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INT. BASEMENT OF THE ROYAL LIBRARY, DIAMOND CITY, COOLTOPIA
JAZZ (a winged air pet) and JOEY (Jazz’s small pocket companion) are pacing, worried.
JILL (a female blue cat. Wearing heart glasses and a hat) casually walks down a set of spiralling stairs.
JILL: Hey, Jazz. I sent a little water pet this way hours ago but never came back up. What’s he up to?
Jazz and Joey rush towards her. They are in distress.
JAZZ: Redacted! Redacted, redacted. Redacted redacted redacted redacted. Redacted?
JILL: Okay, that’s probably not a good sign. Now, where are those cards?
Jazz walks towards one of the bookcases and pulls out two cards. One says ‘yes’, and one says ‘no’. She hands them to Jill.
JILL: Alright! Let’s begin. Is the water pet still in the library?
Jazz looks in the direction of the ‘no’ card.
JILL: Cool, then I probably just missed him when he walked out.
Jill seems satisfied and begins to leave. Jazz waves her wings, and Joey claps. They are desperate for Jill to stay.
JILL: I don’t even know what to ask next. You can tell me so little.
Joey tugs on Jazz’s feathers and looks at the nearby desk, specifically at a small glass bottle containing a little green ball of slime.
Jill approaches the desk to investigate. She reaches to open the jar, and Jazz intervenes, shaking her head. ‘No’.
JILL: Why? What is this stuff?
JAZZ: Redacted. Redacted. Redacted. Redacted.
Jill starts to get frustrated.
Joey reaches out and pats Jill’s paw, then points at the cards.
JILL: Right, right, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions only. Okay, is the water pet connected to the green stuff?
Jazz looks ‘yes’. Jill looks horrified.
JILL (pointing to the jar): Is…is this what’s left of him?
Jazz looks ‘no’.
JILL (relieved): So he’s alive?
Jazz looks ‘yes’.
JILL: Is he in danger?
Jazz looks ‘yes’.
Jill lets out a curse word, but it is censored by pixelation and a beep.
JAZZ: Exactly.
JILL (looking around): Are we in danger?
Jazz shrugs.
JILL: What should we do?
Jazz points to the cards.
JILL: Come on, Jazz, there has to be an easier way. This is going to take ages like this.
Jazz looks at the ‘yes’ card and then stares at a book on the bookshelf. It has three scratches (FRACTURE SYMBOL) on its spine and cover but no title.
JILL (pointing to the book): This?
Jazz looks ‘yes’. She opens the large volume, which contains many pictures and symbols.
JILL: You want me to read this whole thing?
Jazz looks ‘yes’.
JILL: This is gonna take a while. Does the water pet have that kind of time? Do we have that kind of time?
Jazz shrugs.
JAZZ: Guess you better read fast.
ZOOM OUT AND FADE TO THE FRACTURE SYMBOL
FADE THROUGH FRACTURE
EXT. IN SOME WOODS JUST OUTSIDE OF A JADE TOWN - DAY
The FRACTURE SYMBOL appears, hovering in a small clearing in the trees. It turns into a hole that grows wider until it’s wide enough to dump SLIMEBALL (an angry-looking water pet with claws) onto the ground.
By the time Slimeball’s bum hits the forest floor, the hole contracts and disappears.
Slimeball seems confused and scared and is breathing heavily. He quickly scrambles from the clearing and takes cover behind a tree. He is paranoid, looking around for something. But there is nothing else in the woods, only trees, only Slimeball. Slowly, he settles, gets up, dusts himself off and walks back into the clearing.
SLIMEBALL (to no one): I don’t think I am in Diamond City any more. Why does this shit keep happening to me?
He begins looking for the portal, but there is nothing to see. No single piece of evidence was left behind to give clues as to how he got there.
Slimeball’s stomach grumbles something fierce, and he doubles over in pain. He searches the immediate area for any source of energy. But the forest is barren, with no berry, mushroom or acorn in sight.
SLIMEBALL: Get it together, Slimeball. This is no time for sleeping!
That’s when Slimeball smells it, the delicious smell of baked goods. He follows his nose to the small town. It does not take him long to sniff out the bakery, and he enters the shop to find a cat with a cupcake on its head behind the counter (BAKER).
BAKER: Hello there. Hey, where’s your cat? All pets in this town MUST be with a cat!
SLIMEBALL: But…but I’ve never had a cat.
His stomach grumbles.
BAKER: You never had a cat?! Then where did you come from?!
SLIMEBALL: Redacted, redacted, redacted. (Slimeball points out the window towards the forest) redacted redacted.
BAKER: I think you should go. You are starting to creep me out.
SLIMEBALL(pleading): But I am so hungry.
BAKER: Then buy something.
SLIMEBALL: I’m sorry, but I don’t have any $MILK. Please? I am good with my claws. I could cook or clean. I’m desperate. Come on, cat, one cookie, please?
BAKER: This isn’t a charity. I gotta earn a living. Hey now! Maybe YOU’RE the one who’s been stealing all my cookies.
Before Slimeball can protest, the shop door opens slightly, and a dark shadowy figure slips inside. Slimeball watches in horror as the dark wolf (MAULLY) glides effortlessly behind the bakery counter. He is terrified of the creature, but what is even stranger is the fact that the baker does not notice the monster. She only sees the fear on Slimeball’s face.
BAKER (growing annoyed): What?! What is it now?!
SLIMEBALL: THERE, RIGHT THERE! RIGHT NEXT TO YOU! IT’S A….. A…..WOLF!!!!
But the baker only hears “redacted, REDACTED!”. She looks around her perfectly normal shop and then at this hysterical and incoherent pet.
BAKER: Yup, you need to leave.
The baker may have been oblivious, but Slimeball’s exclamation draws the attention of the wolf, and now two yellow piercing eyes stare straight at him before rushing out the door.
The baker comes from around her counter and starts shooing Slimeball towards the exit.
BAKER: Time to move on.
He is resisting. He does not want to go outside with that thing, but the cupcake cat is persistent and growing more anxious about Slimeball every second. She finally manages to eject the water pet and quickly locks the bakery door behind him.
BAKER (through the window): And don’t come back!
Slimeball stands perfectly still, his back towards the street. Quietly he reassures himself.
SLIMEBALL: I am sure the wolf is long gone now. Everything’s gonna be fine. I’m gonna be fine.
His stomach grumbles.
MAULLY: Hi.
Slimeball lets out a little scream and then slowly turns. There in the street is Mually, waiting for him. She is horrifying, with eyes devoid of any soul. She adorns herself with a hat sharpened to a deadly point.
Slimeball, still in pain from his hunger, is rapidly losing his remaining energy, but he still manages to stand up straight and raise his claws in defence as he prepares to fight for his life.
SLIMEBALL: Alright then, Wolfie, let’s get this over with.
MAULLY: You, you can see me?
SLIMEBALL: Of course, I can see you!
MAULLY: Interesting.
She takes a step towards him, which spooks the little guy, and he takes off, running back towards the woods. Maully is faster and ahead of him in seconds, blocking his path.
Slimeball’s stomach grumbles again, and he falls to his knees.
MAULLY: Eeew, Are you okay? Do you want a cookie?
Maully pulls one of the baker’s cookies from her pocket and offers it to Slimeball. He grabs it with desperation and immediately consumes it. Maully pulls out a cupcake and hands it to him.
MAULLY: Here, have this one too. Better? You must have come through a fracture. Tell me which one.
SLIMEBALL (mouthful): Fracture, yeah, that’s what the wolves in the library called it too. Where am I?
MAULLY: HA! You hijacked 14’s frac!! Oh man, I can’t wait to tease him about this screw-up!
SLIMEBALL (unamused): Those wolves were gonna eat me. They took pleasure in imagining how I would die.
MAULLY: Oh, don’t worry about that. That’s just 14 and Ghostie. They are all talk, but ya, they definitely would have eaten you.
SLIMEBALL: (gulp) Are you going to eat me?
MAULLY: No, I don’t think so. I mean, I get hungry just like you, but unlike you and my idiot friends, I know how to stay well-fed. Besides, I have this weird feeling you are going to be useful.
Maully pulls two cookies from under her hat and hands one to Slimeball.
SLIMEBALL: These are from the bakery.
They look back at the shop and see the baker still watching Slimeball through her window.
MAULLY: Come on, let’s get out of here. Before she gets ideas.
(The pair walking back into the forest.)
SLIMEBALL: Why can’t the baker see you?
MAULLY: No cats or pets can see wolves unless they have travelled through a fracture. And only folks who have travelled by fracture will be able to understand you when you try to talk about any of this.
SLIMEBALL (under his breath): Explains the librarian.
MAULLY: What was that?
SLIMEBALL: Oh, nothing, just a few things are starting to make sense, kinda. Wait a minute, how could I see the wolves in the library? I had never travelled through one of those… those fractures before.
MAULLY: Good question! I guess you’re smarter than you look.
SLIMEBALL: Thanks. I get told that a lot, actually.
MAULLY: You could see 14 and Ghostie cause the Library is protected by countermagic.
SLIMEBALL: Countermagic?
MAULLY: Have you even read ANY of the books in the library?
SLIMEBALL: Well, no. I was barely in the building 15 minutes before I found myself here.
MAULLY: The Royal Library is one of the most magical places in the world and one of the few locations where The Veil is thin.
SLIMEBALL: The Veil.
MAULLY: Too complicated. Alright, I’m sending you back. You can do your own research. This is where you landed, right?
Slimeball recognized the spot. Maully had led Slimeball back to the clearing in the woods.
SLIMEBALL: What do you mean you are sending me back?
Maully raises her claws, and Slimeball cowers.
MAULLY: Easy, Friend. I just want to show you my nails.
Maully’s nails glow and shimmer. They are beautiful!
MAULLY: This is how we wolves can open the fractures. One thing, though, be sure to send something back once you are in the library. Can be anything, just needs to be something. Gotta close it. Are you ready?
SLIMEBALL: Wait, one last question; why are you helping me?
MAULLY: I told you. I just have this feeling you are going to be useful.
Abruptly, and to Maully’s surprise, a fracture begins to open in front of them.
SLIMEBALL: Are you doing this?
MAULLY: No! It’s not me! It’s opening from the other side. Quick, Hide!
Slimeball dives into the nearby bushes and listens closely. From his view, he can see Maully bend down to pick something up.
MAULLY: What the…? Holy mother of gods!
JILL (off-screen): Well, this is definitely not good.
Slimeball recognizes the voice and reveals himself. There, in the clearing, on the other side of the fracture, are Jill, Jazz and Joey, standing in the Royal Library. Jazz’s arms are stretched as if holding open the doors on a train. Jill is holding an empty jar.
Jill: Hey! You’re okay!
With little thought, Slimeball quickly dives through the fracture and into the arms of the Library Gang. The fracture immediately closes behind him.
They all hug each other in success.
But their victory is short-lived as the fracture begins to open again. Maully walks through and tosses a pebble, closing it behind her.
MAULLY (to Slimeball): I take it back. You aren’t as smart as you look. I literally just told you I can open fractures whenever I want.
The Library Gang huddles together, shaking in fear of Maully.
MAULLY: Come on now, it’s starting to get offensive. IM NOT GOING TO BEEP’ING EAT YOU!!!!!
Her shouting only frightens them more.
MAULLY: Okay, okay. My apologies, you are rightfully frightened, but I am not what you should be afraid of. Let me try again. Hi, my name is Maully. I’m a shadow wolf and baked goods aficionado. I like teasing my friends, and war is coming to Cooltopia, so you need to tell me right now what the hell THIS is and how the hell did you hack that frac.
Maully holds up a little ball of slime.
The gang says nothing.
Slimeball contemplates before speaking.
SLIMEBALL: First of all, my name’s Slimeball, and THAT belongs to me.
He takes the ball of slime from Maully’s paw and consumes it.
SLIMEBALL: Let’s start at the beginning. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the slime.
To learn more about the slime and reads other Slimeball stories, please visit jlmaxcy.mirror.xyz
WHILE MAULLY AND SLIMEBALL WERE AT THE BAKERY
EXT. IN SOME WOODS JUST OUTSIDE OF A JADE TOWN- DAY
A fracture opens in the clearing. Ghostie and 14 walk through. Ghostie takes a hanky from under his armour and wipes off a small ball of slime from his shoulder in disgust.
He throws the hanky through the fracture like it’s a rubbish bin. Before the portal closes completely, we see Jazz in the library, inspecting Ghosties’s hanky.
GHOSTIE: Well, that was an absolute failure, and I am still hungry! Do you want to go to the bakery?
14: Nah, I’m not really hungry.
Ghostie freezes in place, shocked by his friend’s response.
GHOSTIE: What did you say, bro? Who are you, and what have you done with 14? You are ALWAYS hungry, man. ALWAYS.
14: Yeah, I am a little surprised myself. Haha. It’s just that green stuff was… filling.
GHOSTIE: Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should go see The Elder. It sounds like you might be dying.
14: Haha. Very funny. I’m not dying. I feel great! Excellent even. Wait a minute, you’re right. That IS weird. Maybe we should go see The Elder.
GHOSTIE: Can’t hurt. She’s gonna want to know what we added to the Pet Library anyways.
Credits:
Story and voices by @jlmaxcy
Illustrations by @yapster__ and @jascolors
Assets owners:
Jazz and Joey -@jascolors
Jill, Slimeball, Maully -@jlmaxcy
The Baker- @RisBrian
14- @LucaCapo_96
Ghostie- @itsteddybish
To learn more about the world of Cooltopia visit