About 5 minutes later, the group in the Sky Runner had managed to get their bearings from the previous attack, and started to realize what was going on.
"Jeff...you're alive!" Siris gaped, looking at the figure before him. Jeff shook his head.
"No, just a ghost. I've been like this for a year, but I can't figure out why. Same with Paula," he finished, indicating behind him. Siris whirled around to see Paula standing behind him shyly, not wanting to make her presence too obvious at the moment.
"How did you know we were here?" Siris asked, suddenly intrigued. Shrugging slightly, Jeff adjusted his glasses.
"Well, we saw a lot of zombies crowding around the Fourside Dept. Store while we were flying to Onett, so we decided to check it out, and lo and behold, you guys were all trapped in here. Trust me, we never thought we'd be seeing you guys again, much less here. We're as surprised as you are."
"Why were you heading to Onett?" The aura-seer continued, still trying to grasp the absurdity of the situation.
"We were going to see Ness, but it looks like he found us..."
Jeff, Paula, and Siris turned to look at Ness, who was collapsed in the corner, bound and gagged. After staring for a moment, Paula looked up at Siris.
"Siris...what happened to him?" She asked, her eyes slightly misty. Sensing her pain, Siris tried to be delicate.
"We had to do it...he attacked Talus. He's been blinded with rage ever since your deaths..." He said finally, looking away from the bound boy beneath him. Paula gazed at Ness forlornly, and was about to ask another question when she felt the sky runner give a huge jolt.
"Jeff! Are you watching the controls?" She asked suddenly, her voice rising in pitch. Jeff blanched, and immediately ran over to the control panel. It only took him a few moments to assess the situation, upon doing which he went a deadly pale.
"Paula..."
"Yes Jeff?"
"This thing is out of gas!" Jeff yelled suddenly, causing every conscious person in the crowded Sky Runner to look up sharply. Just as he turned back to the controls, the Sky Runner let out a final, pained shudder, as though it were a dying animal on its last breath. With that, the Sky Runner plummeted through the air, straight towards a large hole in the Dusty Dunes Desert.
-----
"My aching head," Chartreuse said, sitting up slowly, dusting some rubble off of his shirt. "I haven't felt this rotten since the time I died..."
Looking up, Chartreuse saw that the others around him were gaining consciousness. Jeff and Paula were already up, having been previously conditioned to the infamous Sky Runner crashes.
"Where are we?" Chione asked, crawling around in search of her sword.
"It appears to be the mole cave, only I don't remember some of these tunnels being here the last time we visited..." Jeff mused to himself, scratching his head.
"Yeah, most of them are Eastbound this time," Paula added as she glanced around the cave. A few strands of shredded rope lay about the cavern, remnants of their war on the noose army of Giygas, but otherwise it was empty.
"Eastbound?" Jeff repeated suddenly, the wheels in his head turning. "That means they're headed toward Fourside!"
"Which means that we could use the tunnels to intercept the sewers underground and get back into the city unnoticed," Dan said as a slow smile crept onto his face, slowly catching onto the idea.
"Exactly! Once we're there, we can access the city from any angle! It's the perfect strategy!" Jeff cackled. "What are we waiting for?"
-----
Skulryk finished off his cup of coffee just as the charger beeped, telling him the battery was fully charged. He put his mug and coffee maker away and changed into some new clothes, then shut his suitcase. Today he would go to Fourside.
He left the makeshift hotel, giving no tip to the hotel bellboy, who had already milked him for enough of his money. Skulryk knew that he would have gotten a similar price had L'Hotel de Summers still been in business, but at least L'Hotel de Summers was renowned for it's five-star service. This was just a few extra rooms someone had let out.
As he stepped out into Toto, he was met by a policeman. "Hey, I'm sorry son!" The policeman said. "Overnight we pushed back the roadblocks even more. You're gonna have to go back there." He pointed to the far end of Toto.
Skulryk sighed. "But officer, I'm a reporter." He showed his camera case. "Doesn't that get me anything?"
The officer shook his head. "Overnight they took out the media, too. Apparently this one is really serious."
"Any reason why?" Skulryk jumped at the opportunity to maybe get another story.
Unfortunately, the policeman saw Skulryk going for his notepad and shook his head. "We can't give any comments to the media. Sorry, son."
Skulryk sighed, and was escorted to the end of Toto, beyond the docks. Summers was just a place of roadblocks now, and there was nothing to do there. Unfortunately, there was no way to get back either. Police had stopped all boats from leaving and entering Toto. All flights to Summers had been cancelled, but that didn't matter; the police blocked off all roads leading to and from Summers, and that included the road to the airport. How am I gonna get out of here? Skulryk thought.
No sooner did he think that when someone called him from the alley. "Hey, Skulryk!" he said.
Skulryk looked up to see where this was coming from. It was Lucky Tonzura, ex-member of the runaway five and currently editor of the Fourside Post. "Hey, Lucky! What are you doing here? You didn't send your reporters out to get this story?"
Lucky shook his head. "Actually, I did, but then he just disappeared. I decided to just drop by and see what's up, and I have no idea what happened to him. He was a good one too, Monotoli. Anyways, he's not here, and now I can't get out. Police have this place blocked off for miles. On top of that, there's no good story here. You got any good stuff?"
"I've got a little private information, but it comes at a cost." Skulryk said, ready to make a deal.
"Ah, maybe later. I can't bother with that now, I just need to get out of here and back to Fourside." Lucky said.
Skulryk was disappointed that he couldn't sell anything, but interested in Lucky's desire to get back to Fourside. "Hey, I need to get back to Fourside too. You have any way of getting back?
"Nah, I told you! Police roadblocked everything!"
Skulryk nodded, then thought for a moment. He smiled, then spoke to Lucky. "Hey, Lucky... I can get us back to Fourside. I'll even give you the information I have. I just need to use your truck."
Lucky pondered this for a second. "Fine. You can use my truck. You know how to drive a standard?" He asked.
Skulryk nodded. "It's been a while, but I'll pick it up again."
"But I told you, police blocked off everything! There's nowhere to go! You won't get out of Toto!"
Skulryk paid this no mind, as he headed towards where Lucky had moved his truck. He sat in the driver's seat, then opened the passenger side door for Lucky to sit in. After Lucky had taken a seat, Skulryk said "Ok, here's what I know: The firemen know that it's arson. That's why they're blocking more and more of Summers off. Now, let's get outta here."
Lucky wrote down what Skulryk had said. He still did not understand how Skulryk planned to leave Summers, however. Meanwhile, Skulryk put the clutch in, turned the key, and started the engine, revving it for good measure.
He turned to Lucky. "Hey, you might want to get out my camera and start recording. This is gonna be something you want to get on tape.
-----
"Let me get this straight..." Rustopher began to talk. "We just escaped an army of brain-eating zombies in Fourside, and now we are going back there?"
"I don't know about you or your upper-class customs, but where I'm from, we like to help people out," retorted Siris.
"He's right, ya selfish sucka! If we don't stop them as soon as we can, the problem will just get worse, foo!"
"Penetella's right. If we let those zombies take over the whole city, we'll be helpless," replied Chartreuse.
"And if you're going to complain, then you have to carry someone," added Dan.
"Since I am adequately built, I must put my gifts to use and sling this young chap over my shoulder." explained Rustopher as he picked Talus up.
Penetella was carrying Harsemhin, and Chartreuse was carrying Ness. Jeff and Paula grabbed some flashlights from the Sky Runner and floated in front of the group, leading the way.
So now Christina was in DDD. She knew that Threed was just down the road a bit, and in Threed were her parents. She spoke up. "Um... I've gotta go for a bit. My parents are in Threed and that's why I came this way anyway. I wasn't planning on getting into any fights or anything."
"Well, suit yourself. We're going back the city. Just be careful, huh?" Chartreuse looked at Christina.
"Alright." Christina shrugged. "I'll be fine. Good luck with clearing out the city." She walked away from the gaping hole and walked towards the road. When she got there, she stopped. It was a mild (for the desert) 85 degrees out, so she could stop safely to call her mother. She got on her cell phone and called her mother.
"Hello?" Christina was excited when she heard her mother's voice over the phone.
"Mom! I'm in the Dusty Dunes Desert. Where are you?"
"Actually..." Her mother seemed out of breath. "We're getting out of Threed. Your father's been called into Fourside because apparently the entire city went crazy. He could probably figure out what to do if nobody else has. Of course, he couldn't drive because there's a huge traffic jam going into the city."
"Yeah, there's been an accident up here. Well, it's funny you should mention that thing about figuring a solution out. I was just with a group of some nice people and a couple of ghost-" She stopped talking. She looked around for Poo but couldn't find him. "A couple of ghosts were with some people and they went back into the city. Apparently, they may have a plan. I left them to wait for you and dad."
"Mm. Well, we're almost at Fourside now, so you can wait alongside of the road. Bye!" The phone call was ended with a minute click.
She sat on the side of the road for a few minutes when a large group of people were seen running from Threed. She was thinking about how Poo could have been left behind in Fourside. She was beating herself up in her mind for leaving him behind. She unconsciously lifted the pendant that her father had given her and looked at it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the group passing by. The heavy stamp of the boots made her snap out of her almost meditative state of mind.
"Mom! Dad!" She ran up to them but was kind of disappointed when they wouldn't stop. They kept running towards Fourside.
Christina watched them run by, even her mother. "Wait!" She limped after them, but couldn't keep up. Perhaps they didn't see her.
When they got to the bridge, that group was attacked by possessed people. The occasional scream could be heard from the team dispatched to the city. They were being annihilated by the large possessed group. Christina arrived at the bridge not too long after the team got there. She was horrified by the amount of losses that that group had sustained. Eventually, the entire team was destroyed; every person was killed. She ran back into the desert and sat on a rock trying to regain her composure.
I can't believe that they were destroyed. I can't believe that my parents didn't see me. I just... can't... believe that... those people would KILL them like that! Christina's eyes seemed to harden a little. Her mind was made up; she would go with Chartreuse and the others to help them out. She wouldn't allow herself to stand by idly as other people were doing something about the situation in Fourside. She got up and ran, despite the pain of her injury, into the cave, looking for the group that she had momentarily abandoned.
-----
Jack floated in the water, his lifejacket supporting him despite the added weight of his firepower. The Italian suit was soaked, but at least it kept the guns dry.
Something clicked in Jack's mind. That guy was one of the faces on the pictures. I'll have to catch up with him later, maybe cause him a little havoc. With this in mind, Jack set about thinking of how to get out of this situation. Maybe he'd have to swim for an island.
Fortune smiled upon him, however. A passing boat spotted him and he was pulled aboard. "Arr, what happen'd to yer boat, matey?" asked the salty captain of the vessel.
"Tidal wave," Jack explained, not wishing to mention his job or the man with the red eyes. Or the disappearing boat. This was all very strange.
"Tidal wave, eh?" The captain shook his head. "T'aint been a tidal wave in these waters fer ten years, matey. Yer sure t'wasn't something else?"
"Sure, might've been a submarine."
"Yar, har har!" laughed the captain. "Matey, yer all right. Don't worry, I'll bet I knows yer story! Every sailor up'n down these parts knows about the Kraken! Why, when I was a lad.." the captain rambled on and on about the Kraken and ghosts and such. Jack didn't pay much attention. He was more concerned with getting to Summers. They were almost there; why, he could see the wreckage of the hotel from here. Soon he'd know what was going on.
-----
Meanwhile, the group in the caves had been walking for about 20 minutes when Matt's stomach emitted a horrible rumbling.
"Ooh, I'm so hungry," He moaned, "And I haven't eaten for 12 hours!"
Chione nodded grumpily, her hand on her hip. "I don't know how much longer we're supposed to go for without food. I could collapse any minute!"
"I'll hold you if you fall!" Siris volunteered loudly. Good thing that lousy Talus isn't here to mess this up for me, he thought to himself. Chione held up her hands defensively, backing away.
"On second thought," She sputtered, walking backwards slowly, "Maybe I can go without food for a little longer-Hey, ooph!" Chione's ankle connected with an obstruction behind her, sending her flying backwards. Siris rushed forward to save her, but they were intercepted by Chartreuse.
"Hold on, hold on. Look what she tripped over!" He said abruptly, pointing at his feet. Next to his toes was a large, white box with a red ribbon tied around it.
"A present! It might have food! We're saved!" Matt said, practically diving on the gift box. He savagely tore off the ribbon revealing the contents for all to see.
Sitting inside the box was a gigantic wicker basket, with a red and white checkered blanket poking out from several sides.
"A picnic lunch!" Matt said, causing several others to look up in glee. "Ooh, let's stop and eat, please?"
No one answered his question; they were all too busy piling on top of the basket.
Eyeing the pile with disgust, Rustopher leaned down and picked up a Jar of Delisauce from the basket.
"What is the expiration date on this rubbish?" He snapped, turning the jar around in his hand. After a moment of intense searching, he saw that the expiration date was inexplicably a ways away.
"I suppose the food is safe to eat," He grumbled, "But what about the disease! And look at that filthy boy, devouring a hamburger!" He shouted, pointing his finger out at Dan. Dan didn't bother to look up, as he was too busy applying some ketchup to his bun.
"Rustopher, just have this," Chartreuse said between bites of a Kabob. He passed a large silver cylinder to Rustopher, which he caught with surprise. Rustopher opened the lid up cautiously, freeing a delicious aroma.
"Colombian roasted coffee! My favorite!" He said, sitting down happily with the canteen.
Slowly but surely, all of the group members gathered some items of food for themselves. Chartreuse chewed on his Kabob happily as he watched Siris devour a container of 'Krazy Yummy Piggy Jelly' along with some buttered rolls. Matt had settled on the simple meal of Kraken Soup, a plain roll, , a mammoth burger, a protein drink, and a Banana for desert.
Everyone except the unconscious Ness, Talus, and Harsemhin had been given something to eat, but Talus was currently being tended to by Paula, who had placed one of her mother's famous Hand-aids over his split eye.
Once he was done with his meal, Chartreuse took a Secret Herb from the still-overflowing basket and moved to Harsemhin's side. After he had seated himself, Chartreuse waved the herb over the quasi-druid's nose. Harsemhin sniffed at it slightly, his eyes fluttering. Taking that as a good sign, Chartreuse tipped up Harsemhin's chin and placed the Secret Herb on his nose. It flipped over into Harsemhin's mouth, and the half-conscious man chewed and swallowed it automatically. Upon swallowing the herb, Harsemhin slowly sat up.
"What...where am I?" He asked, trying to get his bearings.
"You're in Dusty Dunes Desert, under the ground. Siris brought you back to us after you collapsed, although I'm not sure what happened there. Anyway, who are you?"
Harsemhin, still looking around, responded slowly. "My name is Harsemhin...I practice Stellar, but I was on a mission for Princess Cirra...that's how I ended up here."
Chartreuse raised an eyebrow. "You're on a mission for who?"
"Princess Cirra of Altus...why?"
It was then that Harsemhin turned to look at Chartreuse, and his eyes went wide as he spied the previously unnoticed birthmark on Chartreuse's forehead. It was a small black cross with an arrow on the northern point, as though it were a tiny compass on a map.
"You! You're an Altian! Who are you?" Harsemhin gasped, intentionally keeping his voice low to avoid notice.
"Former King Chartreuse the First, of the Kingdom of Altus." Chartreuse responded softly. Harsemhin's jaw dropped.
"But that's impossible! You and your siblings disappeared from Altus almost 3,000 years ago! It says so in the Altian historical texts!"
"Well, about that. It's been a little more than 3,000 years, and the historical texts of Altus were usually wrong. Anyway, we did die, but a friend of mine found a way to bring us back to life a little while back, and now we don't age any more."
"Do you know...is Cirra safe? Where is she?"
"She's back in Altus, completely unharmed. They found her sister Strata too; they're both fine."
"I failed her..." Harsemhin said softly, "I couldn't find her brother..."
Chartreuse shook his head. "No, you didn't fail her. Don't think about it too much; just try to get some rest." So saying, he moved away from Harsemhin's side, leaving him to return to a few more moments of dreamless slumber.
By this time, most of the party members had eaten their fill, and were returning their attention to the task at hand.
"Looks like our path gets smaller," Siris commented, walking a few feet forward to examine the path. It seemed to be descending into the earth gently, while the roof followed a much steeper slope. "Do you think we're under Fourside yet?"
"Hard to tell," Dan replied, finishing his share of the picnic. "Fourside isn't too far away, and we might only be a mile or so away right now."
Vincent already had gotten the inkling that Christina was attempting to rejoin the group, and had been wondering what to do for the duration of their resting period.
"She'll be fine," Chartreuse assured him, noticing Vincent's thoughts. "Our large group left quite a trail of footprints. She'll be able to track us." Vincent accepted his reasoning, though looked somewhat startled. "Oh, uh –" Chartreuse stuttered, realizing his error. "I just kind of had a feeling."
Paula stood up and approached the picnic group. "Okay, let's get going. Don't worry, I'm sure Talus will heal, and for now he's fine. Is Harsemhin okay?" she asked Chartreuse.
Chartreuse nodded. "Just a little tired," he responded, noticing that Harsemhin was waking up.
"I think I can walk some," he announced, slowly getting up.
Satisfied with Harsemhin's condition, Chartreuse turned and pulled Ness onto his shoulders, prepared to resume travel.
Chione rose to her feet, upset. "I'm not finished! I haven't had dessert yet," she objected. "I say we wait a little longer and rest some more. It may be our last chance for a while."
"We can save some as a snack," Dan told her, walking by. Sighing, Chione yielded and picked up the basket and her sword.
Rustopher lifted Talus and followed everyone down the tunnel. After a few minutes of walking, he found that the earth below him was shifting at an escalating rate. "There's something under here," he called to the people ahead, setting Talus down on the ground behind him. Suddenly, the dirt beneath him crumbled, throwing Rustopher down to the abyss below. "Oomph!" he grunted as he hit solid ground. Luckily, the soil had broken his fall, but at the price of his suit's cleanliness. Immediately, he began complaining.
"Are you okay?" Jeff called to him several feet above, but Rustopher paid no attention.
Curious, Vincent jumped down into the new hole after Rustopher. He landed in a room, clearly man-made, and not in the greatest condition. Adding to the dingy state of the area was a putrid smell emanating from the door to the right of him. Fighting back the need to vomit, he slowly opened the door, partially relieved and partially disgusted at the sight that greeted him.
"Good news," Rustopher shouted back to the group upon seeing the door.
Vincent grimaced. "We've made it to the sewers of Fourside."
-----
Between the accident and the police zone, the entire corridor through the hills was blocked off. Thus Kageru and Bruiser had to double back and go north of the steep hills. "This is insane. Are highway accidents always this bad here?" asked Kageru, indignantly.
"I don't think so," started Bruiser. "There were lots of cars behind it. Maybe they were running from something?"
"What would they be running from?" Kageru looked to the sky in exasperation. "How far are we going to have to walk?"
"I've never walked to Fourside before." Kageru rolled his eyes.
They descended into silence as they walked. The quiet desert was starting to get to Bruiser when it was shattered. They didn't see what it was or where I was, but something hit the ground fairly well somewhere.
"Where was that?" asked Bruiser.
"Who cares?" replied Kageru.
"Someone might be hurt, we should try to find it."
"I am not getting lost trying to find something when we have no clue where it is." He gestured ahead. "Fourside is that way, I'm going that way while I know where that way is, whether you're coming or not." Bruiser looked at Kageru and realized he was right. He didn't know where to look, and a desert is not a good place to get lost.
Things became boring and quiet again, until Kageru stopped suddenly. "You okay?" asked Bruiser.
"Desert Wolf..."
Kageru pointed some distance ahead, and Bruiser saw it. A wolf with three men who appeared to be wearing ... slot machine symbols. They were stumbling about slightly. Maybe they had hit the Tequila a little too hard, or maybe something else was affecting them. Kageru and Bruiser didn't really care what it was as the three approached with what must have been their pet wolf.
"I want the wolf," stated Kageru, reaching for a card. Bruiser nodded - it's easier to wrestle people, anyway.
-----
A small ship appeared in the blink of an eye off the coast of Fourside, near the harbor. Choppy waves, disturbed by the unearthly thunderstorm, tossed it about, but the sole occupant paid this no mind. A steady purple glow pulsed from him, encircling him, acting as a literal beacon. The individual surveyed the fallen city, eyeing it proudly through crimson eyes. The dark clouds circled the metropolis, raining down streaks of purple lightning at random intervals, while the steady wail of the possessed echoed through the streets.
Four figures hovered over the murky water, four seemingly-lifeless people with pale white complexions. They landed neatly on the deck, and one of them, a man with peculiarly spiked hair and dress worn shabby from treasure hunting stepped forward. He handed a Delisauce Jar to the stocky, balding man before him, and the figure received it in turn. He grinned malevolently, his teeth a deep yellow.
"Well, well, Prince Poo. Feeling a bit...bottled up?" Risosha let loose with a sickening strain of laughter. The ghost of Poo banged on the glass, trying to release himself, but to no avail. Risosha shook a finger disapprovingly.
"Now, now, you are quite valuable to us. Without you, the Young Protector and the other Chosen cannot be complete. Oh, did you hear that your young friend has gone quite mad?" Poo glared vehemently through the glass. Risosha's grin merely widened. "Yes, and it is all because of me. His hatred and anger consumes him, eating away at his pure heart. He is all too easy to manipulate now. I will drive him mad, drive him to his death. This is a promise I make to you, fair Prince."
Risosha turned to the four puppets, who hovered languidly before him. "Continue patrolling the city. If they are the foolish heroes I know them to be, they'll return soon enough to 'save' their precious city. If you suspect their presence, do not hesitate to level the skyline. I want nothing to stand in the way of Ness' demise." He turned his attention to the contained Poo once again. "As for you, young Prince...we have a special place for you." He neatly placed the small jar containing Poo in his left pocket, padding it securely.
Lier frowned the best frown a dead man could make. "Forgive me, puppetmaster...but is there not something you can do that will aid in the process?" Risosha pondered this query, placing a hand on his chin in thought.
Deep inside Risosha's possessed body, the Nightmare Rock glimmered. An eerie pulsing sound emanated from it. Time passed. Then the crack grew wider. Two blood red streaks jetted through Risosha's hair, the balding man regaining a full head once again. The remaining black turned auburn. Risosha grinned. "Perhaps there is something I can do..."
Risosha faced the city, standing perfectly still. He conjured up a mere thought in his mind, and at once dark tendrils of energy spread from him, weaving through the ocean waves. This time, the ocean turned pitch black. As the tendrils reached the shore, the ground became part of this void as well, outlined in a pulsing, ever-changing neon color. It ran up the trees, across the skyscrapers, the darkness seeping over the metropolis like spilled ink. The clouds disappeared from the sky, replaced by a thick void of black. The skyscrapers suddenly burst to life in brilliant hues of red, orange, yellow and green. It crawled in through the windows, into the homes of the few remaining citizens not yet possessed, and within a blink of an eye they were reduced to malignant moving balls of fire.
Risosha grinned widely, his work completed. He extended a hand toward the city, his crowning glory. "Behold, my dear marionettes!" He shouted in triumph.
"Fourmoon is reborn."