It was still mildly gray and dark as the clouds continued to cover the sky. Eric started thinking to himself about how he was going to save Rui-Lin from the Dark Lord without losing his face. He could fight, but there isn't really a chance of him winning. He does not have magic or even armor plus a weapon. He can't just run away either.
Before he could continue his thoughts, a dark shadow lurked over him. Eric stopped, eyes wide, and looked up. Dark Lord Bill Cipher hovered over him and chuckled. "Is someone trying to be the big hero?" Eric froze, intimidated and mildly afraid. Not only does the Dark Lord have the advantage over him by power, but also size. He had to stay brave though. He swore he would help get Rui-Lin's face back for Sara and he was not going to leave without trying.
He stood his ground and looked up at Dark Lord Bill while shouting, "Give Rui-Lin's face back!" Rui-Lin's face then hovered down between the two. Dark Lord Bill Cipher smirked as he replied, "What? This ol' thing? Hmm...maybe I will give this one back to you. But, you'll have to earn it." Eric's expression turned to a confused one as he pondered what he meant.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, Dark Lord Bill Cipher summoned a sort of yellow slime monster. "Tell me. How good are you in a fight?" Eric's eyes widened. Oh no. Rui-Lin's face then attached to the slime monster. It smiled wickedly and looked at Eric with malicious intent. Dark Lord Bill then stated, "Be seeing you...if you survive, that is! Hahaha. Hahahahaha!" He then disappeared, leaving Eric alone with the monster.
Eric just looked at the monster, only able to say, "Uhh…" as he was unsure how to get out of this mess. The monster just growled, then lunged at him to attack. Eric gasped and shut his eyes, bracing for impact. But then, there was a bright glow coming from his pocket. The slime monster backed up and Eric looked down at it. He pulled what was glowing out of his pocket and realized it was the charm Sara gave him. It floated out of his hands and there was a bright flash of light.
Eric opened his eyes after the blinding flash and looked around. He was in a sort of mystic area, bathed in colorful light. A gentle voice then rings out. "Eric…Eric, can you hear me?" Eric's eyes widened. What was happening? Either way, he responded, "Y...yes?" The voice answered, "Ho, ho! It does seem like you're hearing me. What good fortune this is! Now you may not believe this...but I'm what you may call a guardian spirit." The only reaction Eric could give was having his eyes wide while stating, "Whaaaaat?" The charm has a guardian spirit? Does Sara know this?
"Please. Just hear me out." Eric calmed down a bit and carefully listened. "It seems you are in a bit of trouble. Would you like some help?" Honestly, Eric almost wanted to say no. He was not the type of boy to rely on others for assistance. But...given the circumstances, he felt the need to ask. He gave a small nod. The voice replied, "Ho, ho! Excellent. I, uh, bestoweth upon thee the awesome power of the guardian!" Magic then swirled around Eric and he gained a bit of knowledge. He now knew the power of jobs.
"Jobs," Eric questioned out loud. The voice said to him, "Jobs are the key to defeating monsters. Many Miis also have them to make a living, but if you are going to face that monster and rescue Rui-Lin, you're going to need one. Now." Different panels then appeared in front of him, each with a symbol. A sword, a cane, a staff, a dagger, a microphone, and a frying pan. Each had a name below it. The sword was for "Warrior," cane for "Mage," staff for "Cleric," dagger for "Thief," microphone for "Pop Star," and frying pan for "Chef." The voice continued, "Choose what job you wish to have to help you defend and fight."
Eric looked at his choices. He definitely can't see himself as a pop star. He was told to be good at singing, but he was really shy. Chef? Doesn't exactly sound like a job for fighting monsters. Thieves, to him, were just sneaky miscreants. He then looked at the last 3 options: Warrior, Mage, and Cleric. He wanted to be strong and ready to fight anything in his path. He can be brave enough if he needs to be. He finally knew his choice. He pressed his hand on the Warrior panel.
Magic then swirled around him as his outfit changed. He wore silver armor with a black cape and black feather at the top of his helmet. In his hand, a sword appeared. Eric looked down at himself and softly said, "Would you look at that…" A smile showed on his face. Oh yeah, he could get used to this.
The voice rang out again, "Ho, ho! This is just what you need to deal with the Dark Lord's monsters. Now fight, O Eric! Make your foes fear you!" With his confidence built up, Eric put on a determined expression and nodded. With another flash of light, he was back on Easin Hills in front of the mini Rui-Lin slime monster. Eric took a battle stance and said to himself, "Here goes nothing."
The slime attacked first, hitting him. Not too bad of damage, but did mildly hurt. Eric swung his sword at the monster, causing a great deal of damage. The two went back and forth a couple times in attacking until Eric took a deep breath and swung really hard. With that swing, the final blow knocked slime monster Rui-Lin unconscious. Eric smiled victoriously.
The beast then glowed and disappeared with Rui-Lin's face appearing as a glowing orb once more. It then flew off back towards the Greenhorne village. In place of where the monster lied was a dish of slime jelly. Odd, but Eric placed it in his inventory then sat down with an exhale. Wow. His first monster defeat.
The guardian's voice then spoke. "Excellent work, young Eric. Now the child should be safe. Things are looking up! You should head back to Greenhorne village to make sure Rui-Lin's face found its way back to Rui-Lin." Eric nodded and stood back up, heading back to the village.
Back at the village, Rui-Lin continued sitting on the ground with his mother Sara. Sara continued to worry for him until she saw a small glow in the distance. Rui-Lin's face then flew towards them. Sara stepped back as it flew in a circle around Rui-Lin, then reattached to him. Rui-Lin blinked, then smiled. He then shouted, "Yippee! I'm back!" Sara had tears reappear in her eyes; however, they were tears of joy. She picked up Rui-Lin and hugged him while shouting, "Rui-Lin, my baby! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Rui-Lin chuckled and said, "I'm fine, mommy." Sara continued hugging as she said, "Oh thank the stars…"
Eric arrived just in time to see this heartwarming reunion. He stood to the side with a small smile as he watched. Sara looked at him and said while walking up to him, "Thank you, kind traveler. Please, take this gift as a mother's appreciation." She handed him a small bag. Inside was gold coins. About 200 gold to be exact. Eric's eyes widened and he stated, "Oh no, I...I couldn't." Sara replied, "I insist. The least I could do for you since you have helped save my little boy." Well, since she insisted, he puts the money in his pocket and replied, "Welp...thanks."
Sara then said, "Come along now, Rui-Lin. We should head inside where we'll be safe." Rui-Lin nodded and held his mother's hand as the two headed to their cottage. Once they left, another blinding flash filled Eric's vision. He found himself back in the realm where he met the guardian spirit. The spirit's voice rang out, "Ho, ho! Wonderful work, child. Now then, Eric. I have another task for you. You have seen the deeds of Dark Lord Bill Cipher. He's made quite the mess, and that's putting it mildly. So I wish to commission you to defeat the vile Bill Cipher and save this world!"
That's a lot to take in at once. One minute, Eric was a simple traveler looking for a new home, and the next, he is asked to be a hero to stop some great Dark Lord. Eric wasn't sure. Could he do it? He was lucky to come out of that slime monster battle alive. Then again...if no one else can stop him, maybe he should try. Not for reward or self-proclamation; but rather, for the innocent Miis that are attacked by Dark Lord Bill Cipher. If he is going to plan a life here, he may as well help save it.
He finally looked up and said, "I will do it." The voice replied, "I'm so very happy to hear that! Your new powers should help you contend with Bill Cipher. Now, Warrior Eric. Go forth! Defeat the Dark Lord! I expect great things from you." With that statement, a flash of light put Eric back in the center of Greenhorne village.
Eric looked towards the exit of town, which lead to Easin Hills. "This is going to be one heck of an adventure…," Eric stated in his thoughts. He then headed forward, ready for what lies ahead.
