Goemon had managed to survive by grabbing onto a thick tree root not too far from the surface. He figured the root would hold for quite a while, but began to doubt that after Sasuke tumbled after him and grabbed his legs. Fortunately, the root showed little sign of stress with this additional weight. However, after Ebisumaru dropped into the chasm and grabbed Sasuke's legs, Goemon knew they were all doomed. The combined downward force of all three ninjas dragged the root through the dirt a few inches before stopping suddenly.
Daichi came back down onto solid ground and looked down at Goemon, Ebisumaru and Sasuke. "What a shame. I was really hoping I would be able to kill you myself," he said sadistically. The root moved down another inch. "But I think your fat friend there will have to finish the job for me. Anyway, I'm in a hurry, so I'll just grab the Topaz of Power and be on my way."
"Wait!" Sasuke called after him. "What would you want the jewel for?"
"That's really none of your business, maggot. And besides, you're really not in a good position to be asking questions." Daichi turned and walked away, leaving Goemon, Ebisumaru and Sasuke hanging on to an unstable tree root for dear life.
"Well guys, if you've got any good ideas for how we're gonna get out of here, now would be the time to speak up," Goemon said. "You know, Sasuke, if your jetpack was still working, now would be a great time to use it."
"Well, it's not," Sasuke said. "I don't even see the point of saying something like that."
"Hey, you know what this whole situation reminds me of?" Ebisumaru asked. Goemon had a feeling he knew where this was going. "The chasm swallowing us is like me eating my dinner. Isn't that funny? I get to spend my final moments as a metaphorical form of my favorite thing in the world."
If Goemon had a free hand, he would have slapped his forehead in exasperation before using it to smack some sense into Ebisumaru. How could he be thinking of food at a time like this? Goemon looked up at the lifesaving root, which had just made a small cracking sound. "Guys, I think this is it. I just want to let both of you know that it's been--Aah!" The root broke and Goemon, Ebisumaru and Sasuke began to fall.
They came to a quick stop again, though Ebisumaru continued to scream hysterically. "Aaaahhhh! Aaaahhhh! Wait, what's going on? Why did we stop?"
Goemon felt a hand wrapped around his wrist and looked up. His mood suddenly brightened as he realized who his savior was. "Yae!" he said.
Yae was lying on her stomach on the edge of the chasm and had managed to grab Goemon a split second after the root broke. She shushed at Goemon and realized the three ninjas she was holding onto were dragging her closer and closer to the death of them all. She jammed her katana into the ground next to her and held onto it with her free hand. "Alright, I'm gonna pull you out. Just hold on tight," she whispered.
Using the sword as a weight to keep her on solid ground, Yae kept a firm grip on Goemon's wrist and pulled in spurts. Progress was slow, but after several minutes Goemon was able to grab the edge of the chasm and add extra upward force to help Yae pull them out. Eventually, all four ninjas were together again on the edge of the wide gap.
Goemon and Yae were sweating and panting heavily. They had both plopped down to the ground immediately after this ordeal. "Yae. I've never been so happy to see you," Goemon said in-between heavy breaths. Yae nodded, but made no sound except for a few coughs and her own heavy breaths.
"Come on, we've gotta stop Daichi from taking the Topaz of Power," Sasuke said.
"You mean that huge guy by one of the mountains?" Yae asked. "He's been pounding away at it for over five minutes. Let me handle this." Yae got up and ran, apparently completely recovered from her exhaustion.
Yae peeked around the side of the rock wall and saw that Daichi was, fortunately, still smashing the mountain and breaking it apart. A radiant yellow glow could be seen at the foot of the mountain.
She crept forward and hid behind a nearby tree to get a better look at her opponent. The Jewel of Light was almost completely unearthed. After one more solid hit, it fell to the floor. "Excellent. He's already dug it out for us." Yae unsheathed her blade and slowly moved forward. Stealth was of the utmost importance. Daichi knelt down to pick up the gem. "If I can just keep moving forward without making a sound, I'll--" At that moment, Yae stepped on a branch that made a loud cracking sound under her feet. Daichi rose and turned around in one swift motion. He grabbed Yae by the neck and hoisted her off the ground. The katana fell from her hand as she tried to unhinge Daichi's fingers from around her throat.
"Ah, there you are," said Daichi. Yae tried to struggle out of Daichi's grip, but failed. She kicked against his muscular chest, but this seemed to have no effect. "I was wondering when you would show up. If you've come to save your friends, I'm afraid you're too late. But don't worry, you'll join them soon enough. I must admit, I will feel worse about destroying a beautiful flower such as yourself than I did when I killed those three maggots." He tightened his grip on Yae's throat. She wanted to yell in pain, but only a weak squeal was able to escape her lips. The demon pivoted to his right and slammed Yae into the side of the mountain. "But don't worry. I'll get over it." He was just about to do it again when he heard someone shout "Flaming Ryo!" come from somewhere behind him. The fiery coin hit Daichi in the back of the head, and he dropped Yae and turned around. "You again?!" he snarled. "You're really starting to bug me. But on the bright side, I guess I really will get the pleasure of killing you myself."
Goemon stood twenty feet away from Daichi and held another ryo in his hand. He shook both his head and a rebuking finger at Daichi. "Attacking a beautiful young woman like that. For shame." The coin in his hand burst into flames and he threw it at the demon. "Flaming Ryo!" he shouted. Daichi caught the flaming ryo, crumpled it into a tiny ball, and tossed it to the ground. He was now seething with rage, and walked towards Goemon in large strides. "Sasuke, now!" Goemon called.
A blur moved behind Daichi, and in the next moment he was on his knees. The blur came to a stop and revealed itself to be none other than the clockwork ninja, holding two kunai in his hands. The tips were covered in a thick, black liquid. Daichi looked up and punched the ground, sending a shockwave in Goemon's direction. Goemon quickly dodged this now familiar move and said "Looks like we've got the upper hand now, Daichi." He pulled the white sealing container out of his shirt pocket.
But Daichi wasn't going to go quietly. He placed his palm on the floor, causing another massive earthquake. Goemon tried to steady himself but fell over almost immediately and watched the sealing container fall out of his hands and roll away. "I've got it!" said Ebisumaru, who had moved low to the ground for greater stability. Unfortunately, this made catching the container a difficult task.
Eventually, the earthquake subsided. Goemon and Sasuke were out of breath and sprawled on the floor, while Ebisumaru was reaching under a log trying to find the capsule that had rolled underneath it. Daichi was breathing heavily as he slowly stood up. He bared his fangs and walked towards Goemon, his fist raised in the air. Goemon got up to defend himself, but his legs still felt unstable from the earthquake. Daichi moved closer and was just about to attack when he suddenly stopped, a look of complete and utter shock on his face. A squishing sound could be heard as the tip of a slightly curved sword appeared in Daichi's chest and allowed his blood to flow freely.
Yae pushed her foot against Daichi's back to release her katana from his sinewy body. The demon was on his knees gasping for air, his hand covering the gaping wound in his chest. "Impossible," he said between short breaths. He looked up at Goemon with enough anger to match his incredible physical power. "Know this, maggot. You may have won this round, but you will never be able to defeat my three siblings and find my father in time. He will destroy all of you in the most painful way imaginable, and make everyone in this pathetic world his slave. You four have no idea what you're up against."
"Goemon, catch!" Ebisumaru had finally managed to get the sealing container, and threw it towards Goemon, who caught it and pointed it at Daichi.
"You listen, and you listen good, Daichi," Goemon said. "As long as we stand and fight together, nothing can stop us. You guys don't stand a chance against us. I'm sure you and your siblings can have some great conversations about that when they join you in here. And my name's not 'maggot.' It's Goemon!" He removed the top half of the sealing container and aimed it at the weakened demon before him.
Daichi's body became completely yellow, and eventually shrunk and stretched all the way to the capsule in Goemon's hand. As soon as the last of Daichi's spirit was in the sealing container, Goemon put the top half back on and thrust it in the air in celebration. "Yeah! One down, three to go!" he yelled. Sasuke and Ebisumaru stood on either side of him and contributed to the celebratory cheers. Their first fight on foot in over three years had resulted in a victory, thanks to the power of teamwork.
Speaking of teamwork, Goemon looked straight ahead and saw Yae cleaning her katana with a handkerchief. The blood stains weren't coming off very easily, but Yae continued to wipe back and forth with increasing effort. "So Yae," Goemon said after watching her do this for some time. "Did I already tell you how happy I am to see you right now?"
Yae finally gave up on cleaning her katana and put it back in its sheath. "Yeah, you did Goemon," she replied with a friendly smile. "It's great to be back." Goemon couldn't help but smile and laugh. After all this time, they finally had the old Yae back.
"We should get the Jewel of Light and rest in the nearest town. That last fight took a lot out of us," said Goemon. They all walked to the side of the mountain, where the huge gem lay waiting for them. "So, how does this work? Do we have to haul this thing all around Japan?" Goemon bent down to grab it, but a sudden flash from the jewel sent him reeling backwards with his arm covering his eyes.
The jewel stood upright and ascended until it was level with Goemon's eyes. Everybody stared at it as they heard a strange voice echo throughout the valley. "I am the Topaz of Power, one of the four Jewels of Light whose purpose it is to protect this world from the power of darkness." Despite the fact that the voice had introduced itself as the Topaz of Power, Goemon and his friends looked around for its source.
"Did anybody else hear that just now?" Goemon asked. "Who do you think said that?"
"I said it, you fool!" the voice shouted. The Topaz of Power swooped down towards Goemon's face. "Weren't you paying attention? You should all learn to listen every once in a while. It may save your life someday."
"I apologize for my friend there, he usually doesn't think before he speaks" Yae said. "We wish to destroy Makurayami, and we seek your help in doing so."
"Yes, I saw how you managed to defeat Daichi just now. Very impressive. But your skills are not nearly developed enough to defeat Makurayami. Are you sure you fully comprehend the power you face, and understand the risks that will be present in such a mission?"
"Yes, we accepted this task understanding everything it entailed," Sasuke said.
The Topaz of Power moved to the side so that it floated directly in front of Ebisumaru. "Very well. I will lend my power to you, the one whose physical strength inspires awe in all who witness it. Accept it now, and go forth to rid this world of the darkness." There was another bright flash, and in the next moment a ring with a white band and a large yellow gem was exactly where the Topaz of Power had been. It gently lowered itself to the floor.
Goemon walked over and bent down to examine the ring. "Well, what do we have here," he said as he reached down to grab it. As soon as his fingers came into contact with the ring, he pulled his hand back and let out a yelp.
The ring moved back up and situated itself two inches in front of Goemon's nose. "You are a dense one, aren't you?" it said. "I never said I would lend my power to you. Again, you must listen. The information you gain can be invaluable." It threw itself back to Ebisumaru's feet.
"Uh, why don't you go ahead and pick it up, Ebisumaru? It seems to want to go with you." Goemon rubbed his hand tenderly and scowled at the verbally abusive ring.
"I don't know, Goemon. That looked like a nasty shock there," Ebisumaru said.
It took some time to convince Ebisumaru to pick up the ring. When he finally did so and found that it did not try to injure him in retaliation, he placed it on his finger and looked at it admiringly. "Ooh, very nice. The wife's going to be jealous about this one," he said with a smile.
Finally, it was time to go. Goemon and his friends were all very tired after the long and difficult battle they had just fought. They were trying to remember how to get away from this mountain range when Ebisumaru noticed a problem. "Hey, Goemon. Do you remember which tree we left our stuff in?"