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"thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "165", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "99" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "35485", "name": "Don and the Puzzle Box", "description": "Donatello sets out to do April a small favor and winds up in another dimension. Is the strange Turtle he meets the worst thing that's ever happened to him, or something else?\n\nMulti-chapter 2k3", "count": "28", "submission_left_submission_id": "1039919", "submission_left_file_name": "1433651_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_1.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1433/1433651_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1433/1433651_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1433/1433651_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "152", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "123", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "152", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "123", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "97", "submission_right_submission_id": "1041141", "submission_right_file_name": "1435570_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_3.doc", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/1435/1435570_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_3.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/1435/1435570_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_3.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/1435/1435570_hummerhouse_don_and_the_puzzle_box_part_3.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "152", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "123", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "152", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "123", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "97" } ], "description": "Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.\nWord Count: 100K+ multi-chapter 2k3\nSummary: Donatello sets out to do April a small favor and winds up in another dimension.\nRating will vary by chapter, from G to NC-17\n\n~~The amazing preview image created by @dragona15", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.
Word Count: 100K+ multi-chapter 2k3
Summary: Donatello sets out to do April a small favor and winds up in another dimension.
Rating will vary by chapter, from G to NC-17

~~The amazing preview image created by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdragona15\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdragona15\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
", "writing": "\t“Who are you?” Don asked, sitting partway up and then immediately regretting the sudden move as his head started to spin.\n\n\t“Who are [i]you[/i]?” the other countered. “I was waiting for my brother to glide out of the dimensional opening and instead you fell through.”\n\n\t“Yes I did,” Don said ruefully. “It didn’t feel any better than the first two times it happened. My name is Donatello.”\n\n\t“If you had any sense at all, you wouldn’t travel through the artifact without a ‘chute or glider strapped to your back,” the other turtle said. “My name is Niccolo, but those who know me call me Nicco.”\n\n\tDon pulled his feet up as he prepared to stand and Nicco offered him a hand. They both got up together and Don noted that Nicco was built just like Raphael, except his skin was a shade lighter. His eyes however were closer to Leo’s amber color than Raph’s golden hue.\n\n\t“You can call me Don. You were expecting your brother?” Don asked.\n\n\t“Yeah,” Nicco said slowly. “He’s the smart one, I’m the adventurer. He developed a set of calculations that help us find different parallel universes and then we dial them up and start traveling. Isn’t that what you’re doing?”\n\n\t“No,” Don said flatly. “I’m here purely by accident because I didn’t have the common sense not to touch that artifact again. I didn’t dial anything though; it turned by itself and grabbed me before I could get away.”\n\n\t“Well crap,” Nicco said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re here, Mase isn’t. My brother, Masolino. What the hell happened?”\n\n\t“If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say your artifact activated mine,” Don said thoughtfully. “It’s possible that since you’d already traveled through yours, the energy signature in mine was stronger and it grabbed me instead of your brother. Don’t you usually travel at the same time?”\n\n\t“He remembered somethin’ at the last minute and ran out of the room,” Nicco answered. “When I saw the flash I figured it was him coming after me. Speaking of which, he should have been here by now.”\n\n\tDon looked up automatically, seeing nothing but blue sky overhead. “Maybe that dual activation shorted the artifact out,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Is your device the massive sized one or the hand held version?”\n\n\t“Fits in the palm of my hand,” Nicco said. “So you figure Mase is still at home? Just great, he’s got most of the tools.”\n\n\t“If your device is damaged, then you should be happy he didn’t come through,” Don said acerbically. “If you’re lucky he can fix it so you can go back home. I doubt if I’m going to have that same kind of luck.”\n\n\t“Aren’t you a bundle of optimism,” Nicco said with a hint of sarcasm.\n\n\t“Pardon me for being out of my element,” Don retorted. This turtle certainly had Raph’s attitude. Looking around at the jungle he hadn’t noticed before, Don added, “Way out of my element.”\n\n\t“Do you know how to use that staff you’re carrying?” Nicco asked, noticing the bo when Don turned around.\n\n\t“Yes,” Don said, noting that Nicco also carried weapons. “Are you adept with those hachiwari’s?”\n\n\t“Damn straight I am,” Nicco said, flipping them from his belt in one smooth motion. “Never go anywhere without ‘em.”\n\n\tDon got a good look at the hachiwari’s as Nicco held them. One was a dirk type with a sharp point and blade, the other a truncheon type, heavier and blunt. Having a bladed hachiwari was unusual enough, carrying two of such differing types and having the ability to use them properly was phenomenal.\n\n\tAs Nicco slipped the weapons back into his belt, Don took a deep breath, returning to his study of their location. The mud around what looked like a small lake had been dredged up by what appeared to be numerous animal tracks, some hoofed and others padded.\n\n\tSquatting, Don examined the ones that were still clear enough to show details. The sizes varied, and some of the padded prints had fair size claws on them.\n\n\t“This isn’t a good place to stand around talking,” Nicco said, noting Don’s perusal.\n\n\tStanding, Don asked, “Have you been here before?”\n\n\t“Yeah, just once briefly. We weren’t carrying the right gear, so Mase and me found the transport artifact and got out of here,” Nicco answered.\n\n\t“Then you know where the artifact is located?” Don asked excitedly.\n\n\t“Don’t get your shell in a bunch,” Nicco said. “I know where the artifact is but I don’t know where we are. The damn thing didn’t drop me in the same place as last time, probably because your signal crossed with mine and pushed me off course.”\n\n\t“Excuse me,” Don said, his voice dripping with sarcasm to match Nicco’s earlier tone. “It was not my intention to get kidnapped by your artifact and dropped into this little adventure.”\n\n\t“Treasure hunt,” Nicco said with a grin. “At least you’ve got spunk. Maybe you’ll survive.”\n\n\tDon glared at the other’s shell as Nicco strode over to where a heavy backpack lay on dry ground. Shifting the straps onto his shoulders and settling it against his carapace, Nicco started walking, following the game trail into the jungle.\n\n\tWhen he looked back to see Don hesitating, Nicco stopped and said, “Well come on. We aren’t going to find our way home if you stand around waiting to get eaten.”\n\n\tStarting after him, Don snapped back, “We aren’t going to find our way anywhere without a plan. Or were you just going to wander aimlessly until you passed out from exhaustion?”\n\n\t“You really don’t do this kind of thing very much, do you?” Nicco asked rhetorically. “If you had looked to the northwest while we were still in the clearing, you would have noticed a set of hills. We’re going to hike towards them so we can get to higher ground. Hopefully I can get our bearings from that point.”\n\n\t“Oh,” Don said, feeling slightly foolish. Nicco’s line of thinking wasn’t just logical; it sounded a whole lot like what Leonardo would do under these circumstances.\n\n\tOnce they were deeper into the trees, the sunlight faded, filtering through the overhead canopy in patches. The ground underfoot was spongy with decaying materials, and the air became hot, humid, and damp. Not the slightest breeze was felt to offer relief and the human side of Don’s mutation was definitely feeling the oppressive weight of the atmosphere.\n\n\tFrom time to time Don glanced at Nicco, growing curious as to the other turtle’s antecedents. This was obviously not the time to ask questions; Nicco was concentrated on forging a path through the jungle, using his sharpened hachiwari to clear their way when necessary. Periodically he would stop and consult his compass, indicating a change in direction with a wave of his blade.\n\n\tDon wished that he had his duffel bag, being without it made him feel a bit helpless. Having to depend on a veritable stranger for guidance was likewise unnerving. The sooner they found this dimension’s transport artifact, the better.\n\n\tAfter a few hours Don noticed that it seemed to be growing darker. Glancing up between the limbs of the trees he could see that the sky had gone from deep blue to the grayish color of impending nightfall.\n\n\tNicco had noticed it too. He had stopped to look around, going from tree to tree and seemingly contemplating the branches.\n\n\t“What are you doing?” Don asked finally.\n\n\t“Finding us a place to bed down for the night,” Nicco answered. “The ground is not an option.”\n\n\tDon pointed upwards and said, “There’s still plenty of light, we should keep going.”\n\n\t“No,” Nicco said flatly. “This jungle is not a good place to roam around in once it starts to get dark. There are things that come out at night and they are dangerous.”\n\n\t“Look, I know this is a great fun adventure for you,” Don said stubbornly, “but I want to go home. We’ve got at least an hour before full dark and should take advantage of it. Come on.”\n\n\t“Damn it,” Nicco cursed as Don started off on his own. “I’m not babysitting you!”\n\n\tDon waved a dismissive hand in his direction, tired of the other turtle’s supercilious manner. If nothing else, Don intended to show Nicco that he was not going to be pushed around.\n\n\tHe hadn’t gone more than ten steps when the ground under Don’s feet started to vibrate. Coming to a stop, he looked all around, wondering if the area was prone to earthquakes.\n\n\tThat thought quickly dissipated when Don heard the sounds of something thundering towards him. In another second, Nicco had grabbed Don’s arm and spun him around.\n\n\t“Move your ass!” Nicco yelled in his face, jerking Don’s arm and catapulting him towards a stand of older trees.\n\n\tDon could move fast when the occasion called for it, but Nicco was faster. Planting a hand squarely in the center of Don’s carapace, Nicco shoved him hard enough to practically lift Don off his feet. The sound of something coming up behind them grew louder, along with the crashing noise of underbrush being trampled.\n\n\tNicco nearly smashed Don face first into the thick trunk of a tree, grabbing the smaller turtle by the top edge of his carapace to stop him.\n\n\t“Get up there! Start climbing!” Nicco shouted next to Don’s ear.\n\n\tHeart pounding, Don leaped for the closest branch and just managed to curve his fingers over it even though it was easily ten feet above his head. Lifting his feet, he scrambled at the tree bark, trying to get some leverage even as his fingers started to slip.\n\n\tWith a frustrated growl, Nicco planted his palm firmly on Don’s ass and pushed as hard as he could.\n\n\t“Hey!” Don exclaimed indignantly, though the force of the boost sent him rocketing onto the branch.\n\n\tOne mighty leap later and Nicco was right next to him. “Go higher,” Nicco urged, grabbing a limb above his head and swinging up, leaving it up to Don whether he’d follow suit.\n\n\tHaving no clue as to what was coming towards them, Don chose to follow Nicco’s example and began climbing up into the center of the tree’s canopy. Don stopped when he saw Nicco finally settle onto a branch, one arm wrapped around the center trunk. Doing likewise, Don looked down.\n\n\tThe clearing below stood empty but within a split second it was suddenly filled with huge, grunting, dark shapes. They squeezed into every available space and stripped the foliage bare, even chewing down some of the smaller saplings.\n\n\tFrom where Don sat they looked like giant boar; their fur was thick and heavy looking and they had two long tusks which stuck up from their bottom jaw. Some of them were sniffing around the base of the tree where the two turtles sat and several lifted their heads to seemingly squeal at the pair who were so far out of their reach.\n\n\t“Mean bastards,” Nicco said just before clearing his throat and spitting on them. “They’ll eat anything and I do mean anything. One of them almost got me the last time I was here; I was lucky ‘cause he was by himself instead of with his pack. They’ve got a hell of a bite, but their back teeth are flat.”\n\n\t“For grinding plants, nuts, and seeds,” Don said absently, watching the boar decimate the area of everything they could get their mouths on.\n\n\t“Yeah,” Nicco agreed. “The front teeth are wicked sharp though. They’ll take down anything, including killing other animals and slow moving stubborn turtles.”\n\n\t“I’m still learning,” Don offered in defense.\n\n\t“Learn faster,” Nicco shot back. “Damn, I wish there weren’t so many of ‘em, that meat is pretty tasty. Mase had most of our provisions so we’re gonna have to forage for food until we can get out of here. You do eat meat don’t you?”\n\n\t“Yes,” Don said, his manner a little frosty because he was still disgruntled by the manhandling.\n\n\t“Touchy,” Nicco said with a hint of his former humor. “Pardon me for saving your life again, even if I had to grope your ass to do it.”\n\n\tDon huffed and leaned against the tree. “Thank you,” he finally murmured.\n\n\t“You don’t much like being wrong, do you?” Nicco asked with a chuckle.\n\n\tThis time Don didn’t bother to answer. So far this was turning out to be the least favorite of his three puzzle box adventures.\n\nTBC……………..\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "\t“Who are you?” Don asked, sitting partway up and then immediately regretting the sudden move as his head started to spin.

\t“Who are you?” the other countered.  “I was waiting for my brother to glide out of the dimensional opening and instead you fell through.”

\t“Yes I did,” Don said ruefully.  “It didn’t feel any better than the first two times it happened.  My name is Donatello.”

\t“If you had any sense at all, you wouldn’t travel through the artifact without a ‘chute or glider strapped to your back,” the other turtle said.  “My name is Niccolo, but those who know me call me Nicco.”

\tDon pulled his feet up as he prepared to stand and Nicco offered him a hand.  They both got up together and Don noted that Nicco was built just like Raphael, except his skin was a shade lighter.  His eyes however were closer to Leo’s amber color than Raph’s golden hue.

\t“You can call me Don.  You were expecting your brother?” Don asked.

\t“Yeah,” Nicco said slowly.  “He’s the smart one, I’m the adventurer.  He developed a set of calculations that help us find different parallel universes and then we dial them up and start traveling.  Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

\t“No,” Don said flatly.  “I’m here purely by accident because I didn’t have the common sense not to touch that artifact again.  I didn’t dial anything though; it turned by itself and grabbed me before I could get away.”

\t“Well crap,” Nicco said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “You’re here, Mase isn’t.  My brother, Masolino.  What the hell happened?”

\t“If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say your artifact activated mine,” Don said thoughtfully.  “It’s possible that since you’d already traveled through yours, the energy signature in mine was stronger and it grabbed me instead of your brother.  Don’t you usually travel at the same time?”

\t“He remembered somethin’ at the last minute and ran out of the room,” Nicco answered.  “When I saw the flash I figured it was him coming after me.  Speaking of which, he should have been here by now.”

\tDon looked up automatically, seeing nothing but blue sky overhead.  “Maybe that dual activation shorted the artifact out,” he said, narrowing his eyes.  “Is your device the massive sized one or the hand held version?”

\t“Fits in the palm of my hand,” Nicco said.  “So you figure Mase is still at home?  Just great, he’s got most of the tools.”

\t“If your device is damaged, then you should be happy he didn’t come through,” Don said acerbically.  “If you’re lucky he can fix it so you can go back home.  I doubt if I’m going to have that same kind of luck.”

\t“Aren’t you a bundle of optimism,” Nicco said with a hint of sarcasm.

\t“Pardon me for being out of my element,” Don retorted.  This turtle certainly had Raph’s attitude.  Looking around at the jungle he hadn’t noticed before, Don added, “Way out of my element.”

\t“Do you know how to use that staff you’re carrying?” Nicco asked, noticing the bo when Don turned around.

\t“Yes,” Don said, noting that Nicco also carried weapons.  “Are you adept with those hachiwari’s?”

\t“Damn straight I am,” Nicco said, flipping them from his belt in one smooth motion.  “Never go anywhere without ‘em.”

\tDon got a good look at the hachiwari’s as Nicco held them.  One was a dirk type with a sharp point and blade, the other a truncheon type, heavier and blunt.  Having a bladed hachiwari was unusual enough, carrying two of such differing types and having the ability to use them properly was phenomenal.

\tAs Nicco slipped the weapons back into his belt, Don took a deep breath, returning to his study of their location.  The mud around what looked like a small lake had been dredged up by what appeared to be numerous animal tracks, some hoofed and others padded.

\tSquatting, Don examined the ones that were still clear enough to show details.  The sizes varied, and some of the padded prints had fair size claws on them.

\t“This isn’t a good place to stand around talking,” Nicco said, noting Don’s perusal.

\tStanding, Don asked, “Have you been here before?”

\t“Yeah, just once briefly.  We weren’t carrying the right gear, so Mase and me found the transport artifact and got out of here,” Nicco answered.

\t“Then you know where the artifact is located?” Don asked excitedly.

\t“Don’t get your shell in a bunch,” Nicco said.  “I know where the artifact is but I don’t know where we are.  The damn thing didn’t drop me in the same place as last time, probably because your signal crossed with mine and pushed me off course.”

\t“Excuse me,” Don said, his voice dripping with sarcasm to match Nicco’s earlier tone.  “It was not my intention to get kidnapped by your artifact and dropped into this little adventure.”

\t“Treasure hunt,” Nicco said with a grin.  “At least you’ve got spunk.  Maybe you’ll survive.”

\tDon glared at the other’s shell as Nicco strode over to where a heavy backpack lay on dry ground.  Shifting the straps onto his shoulders and settling it against his carapace, Nicco started walking, following the game trail into the jungle.

\tWhen he looked back to see Don hesitating, Nicco stopped and said, “Well come on.  We aren’t going to find our way home if you stand around waiting to get eaten.”

\tStarting after him, Don snapped back, “We aren’t going to find our way anywhere without a plan.  Or were you just going to wander aimlessly until you passed out from exhaustion?”

\t“You really don’t do this kind of thing very much, do you?” Nicco asked rhetorically.  “If you had looked to the northwest while we were still in the clearing, you would have noticed a set of hills.  We’re going to hike towards them so we can get to higher ground.  Hopefully I can get our bearings from that point.”

\t“Oh,” Don said, feeling slightly foolish.  Nicco’s line of thinking wasn’t just logical; it sounded a whole lot like what Leonardo would do under these circumstances.

\tOnce they were deeper into the trees, the sunlight faded, filtering through the overhead canopy in patches.  The ground underfoot was spongy with decaying materials, and the air became hot, humid, and damp.  Not the slightest breeze was felt to offer relief and the human side of Don’s mutation was definitely feeling the oppressive weight of the atmosphere.

\tFrom time to time Don glanced at Nicco, growing curious as to the other turtle’s antecedents.  This was obviously not the time to ask questions; Nicco was concentrated on forging a path through the jungle, using his sharpened hachiwari to clear their way when necessary.  Periodically he would stop and consult his compass, indicating a change in direction with a wave of his blade.

\tDon wished that he had his duffel bag, being without it made him feel a bit helpless.  Having to depend on a veritable stranger for guidance was likewise unnerving.  The sooner they found this dimension’s transport artifact, the better.

\tAfter a few hours Don noticed that it seemed to be growing darker.  Glancing up between the limbs of the trees he could see that the sky had gone from deep blue to the grayish color of impending nightfall.

\tNicco had noticed it too.  He had stopped to look around, going from tree to tree and seemingly contemplating the branches.

\t“What are you doing?” Don asked finally.

\t“Finding us a place to bed down for the night,” Nicco answered.  “The ground is not an option.”

\tDon pointed upwards and said, “There’s still plenty of light, we should keep going.”

\t“No,” Nicco said flatly.  “This jungle is not a good place to roam around in once it starts to get dark.  There are things that come out at night and they are dangerous.”

\t“Look, I know this is a great fun adventure for you,” Don said stubbornly, “but I want to go home.  We’ve got at least an hour before full dark and should take advantage of it.  Come on.”

\t“Damn it,” Nicco cursed as Don started off on his own.  “I’m not babysitting you!”

\tDon waved a dismissive hand in his direction, tired of the other turtle’s supercilious manner.  If nothing else, Don intended to show Nicco that he was not going to be pushed around.

\tHe hadn’t gone more than ten steps when the ground under Don’s feet started to vibrate.  Coming to a stop, he looked all around, wondering if the area was prone to earthquakes.

\tThat thought quickly dissipated when Don heard the sounds of something thundering towards him.  In another second, Nicco had grabbed Don’s arm and spun him around.

\t“Move your ass!” Nicco yelled in his face, jerking Don’s arm and catapulting him towards a stand of older trees.

\tDon could move fast when the occasion called for it, but Nicco was faster.  Planting a hand squarely in the center of Don’s carapace, Nicco shoved him hard enough to practically lift Don off his feet.  The sound of something coming up behind them grew louder, along with the crashing noise of underbrush being trampled.

\tNicco nearly smashed Don face first into the thick trunk of a tree, grabbing the smaller turtle by the top edge of his carapace to stop him.

\t“Get up there!  Start climbing!” Nicco shouted next to Don’s ear.

\tHeart pounding, Don leaped for the closest branch and just managed to curve his fingers over it even though it was easily ten feet above his head.  Lifting his feet, he scrambled at the tree bark, trying to get some leverage even as his fingers started to slip.

\tWith a frustrated growl, Nicco planted his palm firmly on Don’s ass and pushed as hard as he could.

\t“Hey!” Don exclaimed indignantly, though the force of the boost sent him rocketing onto the branch.

\tOne mighty leap later and Nicco was right next to him.  “Go higher,” Nicco urged, grabbing a limb above his head and swinging up, leaving it up to Don whether he’d follow suit.

\tHaving no clue as to what was coming towards them, Don chose to follow Nicco’s example and began climbing up into the center of the tree’s canopy.  Don stopped when he saw Nicco finally settle onto a branch, one arm wrapped around the center trunk.  Doing likewise, Don looked down.

\tThe clearing below stood empty but within a split second it was suddenly filled with huge, grunting, dark shapes.  They squeezed into every available space and stripped the foliage bare, even chewing down some of the smaller saplings.

\tFrom where Don sat they looked like giant boar; their fur was thick and heavy looking and they had two long tusks which stuck up from their bottom jaw.  Some of them were sniffing around the base of the tree where the two turtles sat and several lifted their heads to seemingly squeal at the pair who were so far out of their reach.

\t“Mean bastards,” Nicco said just before clearing his throat and spitting on them.  “They’ll eat anything and I do mean anything.  One of them almost got me the last time I was here; I was lucky ‘cause he was by himself instead of with his pack.  They’ve got a hell of a bite, but their back teeth are flat.”

\t“For grinding plants, nuts, and seeds,” Don said absently, watching the boar decimate the area of everything they could get their mouths on.

\t“Yeah,” Nicco agreed.  “The front teeth are wicked sharp though.  They’ll take down anything, including killing other animals and slow moving stubborn turtles.”

\t“I’m still learning,” Don offered in defense.

\t“Learn faster,” Nicco shot back.  “Damn, I wish there weren’t so many of ‘em, that meat is pretty tasty.  Mase had most of our provisions so we’re gonna have to forage for food until we can get out of here.  You do eat meat don’t you?”

\t“Yes,” Don said, his manner a little frosty because he was still disgruntled by the manhandling.

\t“Touchy,” Nicco said with a hint of his former humor.  “Pardon me for saving your life again, even if I had to grope your ass to do it.”

\tDon huffed and leaned against the tree.  “Thank you,” he finally murmured.

\t“You don’t much like being wrong, do you?” Nicco asked with a chuckle.

\tThis time Don didn’t bother to answer.  So far this was turning out to be the least favorite of his three puzzle box adventures.

TBC……………..
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