"Ugh, this muck is absolutely disgusting..." Rustopher commented, as he hoped out of the tube.
"Where could Chione be?" Harsemhin frowned.
"So I guess the Princess is in another castle?" Matt suggested, chuckling. "Speaking of which, where are we now?"
"...From the looks of it..." Siris paused, and took a moment to take in the sights around him, "...a treetop village."
Talus' brow furrowed. "So... what's the object of this?!" He surveyed a beaver-type creature ambling towards him, and kicked it. It made a squeaking sound, and fell off the platform. "What the heck..."
"There's a rope over here," Kapeka said, gesturing to a tan rope, which was curved, and seemed to be holding itself in that position in the air. "but I'm not sure we can all use it at once."
"We'll have to go one at a time. Hey..." Siris gestured to a golden K floating over his head. "What the heck is this?"
Matt waved his hand through the K, and jumped back when it zoomed off, and disappeared. Meanwhile, Talus had picked up a banana which happened to be lying on the platform, and was eating it.
"This place is crazy..." Harsemhin muttered, grabbing the rope, which loosened in his hands, and swung across the gap, to the next platform.
Chione looked around. Where was she now? It looked like a forest, except that normal forests didn't have little green-headed goblins running around in them. But, then again, they had a cat-like creature with a puffball on it's head travelling with them... actually, their whole group was a mixture of bizarre characters with different goals.
"Queen!"
The voice made Chione start, and turn around, to stare at a guard who had presumably made the sound. He was looking at her like he'd found the holy grail.
"Gyeh? What the heck are you-"
"Oh my queen, we've been looking EVERYWHERE for you! Thank goodness you're alright!" he said, grabbing her wrist. "We must haste to the castle, immediately! The king is horribly worried, he'll be ecstatic to see that you are in good health!"
"But I'm not...! Gaah!" Chione tried to resist, but the guard's grip was too tight. "What's going ON?" she pleaded, but the guard was too caught up in his own rejoicing to hear her. "This is crazy!"
-----
The SS Thed lumbered along the high seas, plowing sharply through the choppy ocean waters. The mighty seagoing vessel was a sight to behold; a luxury yacht painted deepest black. A massive structure rested within its center -- rising into the sky, a sort of pavilion rested on the immense deck of the ship. This pavilion housed within it a long staircase, and at the very top, a throne. Above the structure sat a small crow's nest, where a lookout kept constant watch of the seas.
The grey, shark-like watchman surveyed the briny deep with an extendable telescope, squinting with his yellow eyes. His blue and white striped bandana fluttered in the breeze over the fin on his head. Tonight was not the greatest of nights; a heavy storm was pounding the ship mercilessly, yet the mighty SS Thed sailed on. While all the other sharks abandoned the decks for warmth below and in the throne room, the poor lookout stalwartly held his post. After all, someone had to look out for Johnny Jones. And he would follow the pirate captain to the ends of the earth.
The blue bandana gazed sleepily through the eye of the telescope, perusing the cloudy morning skies, when suddenly a movement caught his attention. He trained his attention on the object, yet in an instant it was gone. He couldn't make heads nor tails of it. He called down to below.
"Ho! Captain! There be suspicious shadows to port, yarr! Best have a looksee!" The massive doors of the pavilion opened, and Jonathan Jones himself stepped out in all his splendor, holding a glass of currant juice in his hand.
"What is it, mate?" He yelled, gazing upward. He never heard the reply. A rocket came blazing through the sky and slammed into the very top of the pavilion, exploding against the top of the crow's nest. Wood and debris rained down from the impact, and several blue and red bandanas scrambled up from the depths to see what happened. Johnny was in a state of utter shock; he gripped his trident fiercely, gazing about him at the eerily dark morning skies.
A sudden blast of wind sent him off his flipper and onto the deck with a flop. He flinched and shook his head, clearing it, then he opened his eyes to the sight of two men dangling before him. One was dark skinned, dressed in army fatigues, a handlebar mustache gracing his face, a pair of dark shades resting on his nose. He held a bazooka in one hand. The other floated midair with his arms folded. He was a sight to behold -- pure white in complexion, a sordid grin of yellow teeth, and deeply piercing crimson eyes. Two streaks of red struck his auburn hair distinguishingly.
"Ah...good Captain, it is so good to finally meet you. Yes, yes..." Raltise's gaze drifted about his surroundings. "What an impressive vessel you have here...quite." He landed, and strode forward slowly, yet confidently. He towered over the shark pirate. Leaning down, he whispered ever so quietly into his ear. "I'd like to have it."
Jonathan Jones felt his honor affronted. "Avast, ye scoundrel! Off my ship with ye! I'll make ye walk the plank!" He lashed out with his immense trident, striking Raltise square in the chest. The skewered tips shattered instantly, breaking off and clattering to the ground. The pirate stared in disbelief at the ground. Raltise grinned, and gripped him tightly by the throat, hoisting him high in the air. A score of blue bandanas surrounded the nightmarish demon.
"Easy now, little sharks...your captain and I are merely having a...heart to heart. Yes. Well, brave pirate, what is your answer?" He began pacing forward, holding Jonathan Jones by the neck, approaching the plank. He stepped onto the board, and then paused. "...well?" He closed his grip on Jones' neck. The shark captain gripped Raltise's wrist with both his fins, struggling in the air. He barely managed to gurgle a reply.
"Over...my...dead...body!" He gasped at last. Raltise smiled insincerely.
"That's the very point, my good pirate! Yes, yes...but you are a man after my own heart, so I may just let you go." He lowered the ailing Jones to the ground, which happened to be the plank. "But one more thing..." He lunged at Jonathan Jones' face, scrambling at his eyepatch. In response, the pirate struggled to break free. "Give it to me, I want it!" Raltise cried shrilly. He at last managed to succeed in removing the pirate's eyepatch, and he held it up in triumph. It was then that he noticed Johnny's eye, the one the eyepatch had covered. It was large, bulbous and bloodshot. Raltise shrieked in horror, images of Kaptain K Rool's portrait coming back to him. "What are you grinning at!?" He shrieked, and laid a heavy blow square in Johnny's eye. The poor shark careened backward, toppling over the plank and into the briny depths. The blue bandanas gasped, and with one last look at Raltise, jumped overboard as well after their hero.
Raltise stepped back from the railing, turning to the man in army fatigues. "Well, Chaz...it appears we have a ship! Now let's go play Rock'em Sock'em Robots!"
----
"Well this is just absurd." Talus muttered. The remaining six nodded their agreement. They had only been in this Gameworld for about two hours, but it was already grating on their nerves. Siris scanned the treetop jungle frantically, searching for some sort of alternate route. It was then that he noticed a small glowing blue bubble in the corner, nestled between some tree branches. He approached it.
"Say, what do you suppose this is?" He mused, cautiously extending a hand to grasp the shimmering light. He withdrew quickly when a strand of electricity leapt out and arced through his arm, stunning him. Rustopher ran over to the strange artifact.
"Why, what ever do you surmise it does? It is quite a perplexing enigma!" He looked up as a beetle flitted by. "What! Come back here, you!" He gave chase, only giving up once he met the edge of the treetop precipice. The group circled about the pulsing orb of energy, when Talus suddenly urged them all to step back. He placed his sickle gently on the ground, and stepped up to the object. He extended his hands upward, closing his eyes, and began mumbling cryptic phrases, while the others stared in perplexity. Then, with a groan that caused the treetops to shudder, the orb expanded, forming a pulsating blue portal.
Harsemhin stared, shocked. "How did you know to do that?" He inquired.
Talus remained gamefaced. "I've played the game before," he said simply, stepping through the portal.
----
"Marco!"
"Polo!" Chaz called in return through the sounding pipe, then skittered off to a new location.
"Marco!" Raltise bellowed into the pipe which was interconnected with various other pipes about the ship.
"Polo!" Chaz replied from his new location. Raltise giggled like a schoolgirl and tiptoed away quickly.
----
"Watch out!" Kapeka cried as a sword lunged out from the wooded path toward Harsemhin's throat. The Stellar user tumbled quickly, but was reinforced by both Talus and Siris, striking fiercely with sickle and sword at the underbrush. A gurgle of human pain came forth, and a guard dropped from his hiding place. Matt stared, perplexed.
"Hey...I remember this game...that's a soldier of..."
"Halt!" A shrill voice cried. "The knights of Guardia decree that you will go no further!" Ahead of them, in a clearing, they could see a contingent of knights arrayed before the entrance to a majestic castle. Their swords were drawn. The group stepped forth into the clearing. An audible gasp could be heard from several of the knights. A knight in gold armor, presumably their leader, stepped forth, his sword pointed at Siris.
"Sir Glenn, thou art a traitor!" He bellowed. "How can you ally with thine own enemy, the vile Magus!?" He continued, this time pointing his sword at Talus. The two young men glanced at each other, perplexed. They were nearly bowled over by an irate Penetella.
"Alright, foo's!" He shouted, waving the one gun-like hand in the air. "I got no time for your jibba-jabba! You're all crazier than that darn foo Murdock!" This said, he aimed his gun-arm at the contingent of knights, a noticeable click resounding from the mechanism. Some of the knights took a few quick steps back, a sound of apprehension filling the air from their ranks. Without a moment's notice, Penetella unleashed a barrage of gunfire, spraying the noble knights with lead. The ranks fell quickly, a mass of human bodies crumbling to the ground. Within a matter of minutes, the entire contingent was gone.
Talus stared in disbelief. "You...killed them!" He gasped. Penetella turned to him, his mood irritable.
"Sucka! This' all a game, right? So they were Raltise' knights! It doesn't matter, foo! Now cut the jibba-jabba out and let's get going!" With this prompting, the group crossed the castle clearing and bolted up the grand staircase.
----
"HAR-HAR-HAR-HAR!" Raltise bellowed, his hand thrust into a red pirate's jacket. An eyepatch adorned his face, and an oversized pirate's hat was cocked to the side on his temple. He stood behind a cannon, holding the string, while across the room Chaz did the same. The arms dealer had a skullcap on and a pirate's sword clenched in his mouth.
"Avast, me hearties! H4x0rs on the port bow!" Raltise shouted, yanking the string. A cannonball erupted from the cannon's mouth, careening toward Chaz on the opposite end. The ball fell a bit short of the mark, but upon impact with the floor it exploded like a water balloon, and multicolored paint spewed everywhere, smearing Chaz. He clenched his throat as if in pain.
"Yarr! Ye got me, matey! I'm a goner!" He cried, doubling over in mock pain. Raltise burst out into amused laughter.
----
"Quickly! Protect the Queen!" The remaining knights scrambled in a retreating climb up the tower stairwell as the invaders advanced with great speed. They ducked into the topmost chamber of the tower, backing away quickly toward the Queen's quarters. Talus and Siris took turns lunging forward and falling back, each one utilizing their weaponry to take down a knight each time. Kapeka flitted about, shouting out warnings whenever it appeared that a knight was in striking distance.
At last, the noble guard had fallen. They stood before the massive oak doors leading to the Queens chamber. With a kick from Talus, the doors snapped open, revealing a stream of sunlight from the large regal windows. Within the sunlight, Chione stood, in a flowing green gown, a tiara on her head. She tapped her foot impatiently. Harsemhin snickered. She gave him a glare. "It's about time you guys got here!"
Talus and Siris, both grinning smugly, were the first to approach. "Alright then, I guess that means we win this game. Let's get out of here." Talus advised. Chione nodded in agreement and strode forward, descending the steps. Then she doubled over in pain. Talus and Siris turned back, seeing her over their shoulders, and their eyes grew wide. "It hurts!" she moaned, and gripped her head violently. A white glow enshrined her, and she began hovering off the ground.
Talus gasped. "I know this part of the game..." With a nod to Siris, the two dashed forward. Just then Chione blinked out of existence.
"Luna!" Siris cried. Talus paused in his step and gazed at him confusedly.
----
"Quick, quick! Get the ice element! Ack! Suck him up and pop him on the statue! Aaah watch out behind you!" Raltise squeezed a Super Plush Bear in fright. Chaz muttered under his breath, pounding on the controls.
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" He exclaimed. He jammed the control stick every which way, attempting to ice the ghosts and suck them up with the vacuum cleaner. He was pulling on the controller so hard that he didn't notice when he yanked it out of the game console. "Waaah!" He shrieked, scrambling to put the controller back in, but it was too late. The words "Game Over" appeared on the screen. Raltise threw the bear at his head.
"It appears you have lost, yes...that game was unentertaining anyway. Quite. I have a better idea..." He pressed the release on the cube-like console, and the lid popped open. He removed a small disc titled "Luigi's Mansion" and popped in a small red disc with a strange cross design on it. He plugged in four controllers, handing one to Chaz. Two others he placed before a bottle of Schmitt's and a jar of Delisauce, holding the ghosts of Paula and Poo respectively. He took the last one for himself, and powered on the game console. "Let us see how our heroes fair in a little combat..." He grinned twistedly.
----
The surrounding castle interior vanished like a wraith, leaving a void of blackness. Matt did a three-sixty, staring into the infinity. A scream was heard from above. Chione plummeted from the sky, landing roughly on Siris. The two clattered to the ground. Talus burst out laughing. The two glared at him, got up, and dusted themselves off. Talus frowned.
"Hey Siris..." He murmured. Siris looked up curiously. "...who in the world is Luna?" Siris blushed, and turned away.
"Oh, err...it's no one, really." He strolled away. Chione stared after him. Luna...that name seemed somehow familiar...
The black void burst to life with a multitude of colors. The eight heroes suddenly found themselves pulled in all directions, as if being torn apart. Before they knew it, they were encased in small, two-dimensional boxes. "...what in the heck is going on!?" Matt yelled. An orchestrated soundtrack began to play from an unknown source. Four hands appeared from below, and began passing over the boxes.
----
"Excellent! Yes! Most excellent! We make them fight each other, with no control!" He turned to the encased Paula and Poo. "Are you going to play? Grab your controllers!" This, of course, was impossible. Raltise grinned. "I'll take that as a no, then! Yes, Chaz, it appears it is just you and me!" Chaz's cursor moved across the screen.
"Alright! I choose Harsemhin!" Raltise grinned.
"I shall choose...Siris! Yes, and Two level nine computers will do as well. Mm hmm...Talus and Kapeka!" Raltise hit the start button, selected a random stage, and the game began.
----
"What in the world..." Siris, Talus, Harsemhin and Kapeka materialized from their boxes into a black void. Then with a resounding clamor, the world sprang to life about them. They were on top of some skyscrapers in a city that looked reminiscent of Fourside. They were atop the Monotoli building. A voice bellowed out of nowhere.
"Ready? Go!"
Suddenly, both Kapeka and Talus felt the uncontrollable urge to pound the stuffing out of anything that came in contact with them. Siris and Harsemhin, meanwhile, felt quite empty, as if they could not control their own functions. They jumped around aimlessly from building to building, controlled by some unseen force. Kapeka zoomed through the air toward Harsemhin, screaming venomously. Unable to control his own functions, Harsemhin found his hand reaching out in a sudden jab, smacking Kapeka square in her little frame. With a squeal, her gameworld fairy form careened across the arena, out of bounds, and with a blast of energy, she disappeared. Harsemhin stared on in perplexity.
----
"You HAD to set it for one stock?" Chaz muttered.
----
The rumble continued. Talus felt a sudden fighting lust enter him, and he bolted for Siris, extending his foot outward. Controlled by Raltise, Siris' normal quick reflexes were not put to good use, and the kick connected square in the jaw, sending him flying through the air, landing on another building. Below, a damage indicator increased to 16%. Harsemhin, meanwhile, was jumping hazardously from building to building, not seeming to know what he was doing. Chaz, who was controlling him, was comparatively a rookie at this game.
----
"D'oh!" Chaz shouted as he accidentally led Harsemhin off a ledge. Raltise cackled mercilessly.
"Well, well! My Siris versus level nine Talus! Quite so!"
----
Siris charged up a sword-swing smash, focussing energy into the blade. Talus backed off. He inched closer, unsure what to make of it. Siris released the blade, and fire energy slammed into Talus. He careened away into the side of the Monotoli building, then rebounding into the sky. Just then, a UFO hovered in from above, and he crash landed on its slippery surface. Siris, not in control of his own functions, leapt onto the UFO as well, preparing a finishing blow.
Talus recovered, and sped toward Siris with blazing speed in an illusion attack. The attack caused Siris to tumble onto his back. Talus took the opportunity to grab Siris' neck collar, hoist him up, and repeatedly knee him in the stomach. The rage in him boiled and he could not control himself as he rained damage down on Siris. The damage indicator increased, now at 60%. Then Talus threw Siris up in the air, jumped as well, and did an upward kick. Siris flew high into the air, and before he knew it, he was spinning out into oblivion in the background. Talus did a little spin, grinning wryly. He was frozen mid-taunt.
----
"What! Impossible! The game master never loses!" Raltise cried, throwing the controller down. He had paused the game. Siris was seconds from starring out in the background. He mused.
"This game is boring anyway." He muttered, turning the power on the console off. He then stood, eyeing Chaz. "My good man, I must be off momentarily to pay our heroes a visit. Look after the ship while I am gone." He grinned sadistically, and with a laugh and a flash of purple light, disappeared.
----
The eight adventurers came crashing to the ground in the black void. Talus, Siris, Harsemhin and Kapeka in particular were covered with bruises. Talus stumbled to his feet and limped over to Siris. "Hey...sorry, man." He murmured. "I didn't have control over myself and--" He was cut short as Siris kicked him in the shin. Talus gripped his leg in pain, hopping on one foot. Chione merely pointed and laughed.
The blackness about them swirled, and within the void a figure appeared. Raltise stepped toward them menacingly. They huddled together. "Now, now, children...." he whispered. "I merely come to finish the game." With a whirl of his finger, he dispelled the black void, and replaced it with an endless expanse of stars and glittering constellations. Running through the starfield was a rainbow track, yet they were all able to stand on it. Looking about themselves, the heroes now found themselves sitting in small go-carts, revving the engines.
"What in the...it's Mario Kart!" Matt cried. "I love this game!" Just then, Raltise pulled up in line with his own car...but this was no go-cart, it was a Dune Buggy armed with all sorts of explosive weaponry, and painted jet black.
"The rules are simple. If I win, you all die!" He let loose a strain of laughter. Harsemhin stared at him.
"And if we win?" He inquired.
"You all die!" He shrieked. "Err, wait...no, that's not right. Well! If you win, which is highly unlikely...you go free. But!" He paused. "At least four of you must come in before me. If you do not...then all is lost." A silence passed over the Rainbow Road. "Well, racers?" Raltise bellowed. "On your marks...get set...
"Go!"
Every single racer slammed their foot on the track, thrusting the karts forward into the reaches of space. The first hill, the longest on the track, sent everyone careening down the road at top speeds, except for one racer.
Siris looked up to see Raltise's buggy flying over his head, creating a ribbon of exhaust in his wake. Seconds later, the dune buggy landed in front of all of the other karts with a loud thud, and with a cloud of smoke, Raltise drove off at the head of the pack.
Talus muttered a string of expletives under his breath, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. His car lurched forward, sending him sprinting ahead. The others followed his lead, pressing against the pedals as far as they could go. Unfortunately, most of the racers were comparatively lightweight, so they couldn't get the necessary acceleration to catch up with Raltise with his standing lead. The only people with enough mass to accelerate quickly were Rustopher and Penetella, who swiftly reached the front of the group, with Rustopher in the lead.
At such a screaming fast pace, it wasn't long before the first lap was cleared, with the race standings still looking as they had in the beginning of the first lap. Raltise was in first, with Rustopher right behind him. Penetella was lagging by a few feet, with Harsemhin at his tail. Slightly further back was Talus, who was gaining on the main pack with his considerable speed.
Back another few paces, Siris and Chione were neck and neck. Siris watched her out of the corner of his eye as he raced along, gazing at her lavender hair as it flowed out behind her in the wind. The more he looked at her, the more the resemblance to Luna became truly striking. He was just about to say something to her when Chione swerved away from him, screaming in his direction.
"Siris, look out!"
Siris looked ahead to see a gigantic Chomp right in front of him, his gaping mouth about to envelope his kart completely. Sure enough, the second Siris' kart touched the chomp's flashing teeth, his engine exploded, stalling his kart in the middle of the track and forcing him to retire. He stood alone, next to the wreckage of his cart.
I hope the others make it to the end, He thought to himself.
At the head of the race, Talus and Raltise were head to head. Raltise slammed up against Talus' kart over and over, but Talus was unrelenting in his speed.
"This is for my father, Raltise!" With that, Talus slammed right back at Raltise, knocking him off to the side. Raltise's eyes flashed a brilliant red, and he slammed on the gas to crash himself into Talus. Just as the two karts collided, Raltise pushed on one of the buttons in his dune buggy. Spikes emerged from the side of his wheels, slicing into the steel of Talus' kart and sending up flashing sparks. It was only a matter of time before one of Talus' tires was pierced, and he was sent careening off the track.
Raltise had almost reached the final lap when he saw Rustopher slide up beside him, gripping the wheel intently.
"You shall be vanquished, foul villain!" Rustopher sneered, raising himself up to his full height. Raltise curled his lip angrily, desperate for more acceleration.
"Yes, you are that Rustopher fellow...Everdred informed me of you, when I first brought him to my side...he said that the book you wrote was quite...awful."
Rustopher's face warped into a mask of pure rage, and he slammed on the gas pedal just as Raltise attempted to make the jump on the main hill. Rustopher's kart collided with Raltise's buggy, successfully slamming it over the edge and into the depths of space. Without any further obstructions, Rustopher soared ahead to the finish line in record time, with Penetella, Harsemhin, and Kapeka not far behind.
Upon reaching the finish, a large, checkered flag dropped down from the sky, seemingly from a cloud itself. The group stood inside of a large, circular platform, with a few toppled pillars in the center.
"We did it!" Harsemhin said, beside himself with happiness. "Four of us beat Raltise to the end!" The remaining members of the group soon made it to the end of the track, Siris and Talus having hitched rides with their fellow racers.
"Uh, shouldn't that mean that we get to go back home? And where's Chione?" Siris said, shifting from one foot to the other as he looked around the group. Just as he said this, a large shadow sprung up from the center of the platform. In a grating, raspy voice, he called out the group.
"These toys are too much for you...give them back to me!" With that, a bright light illuminated the platform, revealing Raltise in the center, with a cape fluttering out wickedly behind him.
"Oh great, he's not done yet!" Matt said, standing back fearfully.
Raltise let out a huge cackle, and then slammed his fist into the ground. A shockwave smashed through a circular area in front of him, throwing up waves of gravel in every direction. Siris, Talus, and Matt, who had been standing at the front of the group, were instantly knocked out from the brunt of the blast.
Kapeka suddenly felt herself being tossed back by a purple vortex, and she wailed pitifully.
"Guys, Raltise is hold me back! The energy is too strong; You'll have to do this one yourselves!"
Harsemhin stepped back, clutching onto his sword for dear life. As he desperately thought of something to do, Raltise lifted his hands above his head, creating a ball of flashing white light. Seconds later, he fired it out in a stream at Rustopher, who was unfortunately standing in the way. The light flashed through the man's body, sending electricity coursing through his veins. Rustopher moaned pitifully as he collapsed in a heap, steam rising slightly from his body.
Now it was only Penetella and Harsemhin to stand against Raltise, who was slowly powering up another ball of light. When he was ready, Raltise fired it off again, this time straight at Penetella.
In a bold move, Penetella slammed his arm out, sending the light ball straight back at Raltise, throwing him for a loop. Unfortunately, Penetella paid the price for his actions, as the light ball exploded his gun, throwing him back into the wall. His head hit against a beam roughly, rendering him unconscious.
However, Harsemhin now knew what to do. With Raltise still distracted by the power of the attack, Harsemhin pulled out one of the magical arrows that was in his quiver and fired. The holy power of the light contained within the head of the arrow piece stunned Raltise, and with a jolt of pain he fell toward the platform. Thinking quickly, Harsemhin jumped forward and swiped out with his sword, cutting Raltise on the side three times in quick succession. Raltise screamed in agony, but the paltry wounds were not enough to wind him. He leapt up from the platform and shook himself off, and Harsemhin jumped back and prepared for a second assault.
The pattern continued for some time before Harsemhin began to notice Raltise taking any real damage, but when he did, he swiped out with his sword as quickly as he could to knock back some of the lightening energy. It hit Raltise square in the jaw, and another blow came from the holy light arrows. Raltise collapsed in pain, seconds later feeling Harsemhin's sword lodged deep inside of him. He arched his back painfully and cried out, causing Harsemhin to jump back in a defensive stance.
Raltise managed to pull himself to his knees, breathing heavily with every movement.
"The great king of evil...defeated by these kids? Impossible..." He coughed, choking up blood. With a final scream, he fell forward, his face connecting with the platform roughly.
Harsemhin only had a few moments to calm himself when he heard a slight hum from above, growing louder every second. He looked up to see a pink crystal descend from the sky, with Chione encased inside. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her eyes were shut softly. Upon reaching the ground, the crystal dissolved, setting her free. Chione looked back at Raltise upon awakening, her face the image of pure disgust.
"Raltise...pitiful man. Without a strong, righteous heart, he could not control the power of the gods, and -!"
A rumble filled the air, and the platform shook strongly. Chione gasped, holding her hand up to her mouth.
"Harsemhin, what could that be?"
Harsemhin said nothing, already having begun to make his way to the center of the platform, lying face down. Raising a cautious eyebrow, Harse prodded Raltise with his sword gently, checking to see if he was still alive.
The second the tip of the sword touched Raltise's body, Raltise jumped up into the air. The Puppetmaster let out a long, harsh laugh, although his breathing was still labored. It was then that he held out his hand, displaying the back for all to see. The image of the nightmare rock flashed on it briefly, and Raltise's body was enveloped in an eerie, blue light. Harsemhin shut his eyes tightly, and when they opened, a sight unrivaled in sheer terror laid before his eyes.
Raltise stood before him, stronger than before, only his body had been twisted and mangled from the flow of power. He was now a ten foot tall beast of a man, with a pig-like face and two long swords extending from his arms.
Harsemhin held up a sword to defend himself, but Raltise knocked it away as though it were no more than a butter knife, sending it flying back next to Chione. Harsemhin turned around to retrieve it, but a ring of fire sprung up around him and Raltise, effectively fencing the two in together.
Kapeka, who was now free from Raltise's power flow, flew up next to Harsemhin.
"There's no way he's keeping up apart now, Harsemhin! This time, we fight together!"
Raltise stared down at him, getting his power up to swing down his massive swords. In sheer desperation, Harsemhin fired off one of his Light arrows, striking Raltise in the face. Raltise screamed in anguish, frozen stiff.
"Kapeka, what do I do?" Harse asked, quickly running around Raltise to find a weak spot.
"Harse, Listen! I really have no idea what his weakness is!"
Harsemhin grumbled something below his breath, but in the same instance he caught sight of Raltise's colorful tail. Having nothing else to strike it with, he pinched his nose and bit down on the tail with all of his might. Raltise screamed again as the effects of the light arrow wore off and the pain flooded his body. In that brief instant, the ring of fire wore off, allowing Harsemhin to retrieve his sword. The fire reformed once Raltise was back on his feet, and Harse and Raltise faced off once more.
It took Harsemhin several minutes to find a place where he could effectively strike Raltise with another arrow, but when the moment came, he found he was without power.
"Kapeka, my light arrows...they won't work!" Harse howled, shooting off a volley of ordinary arrows, hoping for them to explode in a flash of light.
"Hey! Look!" Kapeka chirped in response, flying around his head. Raltise eyed her irritably, swiping at her with one of his swords. She dodged it swiftly, screaming with a piercing shriek.
"Harse, Watch out! Listen, Harse, Listen!" She yelped, dodging another volley of attacks. Harsemhin clenched his fists in anger, as even Kapeka's flashing light was beginning to annoy him...
"That's it!" Harsemhin said suddenly, attracting Raltise's attention. In a quick move, Harsemhin pulled Kapeka out of the air, holding her in his fist.
"Hey! What are you doing? Look!" She screamed, but she was silenced when Harsemhin stuffed the head of an arrow in her mouth. He then quickly loaded the arrow onto his quiver and took aim. Raltise, who had been looking straight at him, took the hit from Kapeka right between the eyes. He fell over onto his back, collapsed in a heap.
"Harse! One more blow from your sword, and he's done!" Chione yelled, signaling to Harse as Kapeka freed herself from the arrow. Harse moved himself in front of Raltise's head, lifting his sword straight up. Closing his eyes, as he did not wish to see the violence he was about to create, he thrust downward.
"Ah...not so fast, my druid friend."
Harsemhin opened his eyes to see the now-human Raltise holding onto the edge of his sword, unharmed by the blade cutting into his palm. He bore none of the marks from his previous encounter with Harsemhin's sword, as though he had never fought at all.
"Yes...the master of the game has been defeated...but will the players be able to defeat the master when they are out of the game...and out of their element?"
"What are you saying?" Harse asked with a slight panic, just as the others rose from their unconsciousness.
"The final stage has begun...yes, and you will all be there, all of the players in this little game. I will be awaiting you...on the SS Thed...awaiting all of the players!"
Raltise cackled madly, disappearing in a flash of light. Moments later, a soft, blue glow surrounded the group members, lifting them up into the sky and back toward their home.