The Black Dragon’s Foot drifted through a strange pocket of deep space.
No stars.
No sound.
Just a swirling fog of colors that didn’t exist until you looked at them.
“It’s like space forgot how to be space,” said Nutters, peeking nervously through a porthole.
“This is the Nebula of Never-Was,” Elara explained, her ring-powered hand glowing faintly. “A space between galaxies. Unwritten. Unmapped. But not unoccupied.”
Captain Skull Fire turned to Blip Blop, whose circuits still hummed with weird glowing energy. “Sensors picking up anything?”
Blip Blop blinked. “Yes. A signal. And… teeth.”
Suddenly, the fog snapped away like a curtain being yanked open—revealing a planet the size of Jupiter, shaped like a spinning claw. It was green, steaming, and loud with deep, echoing roars.
Welcome to Primevalon.
The Planet of Dinosaurs.
They landed near a canyon filled with lava lakes and jagged rocks the size of skyscrapers. Enormous dinosaur creatures stomped across the landscape—Triceratanks, Velociracers, and sky-filling Pteroblimps.
But none were as mighty as the ruler who emerged from the ocean that circled the world:
Mon’Tarr the Mindjaw—a towering mosasaurus, bigger than a castle, with scales that shimmered like starlight and glowing blue eyes filled with strange wisdom.
He hovered above the water without moving a single fin. Then, without a word, he teleported—vanishing in a blink—and reappeared in front of the crew with a silent thud of psychic pressure.
“Welcome… visitors,” Mon’Tarr said, without moving his mouth.
“You’re speaking directly into our brains!” whispered Nutters.
“I am the brain,” replied Mon’Tarr, “and this planet is mine.”
Captain Skull Fire stepped forward, unshaken.
“We seek knowledge,” he said. “Something ancient. Something that connects the Sprinkle Orb, the Time Truffle, and the Birthday Star.”
Mon’Tarr’s eyes narrowed.
“You seek the First Flavor.”
The crew blinked.
Zorgabella raised a tentacle. “Uh… is that a cosmic recipe?”
“No,” said Mon’Tarr. “It is the beginning of everything. Matter. Music. Magic. It was broken into seven pieces and scattered across galaxies. You’ve found three. The fourth lies buried… beneath my planet.”
Everyone tensed.
“But beware,” the mosasaurus rumbled. “To earn it, you must survive the Gauntlet of the Beasts Before Time.”
With a thought, Mon’Tarr vanished again—and the ground collapsed beneath them!
🌋 THE GAUNTLET OF THE BEASTS BEFORE TIME 🦖
The crew landed in an underground arena glowing with molten rock and vines that moved like snakes.
A voice echoed in their minds:
“Round One: Outrun the Blazetalon Raptors.”
A pack of glowing raptors with magma breath and spiked tails charged from the shadows.
“RUN!” shouted Skull Fire.
They dashed, dodged, slid, and leapt over lava pools. Nutters did a triple front flip and landed in Blip Blop’s backpack.
“Round Two: Tame the Crystal-Spined Styracospike.”
A hulking dinosaur made of glittering crystal stomped forward, bellowing like a thousand trumpets.
Elara stepped forward, raised her rings, and whispered, “Shhh…”
The creature paused. Then bowed.
“Nice,” said Jinko.
“Final Round: Face… Yourselves.”
The crew turned to see… mirror versions of themselves. Angry. Powerful. Twisted.
Blip Blop’s double fired dark lightning. Elara’s duplicate hovered with corrupted rings. Mirror Skull Fire hissed through a cracked helmet.
The battle was wild—blades clashing, magic flaring, Nutters punching himself and yelling, “Stop hitting me!”
But then Blip Blop reached out and said softly, “You’re just fear. And fear… is just a shadow.”
And the doubles dissolved into stardust.
The floor opened, and a massive glowing relic rose from the lava:
A circular compass made of light, swirling with seven symbols.
The Fourth Piece of the First Flavor.
The crew held it up.
The other relics buzzed.
And somewhere in the far dark of space… something woke up.
Mon’Tarr’s voice returned.
“You have passed. You may take the piece. And remember… the final three are guarded. By beings that make me… look small.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
In Chapter Nine: Secrets of the First Flavor,
What is the First Flavor really for?
Can the crew survive even greater powers than Mon’Tarr?
And why is the Sprinkle Orb now ticking like a clock?
Sleep well, brave dreamer. The galaxy spins on. 🌌🦖🌀