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// All 4 One: Terrawatt Forest 
// Story: Ratchet and Clank: Family of Heroes 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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Despite having a direct connection to Terrawatt Forest from Octonok Cay, the rail platform took it's sweet time getting to their destination, allowing Autumn, Starswirl, and Qwark to rest and relax for a time, even get some light sleep while Virtuous kept watch in case they were attacked. He claimed that it was good to have a robotic companion, as they didn't need to sleep and could keep an eye on things while everyone else got the rest they needed, which he knew Nefarious would have ridiculed at some point, just to stick it to Qwark. Autumn also kept track of everything they had discovered, checking off what had patents and what didn't, to figure out if Nevo had overstepped the boundaries or not, but for the most part he seemed to have done everything to make sure no one came looking to slap a lawsuit on him. It was quite interesting, as the vast majority of the inventors weren't this good at making sure they were on top of the various rules, with her being one of the other three for a total of five in total, but for the most part all she could figure was that he'd be tried for being used as a villain's unwilling aide.

Eventually, however, the platform reached the start of Terrawatt Forest and everyone got ready, while the warbots quickly switched to the emergency channel due to some electromagnetic interference, causing Autumn to check on the odd large clue crystalline rocks that were scattered around the area.

"Holy... these are emitting some sort of aberrant energy signature... eight hundred decatones... twelve hundred... it just keeps climbing." Autumn remarked, as this was the first time she and the others had discovered something like this, which meant this was a source of energy that was unlike anything the universe had seen, and if Croid and Nevo had found it that told her that they had either found what made the Master show up or it was a new source of energy that would change the universe, to which she wrapped her magic around one and warped it into her storage area.

"You were worried about her working on the Dimensionator... I'm more worried what she'll do with that energy, since it's new to her." Qwark said, speaking to Virtuous as they moved towards where a Vendor had landed in this place, because he didn't want Autumn or Starswirl to get upset with him, all while they took out a couple of red insects that came from Sargasso, as they had seen them before.

While the Vendor didn't have any new weapons to add to their arsenal the group quickly restocked on ammunition before discovering a new device in front of them, an Orb-o-Matic, which was designed by Croid as a child's toy to safely navigate parts of the world. What it did was surround the users in metallic spheres, hence the name, and they could use those new shells to link electricity from one post to another and access new platforms that propelled them forward, allowing them to connect with raised platforms before bouncing to another one in the set. There was also another beast for the group to face off against, a pale four legged critter with crystals on it's back, which seemed to draw power out of the ground before it tried to do battle with them, as it summoned spikes out of the ground as it's attacks. Breaking the crystals on it's back took away part of it's power and allowed them to lay into the creature, defeating it in no time so Autumn and the others could use some bounce mushrooms to move forward.

This time around the group found that they were able to make their way through Terrawatt Forest without really too much happening, besides facing more of the shard beasts and the insects from Sargasso, while also finding more places to use the Orb-o-Matic to progress. Autumn continued to take multiple readings of the areas they were passing through, finding that the unusual energy was roughly the same as she and the others made their way through whatever happened to be in front of them, where she confirmed that it came from the crystalline stones. Of course she had to pay attention to all the creatures she and the others had to fight, as the shard beasts were definitely the troublesome foes of this place, since all of the sections of Magnus seemed to have one such foe for them to face, or 'boss' in some cases. There were even some minions who tried to trap them in part of the beginning of Terrawatt Forest and destroy them, to which the group opened fire on their enemies and wiped all of them out in no time at all.

"The Steward must have tracked us down... this isn't good for us." Virtuous commented, as the discovery of minions told all of them that they had to be swift about moving through the forest, otherwise the minions would overwhelm them, as he and Qwark knew that Autumn and Starswirl were high up on the Master's long list.

"Then let us move on with all the haste we can muster!" Qwark stated, to which he tapped the Orb-o-Matic that was right in front of them and transferred himself into the sphere that surrounded him whenever he used these devices, causing the others to simply glance at each other before following his lead.

Starswirl and the others quickly linked up the two power stations and raised a platform with a launch device, which all four of them got on without delay and allowed it to launch them through a series of points, only to come to a stop near an area with a device to raise a platform, but as that happened a boss minion showed up and was crushed by a massive robot who woke up and spotted it.

"Whoa... that's a Guardian." Cronk said in awe, as the large dulled silver robot used some gravity modulator inside it's eye to lift the boss minion into the air so it's hands could crush the life out of it, breaking it in a matter of seconds, before they watched as it entered a sentry mode, scanning the area for additional enemies before it was allowed to shut down for a time, "Croid must have been expecting a serious assault to have one of those positioned near the forest entrance... stay sharp rookies, there are bound to be more of them in your path."

With the Guardian activated they had to avoid a tractor beam, otherwise the robot would drag them up like the minion it had been awakened by, before discovering a minion who climbed into a dark purple robot to do battle with everyone, who just stood there for a moment, to give him some time, only to open fire when he was ready. It took them a few moments to destroy the robot and the minion inside it, allowing the group to access a few buttons to move a dish down so it could serve as a platform that would bring them to the next portion of the forest. After that they found an area where some odd small purple flying critters rested, who seemed interested in attacking them and carrying off critters, though as they tore them down Cronk revealed that they were Razermoths. No one was surprised when the battle was over in moments, due to how prepared the group was for a battle, allowing them to move over to where another Guardian was keeping an eye out for potential dangers, forcing them to pause for a moment before making their way around the tractor beam that the robot was using.

After that the group made their way to where another purple mech was stationed, where they opened fire on it and tore the robot down before it really had a chance to hurt them, allowing the group to access an area that held another Orb-o-Matic and the devices it was attached to. Autumn noted another Guardian off to the side, making her wonder how many Croid had positioned between the start of Terrawatt Forest and wherever he happened to be hiding himself, though she also had both Cronk and Zephyr look into them, just in case they found one she could repair. There were also a few more shard beasts and the red insects from Sargasso in their way, simple enemies that the group tore through with ease, before finding yet another Guardian protecting what looked like an important structure. All they had to do was wait for the tractor beam to move out of the way before accessing the three buttons in front of them, revealing a ramp for them to use to enter the structure, which appeared to be a gate of some kind that they passed through with ease, bringing Autumn and the others to what looked like the outskirts of the Exploratorium.

"Welcome, strangers and science fans, to the Frumpus Croid Exploratorium of Scientific Wonderment!" a Tharpod said, an odd fact since they weren't expecting someone to be this far away from the rest of their kind, save for the boater they found in Octonok Cay, before he rubbed the back of his head for a moment as he realized something important, "It's... well, it's not much to look at right now, but years ago this place used to be full of wonderment... it used to be to 'What did I step in?', oh, that's just wonderment."

"Fascinating. Is Dr. Croid around by any chance?" Virtuous asked, as he figured that if they presented themselves as fans of science, which at least two of them were and might be three if he counted Starswirl, due to his magic studies, the Tharpod might answer their questions and point them in the right direction.

"He sure is... I mean, I think he is." the Tharpod replied, where he gestured out to the massive area that was beyond him, as it looked like a chuck of a meteor, radiating the same energy of the crystals, was out there, hence why Croid likely built this place and the structures that were around it, "I know he locked himself in the Hall of Paradoxology and he hasn't come out for some time... in fact, I'm beginning to think that it might be best if I start looking for another job... haven't had a paycheck in years."

When questioned about how to access the Hall, since it seemed like part of their adventure was almost over, the Tharpod told them that they would have to use a nearby tour cart, a platform, to access Rossa Fields before crossing Gorthon Crater to access the main campus, and, more importantly, to cross the latter they needed a Guardian. With that in mind the group quickly restocked their ammunition and empowered their weapons some more before accessing the platform, which moved as if it had been well maintained, likely the Tharpod's job in case visitors came to the Exploratorium. There was a brief video from Croid and Nevo, basically welcoming whoever was on the platform to a new adventure, even though the group used their weapons to wipe out a group of Razermoths so they could move on without having to pause for anything. Such a thing brought the discovery that a Class-D comet, pretty big in the grand scheme of things, struck Magnus with enough force to create everything they had seen so far, before discovering that Rossa Fields was a dark place and that they had to haul one of the special light devices around the area.

Autumn was interested in the new machines, especially since they used the power of the comet fragments to power up the main device that was dispensed for them to carefully move around this area, where everyone learned that the device also served as a power source.

"They gave us the item we need to power a Guardian... calling it now." Qwark stated, as it seemed far too convenient for the four of them to just haul this item around the fields, as a light source, and with the mention of it being a power source he had a feeling that their main problem had been solved before they had a chance to think about it.

The others nodded as they used their Vac-Us to carefully move the shard container, which actually caused the creatures that were lurking in the darkness to hide because of the intense light, while at the same time they could suck up a number of small comet fragments and launch them back at their container, to restore some of the shard's energy. In addition to that they found a number of charge stations that allowed them to instantly restore the power that was contained in their shard, especially since Razermoths tried to fly in an devour some of the energy that was coming from it. The group wiped them out with ease as they carefully navigated the unnaturally dark area that they were having to traverse, which seemed to be due to massive comet fragment, as if it was altering reality or something, which caused Autumn to jot down her notes since this was far more interesting than she originally believed it to be. One thing that supported her theory was that the planet had been twisted into dark monstrosities that ate everything that dared to come near them, which was why she and the others were using the comet shard as a light source and attacking them, but that seemed to be the only other odd thing in this area so far.

While the group moved there was one thing they agreed on, the Razermoths were an annoyance and Starswirl focused on wiping every cluster of them out with his magic, allowing everyone else to focus on moving the comet shard through the rest of the fields.

Eventually they found an area that they couldn't pull the comet shard up, but did discover a device that would move it over to the next part of the path, so Autumn made sure it went off without a problem before finding that it provided light on the stairs that rested nearby. As such they followed the light and made sure to take care of any enemies who wanted a piece of the comet shard, before discovering an Orb-o-Matic and used it without delay, powering up the devices in front of them that raised some platforms for them to jump across. After crossing that gap the group quickly found that they had caught up to the comet shard and that it was being deposited for them to haul around again, which was what Qwark and Virtuous did as Autumn and Starswirl kept an eye out for potential enemies, the Sargasso insects and Razermoths so far. When they came to a stop at the next charging station the message Croid left informed them that they had passed through the fields and now they were approaching Gorthon Crater, allowing them to recharge the comet shard before making their way across a rather short walkway.

As they approached the edge of the walkway an inactive Guardian raised up and they quickly found where to install their comet shard, sending it right into the robot's chest, though as they did that Autumn called for the warbots to send down an item they had likely procured after discovering the first one earlier, a cranial mood reshifter that allowed them to cancel out the Guardian's murder mode.

Such a thing allowed the robot to return to the more passive guide form that it was supposed to be awakened in, though it also deployed four fusion turrets on top of it for the group to use, so they moved up onto it's back and took their positions as the Guardian started to move along the predetermined path it was supposed to follow. According to what they and both of the warbots discovered Croid had set up defenses to keep the collectors away from the Hall, so Autumn, Starswirl, and their friends blasted their way through the obstacles as the Guardian continued to move along the path. It was actually fairly amusing when they noticed an army of Razermoths coming to try and take down the Guardian, due to the fact that it had power that seemed to be their favorite food, even though some of the tougher minions came to assault them, which fell as the group targeted them before they could fire at the Guardian. There were even fusion cannons, more powerful than their turrets, that tried to take down the Guardian, confirming that Croid didn't want visitors, but they tore their way through each of them, and when they reached where the power station was built they found that all of the other Guardians were eager to bring them down, as a few tried to fight them and they forced them backwards.

When the army of Guardians converged on their location their own Guardian decided to eject them and launch the group over to part of the power station, and once everyone was safe he jumped down into the fray to make sure the Guardians didn't bother them as they made their way to the Hall of Paradoxology.

As the group moved over to a Vendor that Cronk and Zephyr sent down, to arm them for the dangers ahead, Autumn found another of Croid's holo-diaries, discovering fifty years had passed and the rescue plan had failed, Nevo and the Master had Ephemeris, where the sad doctor watched as it was readied for interplanetary travel. As it brought all sorts of new creatures to to the regions of Magnus, something Croid, like the group, was confused by since they had no clues that would actually tell them anything, he claimed that he was going to Uzo City to speak with the Tharpods. After that Autumn and the others restocked their ammunition before making their way further into the power station, listening to Croid's old message for visitors as moving forward, blasting into the minions that dared to get in their way, before discovering that this was where the Steward AI had originated from. As it turned out the nearby launch platform brought them to an area where they had to link the power source up to certain devices to restore all of the power, to reset the lockdown, and while they did that it seemed like the Steward believed that they were employees of the Exploratorium.

Moving ion conduits into position was rather interesting, especially when several other items were thrown at them, either because this place was complicated or it was how Croid designed it back when he and Nevo were still friends, but due to Autumn and Virtuous being with them they were able to pass through these areas with ease. Starswirl and Qwark kept an eye out for enemies, allowing the others to focus on solving the various puzzles and pointing out where one of them had to stand to help them out, though what worried them was the overall lack of minions. Sure, there were a few that came in to attack the group, following Spog's orders no doubt, but there didn't seem to be a large amount of enemies this time, to which everyone focused on reconnecting the various power sources while using the Orb-o-Matics to either move to the next part of the structure or reconnect two power towers. Eventually they found an area where they could use one of the forward propelling devices, like how they linked the comet shard to the Guardian's chest, and this allowed them to link up part of the power, opening the way for everyone to launch themselves to the next section to continue their work, all while Cronk called the device a 'cable cannon'.

From there it was just a simple matter of studying the puzzles in front of them and attacking them as accurately as they could, all while Starswirl glanced at the crater that was around them and found that their Guardian friend was currently in the middle of facing the others, keeping him and the group safe for some time.

As such they were able to get through the power stations between them and the first cable cannon, reaching the second in no time at all and connecting it back up to the main building, something that allowed them to use another Orb-o-Matic to launch themselves further along the exterior of the power structure. More minions and Razermoths showed up to take them down, not that it mattered since Autumn and the others were more than able to take them down in no time, but the main obstacle here was simply figuring out where each component of each puzzle went. This place almost looked like it had been changed since the video and the message were set up for visitors, meaning Croid must have been hoping that all of this might slow Nevo down, even though there was a possibility that this wouldn't have done anything to stall him or his Master. Upon linking up the third cable cannon Autumn and the others watched as the Halls of Paradoxology became open for visitors, as noted by a dome opening on the mesa above where the crater rested, to they made their way over to the path that lead right to the main door of the structure.

Sure enough the Guardians seemed more interested in taking them down now, before they discovered that the door they needed to use was locked, something that caused their Guardian to open a number pad, which it shielded from them so they didn't see it, and even glanced their way once, before it input the code to let them inside, something they did while it returned to facing the other Guardians.

"Good evening, Nevo." Croid said, which appeared to be another message that played when they entered the Hall, after Autumn made sure that the door closed behind them, recorded for his friend in the off chance that he was sent here by his Master, "I recorded this message in anticipation of your pathetic assassination attempt... this lab, as you no doubt have discovered by now, is a decoy, as I have moved everything to the Phonica Moon. I know what you are planning, Nevo, and I will not let it happen!"

"He turned into an idiot after losing his companion... but, at the same time, it works for us." Autumn said, where she and the others glanced at the vehicle in front of them, a ship with three thrusters and enough room for all four of them, that she made sure of by looking inside it, "Shall we get this show on the road?"

Starswirl and the others nodded before climbing into the ship, finding that there was a spherical sitting area for them, and the moment everyone was inside Autumn activated it so they could blast off for the Phonica Moon, as it was time to find Croid and get some of the answers to their questions.