Riptide Episode 73 - Oath of Vengeance
- Chip and Felipe hang out. Felipe thinks The Millennium Chipper is the better name for the party’s ship than The Albatross. They walk up to the Memoraze and the clerk tells them that if they beat the maze they can talk to anyone, alive or dead. Felipe wants to talk to Ashley Tisdale and is shocked when Chip says he’s never seen high school musical.
- Gillion sees that Pretzel is gone from his tank and is immediately distraught. He tries to attack the mirror and it shatters, making the mood of the carnival go down. He laments that he fell for the candy-coated traps of the carnival, and vows to find who took her and take them apart. The glittering mist around him turns black. He puts on the dreadhelm.
Gillion: “I made an oath in the undersea to protect the creatures of it and to protect that world. But I didn’t protect a creature of it; my friend, my pet, Pretzel. And this Jay, isn’t my world. The plan is to turn my moisture to malice. My restraint into retribution. And by destiny into vengeance. And I will get my vengeance.”
- He is now an Oath of Vengeance Paladin. Gillion sees the mime and makes a mimed baseball bat to threaten him with it. A couple carnival hands come up asking them not to do violence, and lead them to Lost Items after hearing about the lost frogtopus. Jay pulls out a mimed gun and one carnival hand pisses his pants.
- The first test in the Memoraze is making rhymes. Chip spits fire and they are allowed through. Chip aces the maze, dodging all the traps and tricks expertly. He admits to Felipe that he’s a bit nervous to talk to who he wants to talk to. The next test asks them to show their strength, so they flex and arm wrestle. Chip accidentally pops Felipe’s arm from his socket.
- Gillion and Jay arrive at lost items, seeing a blue furred cat with butterfly wings playing with children. Gillion tells him that a child took his frogtopus, and the blue furred cat admits he had his cub stolen as well. The blue furred cat has a duty to protect these kids and can’t go find his cub. He says that the party should find Kas, but he is in his tent and can’t be seen before the Extravaganza. He tells them his cubs name (Star), and that it was taken by a girl in a pig mask.
- Gillion disappears in a black mist. The blue furred cat reaches out to Jay.
Dirlagraun: “Please find Star. I cannot forgive myself. If they ask, my name is Dirlagraun.”
Jay: “We won’t rest until we find Star, and Pretzel.”
- He says many of those who are supposedly protected by the carnival have had things stolen from them. Gil returns and asks why nothing has been done about this. Dirlagraun says that someone named Bingo who guards the staff area might know more.
- Chip and Felipe walk into a room with a giant bird who asks them to guess how many feathers it has.
Chip: “You want me to guess how many feathers you have? I mean, look, I’ll be completely honest. I’ve got a really important person to talk to, and I can’t really do that without your help right now. I don’t normally ask sincerely, but… I could use some help.”
- The bird starts crying and says it has 354 feathers, letting him go forward. Chip walks into a room with a clear lollipop.
- Jay and Gil walk into the staff area of the big top tent. They corner a pixie and a weasel, shouting at them to tell them where Pretzel is. The pixie starts crying out of fear. Gillion asks what the weasel is and the pixie says it’s name is Peanut Butter, which makes Gil turn from aggressive to incredibly upset because it reminds him of Pretzel. He explains that he’s looking for his stolen frogtopus.
- The pixie explains that Kas won’t come out until after the Big Extravaganza. In one hour there’s a big performance, and after, Kas asks the crowd if they want to perform. If the party does a performance and does well, they’ll get his attention. Gillion disappears in a puff of smoke and Jay follows him. They decide to go find the best parts of the carnival to bring into their show.
- Chip steps up to the lollipop and thinks of the person he wants to speak with. The surface shows Edyn Tidestrider talking to a shadowed figure wearing a navy uniform. He gathers that the figure is feminine and very old. He starts talking to Edyn and she freezes up. The person whispers in her ear, and she turns and walks away. Without Edyn’s mouth moving, Chip hears:
Edyn: “Who is this and why are you in my head?”
- Chip says that it’s him, and that he wants to talk about a message he sent that he thought didn’t represent him. Edyn remembers him as Gillion’s friend. He says that he can see her and that she was talking to someone, asking who they were. She says she doesn’t know what he saw, but whatever it was, he can’t tell Gillion.
Edyn: “I don’t have time to explain right now. Chip you have to promise me-”
Chip: “Edyn, that was Navy.”
Edyn: “Yes, that is what it looks like, but it is not- there is more to it, I do not have time. And I can’t be seen looking this worried.”
- Edyn says that she did get his message. She asks him again to promise not to tell anyone, and Chip responds that he already promised Gillion not to lie to him. He tries to ask why she was talking to a Navy soldier, but the mirror’s reflection fades away. He leaves the memoraze and runs into Jay and Gillion.
- Chip lies and says he talked to Ashley Tisdale. Gillion tells Chip and Felipe that Pretzel was stolen and that they have to do an improv show to get her back. Chip takes Jay aside to “get some props” and asks her if this is the best way to help Gillion.
Jay: “Who would I be if I didn’t enable him in his time of need?”
Chip: “I dunno, like a good friend?”
- Chip tells her what happened with Edyn. He rambles about how he needed to show that the message he sent in episode 71 wasn’t representative of his character and Jay calls him a dweeb. Jay thinks the Navy soldier Edyn was talking to might be her aunt: Fay Ferin. She says that if they were going to tell Gillion, now isn’t the time.
Chip: “What do I tell Gil? I just lied to him, I told him I wouldn’t lie to him.”
Jay: “Little white lies are sometimes okay.”
Chip: “Okay, but if he figures out- You said that. And you don’t white lie about white lying. And you’ll own that. And you’ll say that that was okay.”
- They pinky promise on this, though Jay tries to cross her fingers several times. Gillion thinks he’s eating a live gummybear man, but it’s not alive. He pinky promises with Felipe because everyone else is doing it, to throw down their lives for each other in their time of need.
- Felipe learns that they need pixie names to enter the Pixie Kingdom, one of the carnival attractions. Gillion’s pixie name is Springkill You. Chip’s is Chip n Dip. Jay’s is Jorts. Felipe’s is Doritos Locos Tacos. They all become tiny pixies.
- They steal a flying pug named Winx and a pixie for their improv show. They all split up to find more props for it. Gillion goes back to the pixie kingdom and tells them the same thing, and they turn him big again without holding a grudge. He heads to the Bubblepop Teapot and gets a bundle of leaves from a grumbling goblin. He enters the teapot and gets enveloped in a bubble that floats above the carnival. When he’s finally alone with his thoughts, he starts crying.
- Jay goes to Lost Items and persuades Dirlagraun to give her a small keg that dispenses infinite apple juice. It’s giant to her, so she struggles to push it all the way back to the big top. Chip goes to pixie kingdom and gets turned normal, then goes to a tent called Deal or No Deal. A mysterious man guesses his name correctly, then offers him a Deck of Many Things, for a price. He shakes his hand, and the man says that that was the price. Chip takes the cards.
- He then goes to the Hall of Illusions and hears a voice from inside, telling him he can come in. Inside he sees a man wearing distinguished showman attire. He reveals his name is Kas. Chip accuses him of taking Gillion’s frogtopus.
Kas: “You know, my carnival is quite sad. And I gather it’s because of your friend. And you.”
- Kas assures him he hasn’t taken Pretzel, and Chip rolls insight to see that he’s genuinely concerned and kind. He offers them to meet him after the Big Extravaganza. Chip asks him who gave them free tickets, and he says he might have an inkling, then walks away.