Chapter 23: "The Cave of Abandoned Catchphrases (Now Accepting Visitors)"
We approached the glowing entrance of the Cave of Abandoned Catchphrases.
The villain—who had insisted we call him Greg for now—led the way with a scone in one hand and the ferret clinging to his shoulder like a judgmental scarf.
> "This place is... echoey," I said.
> "Of course," Greg replied. "Every forgotten line wants to be remembered. So they shout."
He wasn't wrong.
As soon as we stepped inside, the walls began chanting:
> "TOAST ME IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!"
> "UNHAND MY BAGUETTE, FIEND!"
> "I'LL BANANA SLAP YOUR ANCESTORS!"
> "It's like every first draft idea we ever regretted," Petunia whispered, ducking under a swinging sentence fragment.
Scrolls floated by, scribbled with lines like:
> "It's a Tuesday somewhere!" "Power of jazz compels you!" "Fear my disco vengeance!"
Kevin stared at a wall of phrases and slowly backed away. Grubnuk tried to hug a glowing speech bubble but was slapped by an angry punctuation mark.
Deeper in the cave, a dais pulsed with magic. Upon it sat a stone tablet labeled: "Final Draft."
> "That's the source," Greg said. "It holds every catchphrase ever used, almost used, or considered mildly amusing."
> "Why does it smell like burnt toast?" Arcanos asked.
> "Because it's powered by broken ambitions and toaster settings," Greg answered solemnly.
Lyria reached for the tablet. It hissed. Then spoke:
> "YOU SHALL NOT PASS—UNLESS YOU BRING A SNACK."
We offered the remaining scone. It glowed. Accepted.
And then, in a brilliant flash, a new prophecy emerged from the air:
> "The lost voice must find its final chorus beneath the Crater of Discarded Plot Twists."
> "That... sounds exhausting," I muttered.
> "And probably explosive," Petunia added.
Greg sighed dramatically.
> "Well, looks like we're not done yet. Onward to the Crater, my narratively-challenged companions!"
Kevin honked. Clucksworth clucked. The catchphrases echoed behind us:
> "SMITE ME WITH FLAVOR!"
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End of Chapter 23 (Catchphrases reclaimed. Scone sacrificed. Plot chaos inbound.)