Episode 3 - Monkey and Me

Recap
Norman, Dariun and Zippy met some members of the Greeder's Guild members and after they each had their memories checked, they worked together to defeat the two apes who stood guard of a coliseum. They entered the coliseum and met a chimp where the group split with Norman, Dariun, Zippy, Blackjack and Yogurt went to the left and the remaining Greeder's went to the right. After they completed the see-saw puzzle set before them, they went deeper into the coliseum where they were to complete a trial of strength. At this time, the chimp believes Norman is Felix Peterson, who is the person these trials have been made for.

Episode Summary
In the underground coliseum, the dead tree and is in the center and the stands are full of chimps cheering. Jumping over the tree ent is a 15 feet tall giant ape with green eyes wielding a great sword. As Zippy tries to figure out if the test was as simple as presented to him, the ape raises his great sword. Despite this, Zippy tries to talk to the ape as the great sword comes down on the group as it says "Kill Felix!"

They all try to dodge but Zippy and Norman get hit while Dariun rolls away. Norman casts calm emotions on the ape which also hits Dariun, Zippy, Blackjack and Yogurt. All but Yogurt and the ape are unaffected. With the success on the ape, the team sees the green eyes flicker and fades away. The giant ape is confused and drops the sword becoming indifferent to team 8 but it runs into the stands attacking the apes in the stands. Norman attempts to lift the giant great sword but it's too massive to lift.

A sharp pain shoots through Dariun's head, he falls to one knee and feels nauseous. Dazed and confused, Dariun begins stumbling and bumps into Zippy causing him to Fey Step and teleport into the stands with the other chimps. The giant ape makes its way to Zippy who decides the greatest plan is to lead the ape to Dariun in hopes that he will be able to teleport the giant ape away.

Zippy tries to talk to the ape again and convinces him the they can provide the ape with help. Zippy tells him that they got to know each other last night but one of the apes here slipped something in his drink making him so confused. When Zippy was asked who did this, he points to an ape in the stands which the ape refers to as Greg. The ape makes his way back into the arena but jumps and holds onto the roots on the roof after being hit by apes from the stands.

Two smaller apes attack zippy while another goes to attack Norman and Dariun. One hits Zippy while the other misses and Dariun is almost hit by another. Norman runs to help Zippy and uses his rapier flanking the ape on Zippy but misses. Dariun draws his sword and his blade appears to shift as he swings at the monkey on the ground. He plunges his switch sword into the ape's chest killing it. He runs and tries slams into the ape away from Zippy but ends up just grabbing its attention. Zippy throws this chimp over his shoulder and slams it into the ground and pulls out his quarter staff and aims to hit its head but misses. The chimp slashes at Dariun but as it makes contact, the chimp teleports 20 feet away, the other chimp gets up from the ground and scrambles away but Zippy attacks its legs and breaks it's ankle.

Norman tries to tell the clipboard chimp that the trial should be over as the giant ape isn't fighting but the clipboard ape tell him he must slay it. Norman even attempts to threaten the ape but fails. Dariun tells the clipboard ape to get the apes in the crowd to calm down so Felix (aka Norman) can finish his work. The clipboard ape claps his hands and instructs the apes to get back to their spots which they do. The team plans to get the giant ape to play dead so they can pass the test. Zippy converses with the giant ape and finds out his name is Mongo Stephanis. Zippy tells him about the school he went to called Westborrough School of Young Learning Bunnies which turns out Mongo's school, called West Chimp High, played them in football. They bond on this connection they share.

After they have the heart to heart, Zippy is able to convince Mongo to pretend he is dead so that the team can get through the challenge. Mongo huddles up with all of team 8, noting Norman and Dariun are unable to understand the ape, Zippy can translate what is said. The plan is for the team to fake stab Mongo putting the great sword under his armpit and Norman, as Felix, would go and kick mongo dealing the final blow to pass the test.

Dariun lifts the sword with great might, and hoists it over his shoulder. Norman goes over and helps balance the sword and asks for Blackjack and Yogurt to help. Zippy, unable to reach the sword to help, cheers them on. Dariun and the group go to attack the ape and they swing it to Mongo. He is able to grab it and put it under his armpit. Norman kicks his chest making him fall over and uses prestidigitation to make fake blood on his chest and the sword. Mongo acts in pain, not without acting critiques from Norman and Dariun, and Norman kicks Mongo in the foot softly and he fake dies. The clipboard ape deems them to have passed the test and they are able to move on.

While talking to him, the clipboard ape reveals his name is Elmer and the masters name is Paul. Norman and Dariun go over to the dead tree Ent and see a faint green glow deep within. They make their way into the tree Ent's body to find what is causing the green glow within it. Meanwhile, Zippy is making small talk with Elmer and asks if he knows much about Felix. As Elmer talks, he is able to see the clipboard and sees what's to come which is an emotional past puzzle and the secret answer is "you're not strong enough to follow me anymore. We need to part ways. I can't have you holding me back".

Zippy tells Elmer about a pill he takes every day and how much good it does for him and how it could do good for Elmer too. He is convinced so Zippy pulls out a large pack and gives one to Elmer to trial. Zippy gets Elmer to do a little puzzle which goes well and the whole crowd of apes cheers and Zippy offers pills to the apes. He hands out prepared papers for them to sign. Dariun and Norman are climbing under the Ent and find rotted bark and ash and they see in it's chest area is a glowing, green seed suspended in the chest which is where the green glow is from. Dariun, with his Fey Wild history, knows that this is a tinder soul. He carves it out and takes it. Norman and Dariun come out and see the long line of apes as Zippy is collecting the 150 illegibly signed papers and giving out a free sample to all the apes. Elmer leads them through to the next room.

They walk through the hallway and Dariun apologizes to Zippy for teleporting him, unsure of how it happened. Norman, curious, asks why Dariun had left the Fey wild but Dariun is not yet ready to tell him about this aspect of his life. As they talk. Blackjack and Yogurt come back with some more flyers for Zippy. Yogurt bumps into Dariun but doesn’t get teleported. Dariun, now curious, slaps Norman on the shoulder and he teleports away. Dariun explains his Fey Step ability to hop in between planes and he had seen other Fey beings being able to alter their Fey Step to teleport others.

They get to a rectangular room and see a large door with a large symbol of Salem on it. They see along the sides of the room are chimps holding up childlike drawings of what are presumed to be Paul and Felix on the seesaw, dancing and the last few of Paul along. Elmer announces this is the final trial and Felix would need to recall the words said to master that hurt him. Norman tries to convinces Elmer that it was Paul who hurt Felix but Elmer needs the words to pass the test.

Zippy chimes in and offers to help Norman if he takes a pill, which he declines to but Zippy still helps him by telling him he phrase he read on Elmer's clipboard. They pass the test and the monkeys holding the drawings open the large doors and see a vast hallway with various engravings on the walls. In front of them are two pathways at the end of the hall and Elmer guides them left. Norman looks down the right and sees a chimp with green eyes guarding a small door. He uses thaumaturgy to open and see an old man with suit, round spectacles and a grey moustache tied up with rope. The chimp hurries to close the door. Norman's curiosity is peaked however he is indecisive. Norman thinks to flip a coin but Zippy rallies him up and Norman trusts his gut and goes down the right hallway. Elmer grabs his arm to bring him back but Norman shoves him off and uses thaumaturgy to open the door again. Dariun jumps in between of Elmer and Norman and plants him down on the ground. Meanwhile, Norman draws his rapier and stabs it through the chimps back and it falls to the floor. Zippy is torn as he watched his new companions fighting his new clients and just sits back with Blackjack and Yogurt.

Norman kills the guard and walks into a broom closet like room with the old man gagged and tied to a chair. Norman ungags him and he introduces himself as Gilbert Bernstein. The old man identifies them as Greeders, confirmed by Zippy showing off his cloak stolen from Hotbox. He tells them that Paul not only poisoned the king but also his granddaughter. Gilbert asks for the team to help him save his granddaughter and in exchange, Gilbert can help them information as to where to find another grand treasure. After discussing the options with the group, Norman gags Gilbert again and leaves. They plan to find Paul and come back afterwards.

They follow Elmer's original instruction and head down the left hallway and get to another door with the symbol of Salem on it. The doors open to two winding stair cases leading up to a circular platform. The room is green and vibrant with monkeys hanging on vines. They see the back of a man with a red cape and hear him speak in a hill-billy accent. When Paul turns around, they see he wears overalls, a red cap and an amulet with symbol of a boar with a lions tail glowing green.

He sees the group and is very confused and frustrated and asks who they are. Zippy confidently says they are from the Greeder's Guild and they are here to take him down. Dariun blatantly tell Paul that Felix isn't there and his puzzles were not good. He asks for the antidote and the they will leave. Paul doesn't agree and commands the chimps to kill the gang.

Dariun pulls out his switch blade, twists a dial in the hilt and the sword glows. He pulls the trigger, the dial spins, steam shoots out the handle and his switch sword becomes a buster sword. Dariun slams it into the front row of chimps and cleaves through 3 chimps in half. Zippy, seeing Dariun has things under control so he uses jump to get close to Paul. He dips the straw hat and intimidatingly threatens Paul. As his voice unintentionally morphs into a Hill-Billy accent, Zippy pulls out his quarter staff hitting Paul's ankle but it doesn’t seem to faze him much. Paul pulls out a dagger aiming to stab zippy but he falls forwards and off the ledge.

The hordes of chimps attack Norman and Dariun, hitting them both pretty hard. Norman, not looking so good, uses mage hand to grab the amulet to pull it from Paul and it breaks off his neck but Paul grabs it in the air. Norman, realizing he's not in good way, runs but gets hit which knocks him unconscious. Dariun casts Zephyr Strike on himself and uses his buster sword on the enemies close to Norman. He cleaves through 10 chimps in one blow. Zippy watching from the higher platform, uses cure wounds on himself and dangles his legs over the edge. Blackjack and Yogurt go to Norman to try to stabilize him. The remaining 7 monkeys go to attack Dariun and they get a hit on him. Paul is frustrated and the cape he wore comes off, revealing a large blue rose tattoo on his back. He slams to amulet on the ground causing the amulet to glow a brighter green.

Dariun runs to Norman and uses a cure wounds stabilizing him and bringing him back to consciousness. To avoid overheating, Dariun releases the buster to its normal state. He then sprints to Paul and attempts to steal the amulet but Paul is able to keep a hold him off. Zippy jumps down onto Paul's shoulders and covers his eyes. Paul tries to wrestle him off but he can't get Zippy off. Paul attempts to slam the amulet into the ground and it glows brighter as the monkeys eyes start to flicker and the energy looks unstable.

Some chimps see them attacking Paul and attack Zippy. Norman casts vicious mockery on Paul and he starts to laugh hysterically resulting the amulet to fall out of his hand. Dariun picks up the amulet, feeling the instability of the magical energy. Dariun holds it the chimps and yells for them to stop attacking and the chimps stop in their tracks. Dariun can tell this amulet going to magically explode so decides to throw it at a wall and it explodes with bright green energy.

The team all turn and cover their eyes and they feel intense magic as a green wave passes over them. Paul's laughter changes to screams and his eyes glow green and he lays frozen. Paul and the chimps stare blankly and all their eyes start to melt away before they fall to the floor dead. Zippy calls out in distress about his clients which are all now dead.

Norman searches Paul's body and finds a small vial of clear liquid, presumably the antidote. He also finds a ring with two circles engraved side by side and can tell these are rings of communication that can communicate to one other ring in the world. He can gather from Paul that this communication, when attuned, will possibly to allow him to communicate with Felix. The team are now left with the choice of saving the king, or Gilbert's granddaughter.

Quotations

 * Zippy (to Dariun) "Well well well, looks like someone find their little strength within"
 * Dariun "What on Arch Fey's green planet have you done?!"
 * Zippy (to Norman) "If you're to be leader of a country one day you need to make the right decision here!"
 * Zippy "In the Bramble Patch there's millions of granddaughters! What make his so special?!"
 * Norman D "You can trust on the word of Norman D"
 * Zippy "Zippy Westborrough here and I'm from the Bramble Patch and I'm here to kill you"

Main Cast

 * Norman D
 * Dairun Branch
 * Zippy Westborrough

Returning Characters

 * Blackjack
 * Yogurt
 * Clipboard chimp/Bowtie/Elmer

New Characters

 * Greg
 * Mongo Stephanis
 * Paul/Master
 * Gilbert Bernstein

Locations

 * Coliseum