Kai and the Divine Medallion
Chapter 1: Treasure Hunting
Thousands of years ago, there was only one being. He was known as the Divine One. He created the world and everything in it. When he was done, he vanished, leaving behind only a silver medallion…
Years later, the King of All Evil, who is said to be more powerful than even the Lord of Darkness himself, found the medallion and decided to put its power to his own use. But as soon as he touched it, it split into six pieces. Suddenly, the six shards of the medallion scattered across the world, and the King of All Evil was sealed within the medallion's chamber for all eternity.
Inside a deep, dark cave, a colony of Zubat rested peacefully to prepare for their next hunt for food.
"RUN!!!" Toad shouted.
Suddenly, our five heroes, Kai, Toad, Hazel, Zero, and Serena, rushed through the cave in sheer terror. Following them was a giant boulder.
"I feel a bit like Indiana Jones," Kai said.
"Less talking! More running!" Hazel shouted.
They continued to rush through the cave as the boulder chased them.
"Next time something says 'Do Not Touch', DON'T TOUCH IT!!!" Toad shouted to Serena.
"Why would I leave a large pearl like this just sitting there," Serena said as she held a large pink pearl in her right hand. "This thing must be worth a fortune!"
"We came in here for the hidden treasure, not a pearl," Zero said.
"What if the treasure isn't worth as much as we think?!" Serena argued. "Then you'll be thanking me for getting this pearl!"
"Yeah," Toad said sarcastically. "Thanks for nearly KILLING US for a stupid pearl!"
"Now isn't the time to argue!" Hazel shouted. "We can argue once we get away from that rock!"
"Why don't you just blast the thing away, Kai?" Serena asked. "Use the Dragon Pulse or something."
"I would, but I can't exactly charge the blast enough to destroy that boulder before it flattens me," Kai said.
"Right," Serena said.
They continued to rush through the cave. Soon, they fell into a hole just large enough to hold the five of them. The boulder, which was too large to fit into the hole, rolled right over them. They all sighed with relief.
"That was fun," Kai said.
Suddenly, they heard a crash. They worked their way out of the hole and continued down the cave's path. Soon, they reached a point where it looks like a wall was destroyed by the very boulder that was chasing them. Beyond the opening in the wall was a large room with a treasure chest in it.
"We found it!" Hazel exclaimed.
They all entered the room. Serena ran up to Toad.
"You were saying?" Serena asked happily.
"Fine," Toad grumbled. "Thanks for getting that stupid boulder to open the wall for us."
As soon as they reached the treasure chest, Kai and Toad attempted to open it. The chest was locked.
"It must need a key," Kai said.
"Or we could do it the old-fashioned way," Serena said.
Serena pulled out two needles. She then began to pick the lock with her needles. After a minute, the lock clicked, and Serena opened the chest. Inside the chest was a golden statue of a phoenix.
"Is that it?" Hazel asked.
"I guess so," Toad said. "I guess that the info the guy sold us wasn't worth as much as we thought."
"If I clean this thing up, we might get enough gold to get more gold back than what we paid for the information," Serena said. "That's a 'might', however."
"This sucks," Hazel said angrily. "I hate when we get misleading info like this. The guy said that the treasure would be amazing."
"No use crying over spilt milk," Zero said. "Just grab the bird and let's go."
Toad and Serena then pulled the phoenix statue out of the chest and placed it in Toad's backpack. They began to leave. Kai took one step, then he noticed something silver in the chest. He picked it up. It looked like a small silver triangle with a rounded side. It could be a piece of…something.
"What could this be?" Kai thought. "I'll keep it for later."
Kai put the silver shard in his pocket and followed the rest of the group. A day later, they reached a town called "Everwood." Everwood is famous for its adventuring guild, where the most famous of adventurers can be found and hired to do different jobs.
In town, Serena sold the golden statue they found. She did manage to get a good price for it. She came back to the group with the gold they had earned.
"We got more than I thought," Serena said. "We have enough to enjoy a feast tonight. Joining that adventurers' guild was a good idea.
"I thought so," Kai said. "We get paid to have adventures!"
"I just wish that the profit for some of our jobs is larger than just a small statue," Toad complained.
"Maybe we'll get a better job today," Kai said. "Let's head over to the guild and get some dinner."
"Good idea," Hazel said. "I am getting kind of hungry."
At dinnertime, Kai and his friends made it to the most famous place in Everwood. Inside, many tough-looking, weapon-wielding adventurers were eating, relaxing, and chatting about their adventures. Kai's group immediately went to the counter, where an old guy with a grey beard and mustache was counting the money he had made for the day.
"Hey there, Gus," Kai said.
The old man looked up at him. This guy, Gus, was the owner of the building.
"That was quick," Gus said. "I didn't expect you guys for another day or two. Did you finish the job?"
"Of course," Toad said. "By the way, here's our rent for the month."
Toad handed Gus a small sack of gold coins. Gus promptly counted the coins. This was because Kai's group has been living in the apartment complex that was just above the main room. Gus makes money by renting the rooms off to adventurers.
"Alright," Gus said. "You guys enjoy yourself. Dinner for tonight is an all-you-can-eat-buffet."
"SWEET!!!" Kai exclaimed. "Thanks, Gus!"
A few minutes later, everyone at the restaurant was staring at one particular table. At that table, Kai was eating his food like there was no tomorrow. Plates stacked higher and higher as time passed by.
"Excuse me, sir?" a waitress asked Kai. "Are you even tasting our food?"
Kai quickly swallowed the food in his mouth.
"Of course," Kai said. "What's the point of eating good food if you don't taste it?"
Kai then continued to shovel food into his mouth.
"I know that this is 'all-you-can-eat', but that kid's eating it all!" a guy at another table whispered to his friend.
"That one kid gives the chefs around here a workout," his friend whispered back.
Soon, Kai had finished eating. He had already stacked three tall pillars of plates in front of him.
"That was good!" Kai happily said. "Especially the roast!"
"So what should we do now?" Hazel asked. "I've already asked around. Nobody wants anything done right now."
"I guess we can take a break," Kai said. "We could go supply shopping."
"Good idea," Serena said. "I need to purchase some more needles."
"So we'll go shopping in the morning," Kai said.
The following morning, Kai's group separated into three groups to go shopping around town. Serena and Zero headed toward the weapons shop to purchase shuriken, kunai knives, needles, and other things. Toad and Hazel head for some of the magic shops. Kai decided just to walk around and find something he liked.
As Kai walked around, he managed to purchase some more bomb-rocks, as his supply of them had run short. Soon, it was getting late.
"I better head back to the guild for dinner," Kai thought.
Kai began to run back.
"Wait," a mysterious voice said from a nearby alley.
Kai stopped in his tracks. He walked toward that alley. Inside was someone in a purple and gold cloak. This person's face was completely hidden.
"You have found something of great importance," the stranger said.
Kai figured out that this person was a woman because of her voice.
"What do you mean?" Kai asked.
"The object in your pocket," the woman said. "It is merely a piece of the most sacred object in the world, the Divine Medallion."
"The Divine Medallion?" Kai repeated.
"It is said that whoever holds the medallion is given god-like powers," the woman continued. "It is your destiny to gather the six pieces of the medallion."
"So I have another quest," Kai said. "Wait a minute, just who are…"
But he was too late. The woman had disappeared from sight.
"That is odd," Kai said. "Oh well. Maybe I should as Hazel about the medallion thingy."
Kai rushed back to the guild.
"THE DIVINE MEDALLION?!" Hazel shouted when Kai told his friends about what had happened.
"Do you know about it?" Kai asked.
"Everyone who is interested in history knows about it!" Hazel exclaimed.
"So maybe you should tell us ignorant guys about it," Toad said.
"Alright," Hazel said. "The Divine Medallion is said to have been formed from the energy from the original god of the world."
"The god of the world?" Kai asked.
"He is said to have created the world and everything in it," Hazel said. "His power was said to be limitless, and it is said that the medallion contains it all!"
"So its some all-powerful item that has been lost for centuries," Zero said. "That seems to be right up our alley."
"Even if the medallion doesn't have the power we believe, it is still the oldest treasure in history," Hazel said. "If we were to find all of the pieces of the medallion, the medallion would be priceless."
This word echoed in Serena's head. Serena started to grin brightly.
"Kai, Serena's got that look in her eyes again," Toad said. "I'm scared."
Serena pulled out a small device that she seemed to understand. She began to press several buttons on it.
"If we were to find this treasure, clean it, and sell it to the highest bidder…" Serena began.
Suddenly, Serena saw something on the device that made her smile widen.
"We would have enough money to purchase several castles AND fully furnish them!" Serena exclaimed. "WE HAVE TO FIND THEM!!!"
"There's one problem: the shards are probably scattered across the globe," Toad said. "Plus, it's not like we have a radar that could detect them. It's like going on a wild goose chase."
"I DON'T CARE!!!" Serena shouted. "The treasure of the century is just around the corner! If we find it, we'll all be richer than the Holy King himself!"
"So how do we find them?" Toad asked.
"That's easy," Kai said. "We just keep taking adventuring jobs until we end up finding them."
"Easier said than done," Hazel replied. "If we try that, it could take years to find them all."
"Still, it kills two birds with one stone," Kai said. "We'll keep taking jobs and pay off the rent, plus we can find the shards of the medallion."
"That seems to be our best idea for now," Zero said.
"That settles it!" Serena exclaimed. "The Divine Medallion is ours!"
From another table, a man in a green cloak was listening in on their conversation.
"A treasure?" he thought. "They must've found a rare treasure. The boss will want to hear about this."
The man in the green cloak slipped away from the guild. He made his way to a small building filled with many fierce-looking men and women. Sitting at a large throne was the most muscular of the men. He wore no shirt, for he was showing off his abs. But he still wore pants.
"BOSS!" the man in the green cloak shouted.
The large man looked toward the green cloak wearing man.
"What do you want, Mel?" the large man asked.
Mel whispered something into the boss's ear. The boss's eyes widened at the news.
"Alright, boys!" the boss shouted. "We have a new treasure to steal!"
Everyone looked toward him.
"Our good friend, Mel, overheard a conversation that was going on among some teenagers," the boss said. "Apparently, they have found the rarest of all treasures! We will steal this from them and become richer than our wildest beliefs!"
Everyone cheered.
"Since they are only teens, I doubt we'll need very many men," the boss said. "I, Mammoth, will go with our ten strongest men."
They all cheered.
"Mel, take us to these kids," Mammoth said.
That night, Kai was enjoying desert with his friends. On his plate was a large slice of a strawberry cake with an extremely sugary frosting and a strawberry on top.
"This is great!" Kai exclaimed. "I got the last slice of cake! It's all mine!"
"It's just cake," Toad said.
"Not true, my friend," Kai said. "This is the best tasting cake that the chefs here bake. We've always been gone when they make it. But we're finally here when the cake is! Now to dig in!"
Kai grabbed his fork. He then stuck his fork into the cake and took off a nice chunk. He then slowly lifted the fork to his mouth.
Just as the cake reached Kai's lips, something burst through the wall. The force of the blast knocked all of the tables over. Kai's cake fell onto the floor.
Toad, Zero, Hazel, and Serena scrambled to their feet. At the hole in the wall were Mammoth, Mel, and ten other muscular men.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Hazel shouted.
"Are these the kids?" Mammoth asked.
"Yes, sir!" Mel answered.
"Good," Mammoth replied. "Alright, kiddies. I'll make this simple: hand over the treasure or die. It's your choice."
"If we say no?" Toad asked.
"Then you fight my ten men," Mammoth answered.
Mammoth snapped his fingers, and the ten muscular men stepped forward and drew their weapons.
"Only ten?" Serena asked. "That's too easy."
"I'll take the five on the right," Zero said. "You guys can…"
Suddenly, a chill filled the room. Kai stood up and drew his sword. He glared toward the ten men.
"That…was…the last slice," Kai said maliciously. "You will not escape your painful doom!"
"Maybe we should step back," Hazel said.
"Ok," the others agreed.
Kai then charged forward. The ten men began to attack Kai with their weapons, but he countered all of their attacks. Kai began to knock them down one-by-one. Within less than a minute, Kai had defeated all ten of them. Mammoth and Mel were left aghast by what they just saw.
"Just…because you can take down my men…doesn't mean you can beat me!" Mammoth shouted.
Mammoth drew a gigantic axe. When Mammoth swung his axe down, Kai merely stepped out of the way. He then charged forward with a slash. Mammoth just took the attack.
"You won't hurt me with that toothpick!" Mammoth gloated. "I have more endurance that the hardest of metals! Now die!"
Mammoth continued to swing his axe. Kai dodged and blocked with his swords, but when he attacked, Mammoth just took the hit.
"Your friend doesn't seem to be winning," a nearby waitress said.
"Kai's taking it easy on this guy," Zero said. "I don't blame him. This guy doesn't know the first thing about fighting."
Mammoth soon grew tired from his continuous swings.
"Why…can't…I…hit…you?!" Mammoth shouted while he swung.
"Simple," Kai said. "An axe that big isn't very fast to swing. Dodging it is easy. Since things are getting boring, it's time I show you how to wield a weapon."
Kai then began to charge a white energy into his blade. Mammoth could now sense the danger he was in. Kai pulled his sword back.
"DRACO METEOR!!!" Kai shouted as he swung his sword vertically.
As he swung, the white energy that he stored into he blade shot out toward Mammoth, completely tearing up anything in its path. Once it hit its target, Mammoth was blasted far away. He disappeared into the night sky. Mel just stood there in fear for a minute. Toad walked up to him.
"This is the part where you run away," Toad whispered.
Mel's legs began to shake. He then ran away, screaming. Toad, Hazel, Zero, and Serena just laughed.
"Fights like that are fun to watch," Serena said.
"True," Zero said.
Kai gloomily stared at his stomped-on, dirty piece of cake that had been forced onto the ground.
"We'll get more cake later," Hazel said. "In fact, I'll bake you one when we're on the ship."
Kai happily cheered.
"I guess it's time to hit the hay," Toad said. "Tomorrow morning, we get a job!"
They all began to run upstairs so they could sleep. Gus just stared at the wreckage the battle had caused.
"I guess this is one of the disadvantages of running an adventuring guild," Gus said. "I'll get a mop."
Gus walked out of the room.