Peterson's vision goes red. He sees blood dropping from his eyes. He calls out, saying he never betrayed anyone. He fall unconscious, feeling his life force being consumed. The door fades away. Dariun is crawling forwards, screaming to Karen to stop. The thorns are moving up and his vision is going red. Blood is dripping onto the sand. He yells out to Zippy, apologizing.

Dariun hears Ammow people coming up to Dariun, restraining him on the ground as he feels himself going under. He feels his life being drained. On his left hand, he sees the thorns moving up, to his fingers. The ring, given to him by Caspin, the star metal ring, lets off a small green flash when the thorns touch it. All the thorns move rapidly down his body and the blue flower stops. There is no more pain. He is still restrained by three people. He casts haste and cure wounds twice to heal himself. They see him using magic and go to try to stop him, one of them drawing a sword. He Fey steps away towards Zippy and Lou.

Dariun asks Dracken if this is a lost cause and Dracken begs him to run. Lou calls out to Dariun, saying he takes well after his father. Describing to Zippy Dariun is someone who has everything handed to him. Lou asks how Caspin is as he hasn't had tea with him in a while and this angers Dariun. He looks around, seeing more Ammow people coming towards them from behind. Dariun feels stuck, he looks around, seeing there is nothing he can do, he starts bolting down the beach. Lou calls out, saying he still wanted to talk to Dariun. About 20 Ammow company members cast entangle on Dariun.

Dariun uses dash twice, taking him out of range of 13 entangle spells. Dariun books it, vines grow out of the sands and he dodges and weaves cutting and slashing through the vines, dodging through to escape. Not out of fear but seeing that there is no other way. Lou sighs, and kneels back to Zippy, saying this is the way it is with people like him.

Dariun keeps running, Dracken is telling him to keep going, instructing him to get back to the airship. Dariun jumps and hides in between some stalls, casting pass without a trace and catching his breath. Dracken tells Dariun he is proud of him, finally letting go of people he cares for the most. Dariun believes he is not giving up on Zippy, just trying to find a way to get help. He knew he would be killed if he ran in and believes Lou wasn't going to kill Zippy. Dracken is skeptical. Dariun plans to go and get Peterson to help Zippy but Dracken is sure Peterson is dead, seeing the eyes of a dead man through the door. Dracken is again against this plan, believing it is futile. Dariun runs to the board walk and finds the path the amphitheater.

The stands are now like a ghost town. He sneakily walks in, looking in the crowd seeing people lying on the ground scattered around. Dariun looks and finds Peterson, face down among other people but he has in arrow through his shoulder and there is a pool of blood surrounding his head, coming from his mask. Dariun runs to Peterson, stepping over the people who seem to be passed out on the floor. He finds himself at Peterson's body, mask still on. Dariun tries to find any vital signs but can't find anything. He looks over his body and rolls him on his back. Seeing his body is shriveled, like all strength and substance has been drained away. Dariun can see that Peterson is dead.

Dariun holds Peterson and puts his head on his chest, muttering to himself. Dracken tries to tell Dariun to leave but he needs to stay for Zippy. Dracken tells Dariun Zippy is dead. Dariun slides the mask off Peterson's face and he sees the stains of blood on his face and his closed eyes. He apologizes to Peterson and to Zippy.

Dracken warns Dariun and he sees people are starting to wake up. All of them have blue flower buds on their bodies and are holding their heads. Dariun gives in to Dracken's advice and starts to run back to ship. The people start hearing a voice, telling them to find an Eladrin. Dariun immediately understands what they will do and activates Zephyr's strike to start bolting through the crowd. People are starting to stand and he can see they seem powerful, cracking stone as they stand up to hunt Dariun. Dariun is able to run through this crowd of chaos and run into the jungle to get to the airship. Behind him, he hears the people spreading out, looking for him.

Dracken tells Dariun he did the right thing and when Dariun asks why people keep dying, Dracken tells him the feelings will fade. As he keeps running, Dracken and Dariun notices to thier left is a bright light. It's orange and red and is burning bright. It looks like flames and is getting closer. Faster and faster, the light gets closer.

Lou tells Zippy he is disappointed and offended and he feels his friends lack the unity that the Ammow company stands for. Lou sees the value in team work and comradery as he did not get to where he is without people. Lou tells Zippy he is only a small fish in a pond and therefore needs to work with the biggest thing in the ocean. Zippy hears, way off in the distance, something beneath the sea. A roaring. Getting louder and louder. The surface of the water starts to ripple and a large, scaley, three clawed arm starts ascending out of the ocean. On its palm is a slit and it opens. He is engulfed in yellow light. As if it's hand was a light house, directed on Zippy. He feels so much fear. Lou looks like a black silhouette in front of the light. Lou feels great, like he could do anything right now, including convincing Zippy. Lou finds it funny after all this raving about Zippy being first to take the bullet pill, he has not even had one. Lou pulls out a bullet pill and gets ready to put it up his nose.

Zippy sees, just before the bullet goes up his nose, a fireball shoots past and explodes into Lou's side. He goes flying into the sea. Zippy feels he is free and he turns back to see someone jump down behind him. It is Norman D. Their skin is obsidian black and lava cracks are flowing through his skin. Just like what he saw at the mansion. Zippy calls out to Norman, asking if it's really him. Norman doesn't respond.

Lou picks himself up and complements his hit. Norman walks and stands in front of Zippy. In his hands are two fire balls, building. Zippy begs Norman for them to leave, that's it's dangerous. Norman D, the demon of the deep, turns around and looks to Zippy, red flames coming out of his eyes. Zippy can feel the energy from his fire balls and Lou calls out, saying he sees that Norman is possessed by his inner demons and has no control. Norman D gives Zippy a smirk. Norman, begins to sing. He takes Zippy away, bringing him back to the airship with a super jump.

## **Quotations**

* Lou Blonger "*Are you that big of a fool, Zippy Westborrough?*"

* Zippy "*I'm supposed to be the main character of my story!*"
* Lou Blonger "*I'm sorry to say Zippy but I don’t feel any of us are."*

* Lou Blonger "*Weak people don't make this world go round, It's the strong, it’s the few, it’s the Felix's of the world who that are choosing our paths.*"

* Zippy "*I would have never known what it was like to be at the bottom of the pyramid. To constantly strive to be more. Maybe I would never reach the top of the pyramid but, for me it was always the journey and I'm stronger because of it. The ones who get higher know how to bring others with them.*"

* Zippy "*Life is messy and it's meant to be that way. It's like tomato soup and white sheets.*"

* Peterson "*I never betrayed anyone.*"

* Seth "*Please roll. Let's see if you can do something insane.*"

* Dariun "*I'm sorry I couldn’t save you. I'm sorry I can't save Zippy. I'm sorry I couldn't save your clan.*"

* Lou "*And when you're the smallest fish in the pond like me, well… the only way to do things you need to do is work with the biggest thing in the ocean.*"

* Seth "*Norman D. Demon of the deep.*"

* Lou "*Now I've seen many men just completely possessed by their inner demons but this takes the cake!*"

## **Featured Characters**

### **Main Cast**

* Norman D
* Dariun Branch
* Zippy Westborrough
* Peterson

### **Returning Characters**

* Karen
* Dracken
* Lou Blonger