Dark Cloud 2: Worlds Collision
After the events dealing with the Dark Element, things began to settle in the world of Dark Cloud 2; however, their world and the future of ours will come together in later Seasons.
[Chapter 1]
Evening storms besieged Palm Brinks, rain tapped at the window of a dark room, the cool breeze from outside had soothed through the window frame. Max laid on a bed that was not his own, but a secondary when visiting Cedric's workshop for an extended stay. Ideas and memories had always rushed through his mind in stages of calmness, one in particular was Monica, the girl out of time who had been his companion throughout the adversity of campaigning against a powerful enemy, The Dark Element which was no more. Their relationship had been stable but colorless, their paths of interest always seem to lead one another a separate direction. While Max resided in the workshops engineering mechanical ingenuity, Monica preferred the outdoors and adventuring. After staring at his wrench on an end table beside the bed and a metallic clock ticking the day away he began to wonder why she always seem to cross his mind. His eyes drift over to the ride pod sitting in the foundation downstairs and his eyes felt heavy and eventually he fell asleep.
A sudden spook woke him up to the sight of not just the ride pod, but the sound of his father Gerald complaining while noticing Cedric stand in front of him with sedimented restraint. Max lifted himself out of bed through the shock and a natural sluggish feeling.
Gerald: ''Max needs to start coming home more often instead of working on inventions all day and falling asleep here''.
Cedric: ''What are you saying? The boy has a passion for this profession as an apprentice, why hinder that?''
Gerald: ''No, Cedric. If you had a child you would know. He needs to come home, there is something important I need to discuss with him.''
Cedric: ''Hmp." Cedric turns muttering a few words, looking at Max before searching for his tool box.
Gerald: ''Son, it's been almost a week and I rarely see you. I've got an important matter to discuss with you and I shall see you returning home shortly.''
Max: ''Um, alright then." Max knew that inventions were important to him, but the suspicions of his father's "matter" worried him as it did Cedric. Gerald opened the door and proceeded to exit without saying anything else.
Cedric: '''Matter'? I see. Your father probably plans to convince you to be like him, forget your passion and become a noblemen, then marry you off to some brain dead lass with by dumb luck, a good fortune from her parents."
Max: ''I don't know, I don't think that's the case. Maybe..''
Cedric: "See the forest for the trees, Max. He obviously thinks this is beneath you. I see it in his demeanor and hear it every time he utters a foul sentence when he barges in here looking for you."
Max: ''I guess you may be right. I'll be heading out, there is something I need to do."
Cedric: ''Monica, ain't it?''
Max: "How.."
Cedric: "At least she ain't brain dead like that Claire girl."
Max: "Wait, huh?"
Cedric: "Just go already. I'm sure she been waiting to see you outside for once."
Max walked from Cedric's shop out into the middle of the street. The sun was bright and warm; the smell of petrichor lifted from the ground. Approaching the bridge, Max saw no birds in the sky nor any fish in the water underneath. A few minutes later Max reached the obelisk overlooking the small lake where Dr Dell used to live. He caught sight in the distance of Monica relentlessly playing a familiar golf game with a strange dark sphere that had appeared at the end of the pier. Frustrated that the sphere continued to reappear through some kind of time distortion, she hits the ball harder only for it to hit a poor Firbit knocking him and his small boat over into the lake. Originally, he thought his search for her was going to be tedious and somewhat difficult.
Max: ''Hey Monica are you alright?''
She covers her face with her hands between embarrassment and anger before unveiling herself.
Monica: ''Max? Oh, I'm sorry you had to see that."
Max: ''Its okay. What's up with the sphere? I've never seen one like that before.''
Monica: ''I don't know, it just appeared earlier today and I haven't been able to get rid of it. Some people claim seeing strange creatures emerging from it at night but I haven't seen anything unusual."
Clouds gathered once more and thick cumulus clouds of unnatural violet shaded darkness and lightning rumbled across the sky. Both Max and Monica took off back towards the shelter of the town, dark spheres appeared everywhere along the streets and rooftops and this time hordes of lumbering corpses emerged from them, stumbling forth then displaying an aggressive behavior of vicious gnawing and paralyzing red eyes.
Monica: "What is happening!?"
Max: "Zombies!?"
Panic and terror rose drastically, filling the streets with people being ran out of their homes and pursued on the street. Most caught and torn apart by their unnatural speed and strength. Sheriff Blinkhorn fired at several of the zombies, killing a few before being forced to retreat with a couple zombies continuing to pursuing him into the nearby police station. Several additional shots could be heard before complete silence. A few zombies attacked Max and Monica only to be quickly dispatched via wrench and sword before they attracted the attention of more that emerged from alleyways and busted down doorways. Cedric's workshop door blasts open crushing and flinging a few zombies nearby. Charging out from the shop was Cedric upon the ride pod equipped with only its standard swinging arms and chassis. It's upgrades had been stored elsewhere for later use.
Max: "Cedric!"
Cedric: "You kids alright?" Using the ridepod, Cedric smashes an oncoming cluster of zombies before dismounting from the ride pod. He then leaned to rest against its body, sweat and old age began to take a bit of toll for a few moments before he could refresh his strength.
In the sky, the clouds parted opening a eye within the storm walls, at the center of this eye was a familiar dark figure floating, The Dark Element itself had appeared once more, it reached out with its blackened claws and gripped towards Palm Brinks below. An array of portals opening behind it with chunks of meteors being shot out from them. The first barrage impacted most residential areas, out of shock the Max, Monica, and Cedric who frantically mounted the ride pod once more quickly ran from the area down the corpse riddled street to the train station. Turning back Max could see a large meteorite crashing into his family mansion and another obliterating the workshop and nearby buildings. Nightmarish creatures of indescribable horrors could be seen unraveling and stretching out their elongated appendages from the impact sights before proceeding to attack other buildings and civilians.
Max: "Oh no..."
Monica: "Is that, the Dark Element!?"
Cedric: "Don't stop! Keep moving!"
Crowds of people gathered around the plaza outside the train station. Several police officers and a makeshift militia formed a loose perimeter, some tasked with blocking entry into the station. Mayor Need and several officials could be seen debating at the top of the steps in fear of the situation. Smaller meteors crashed around them only fueling more panic. The ride pod broke through the crowd, Monica and Max following up behind it. Cedric quickly dismounted from it before engaging in the debate.
Mayor Need: "But.. we can't go in there!"
Official 001: "Why the hell not? Not all of us are going to make it out of here anyways."
Cedric: "Need, what is going on here? Those things are going to come soon if we don't get these people on the trains."
Mayor Need: "I.. Eh.. There is something in killing anyone who flees. Several officers went in but haven't returned! I'm not risking anymore lives."
Official 001: "Well you're risking all of ours with us just standing here. You know what, I'm going inside, if you all want to die out here cause you're afraid of some monster then fine."
The official shoves his way into the station, pushing aside those attempting to obstruct him. After a few seconds, a monstrous roar could be heard within along with screaming, several gunshots, and then the sound of flesh being torn apart, a spray of blood decorating the glass from the inside. Mayor Need looked back at Cedric and the rest of the officials in shock before succumbing to the stone staircase in despair. The atmosphere grew darker and meteors increased in frequency along with zombie creatures and dark spheres nearby. Cedric turned to both Max and Monica.
Cedric: "There ain't nothing I haven't seen you two handle before that ain't dangerous. You two think you can deal with the monster inside?"
Monica: "Of course, I'll become one myself if it proves challenging, what about you Max?"
Max: "..."
Cedric: "Max!?"
Max: "Oh, sorry. Yeah, we should be fine."
Cedric: "Alright, I'll remain out here with the ride pod in case things get even worse. Now go kill it."
Monica: "Right! Come on, Max."
Upon entering the station, they were met with darkness. A flood lamp taken from the ridepod's trunk and the glowing power emanating from their atlamillias illuminated their area. Corpses and limbs laid scattered along the floors and stairways while blood painted the walls in an artistic fashion. Traveling further inside they stumble upon heaps of corpses trailing down a stairwell that led into the boarding areas. Above was a shattered dome, light peered towards the center atop the trains but walls had obscured what awaited below. They proceeded down, treading with caution, the sound of fleshy contractions and bone cracking came into fruition and grew louder with each step. Monica came to a halt at the end of a wall and was confident a creature was just around the corner. She peered around the corner and saw not one but several Bone Lords and Griffon Soldiers that appeared in a darker color and fashion surrounding the trains. Two Bone Lords patrolled around the tracks while the third dragged a corpse towards the stairwell in their direction. Monica leaned back to avoid attracting its attention, then informed Max in a whisper. Rattling of bones and cracking of the calcium terror drew closer as well as the sound of the corpse it dragged along. Max pulled out a bottle of holy water and readied his wrench, although knowing from previous encounters that his weapon wouldn't be as effective as he hoped and that their upgraded weapons from a previous adventure had been stored in the workshop, weakening it would increase their chances of taking it down along with the other two. A sure nod of confidence, they sprung forth from around the wall and charged the oncoming Bone Lord; it dropped the corpse and prepared to swing its large sword as it shook the floor in a stance of aggression.