PHASE 54
Search of the Staffs
Jonas: Erm, that's odd…there's no door guard…
(Celis and Jonas have walked into the eerily quiet Harsofol Palace. It's quiet for a little bit, anyway. Seven Shy Guys drop from the ceiling, attacking Celis and Jonas. Celis immediately smashes her fist in the face of one of them. Jonas panics and falls back…but then swings out Eisader, which shoots a freezing beam of ice at one of the Shy Guys. The opponent is frozen solid.)
Celis: Wow. How'd you do that? (Celis smashes another Shy Guy.)
Jonas: I…don't know.
Celis: There's another behind you! (Celis punches another Shy Guy in the gut, and then kicks him upwards.
Jonas: Take…this! (With a quick swing, Eisader's icy orb hits the opponent in the face…smashing into a million fragments, and breaking the attacker's face. Quicker than before, the Ice Staff reforms.)
Celis: Alright, where'd the last two go-!
(The last two Shy Guys leap from each side of Jonas, and grab his arms. The Ice Staff falls…but one of the Shy Guys catch it, and hold it to Jonas's neck…or where his mask ends, anyway…)
Shy Guy: I'd s-suggest y-you suh-surrender.
Bajai: Good job, Falkor. And yes, I too, suggest you surrender.
(Bajai emerges from the doors at the end of the hall, his mask twisted in a gloating leer.)
Celis: Crap.
Bajai: Take them to the dungeons. When Lord Blood Mask arrives, they will be treated to an great misery.
(A spear guy appears from behind Celis, and stabs at her. Celis follows Jonas, who is dragged by Falkor, and another Shy Guy. They are thrown into the dim dungeon. It is small, wet, and cold.)
Falkor: I-I fuh-think I'll b-be tay-taking this.
(Falkor leaves with Eisader. The other Shy Guy follows him, along with the Spear Guy.)
Jonas: That's mine! You…jerk…
Celis: Just great. How are we going to get out of here, now?
Jonas: They…took…my…Ice Staff…
Celis: I know! We need to get out of here, get it back, and find out what's going on.
Jonas: It's pretty, erm, obvious to me. The Blood Masks already got in.
Celis: Then why isn't the leader here? That guy said that he'd…torture…us when their leader got here.
Jonas: The leader must have sent ahead a party to overtake the castle. I don't think anyone in the United Cities knows, though. It must have been during the night. Most people in the United Cities don't go out at night...
Celis: What a mess…we…have to find a way out of here.
Jonas: (Sigh)
(Two hours pass. Celis's desperate attempts to find a way out are pointless. The bars are unbreakable, along with the walls. Eventually, two Shy Guy guards come down the stairs.)
Shy Guy Guard: Time to go. Lord Blood Mask wants to see his prisoners.
Celis: He wants to see us? Is he lonely already?
Shy Guy Guard: Do not talk. (He violently yanks Celis out. She turns and punches him in the face with her free hand.)
Celis: You idiots are unguarded! Jonas, stand back.
Shy Guy Guard 2: You-!
(He turns to run. Celis grabs the back of his cloak, and throws him to the ground, knocking him out.)
Jonas: Erm…wow.
Celis: Let's get your weapon back…and meet this "Lord Blood Mask."
(Celis leaps up the stairs, with quick jumps and bounds. Jonas runs afterwards. The main hall is still empty. Celis turns to the doors at the end of the long hall…and yank them open, Jonas gasping right behind her.)
Jonas: Nice…move.
(Inside is the throne room-and it is huge. Packed inside is the massive Blood Mask Army, all standing in formation…and at the very end of the hall, on the two thrones (which are not actually used for the revolving governments, just for historical purposes) sits Bajai…and Lord Blood Mask. Jonas's mask almost falls off. Lord Blood Mask is a giant, hulking twisted form of a Heiho-his mask is black, with thick red strips of paint running around and down from the eyeholes, and mouth.)
Lord Blood Mask: …And there they are.
(None turn around. They all have the same mask design as Lord Blood Mask, and through training have learned never to turn from Lord Blood Mask during a speech.)
Lord Blood Mask: Ignore them. Go and take over the cities!
Army: (ROAAAARRR)
(Surprisingly, the Army rushes past Celis and Jonas, and does not attack them. Celis tries to grab at them…put they slam into her, and she falls. Eventually, the room is empty, except for Lord Blood Mask, and Bajai. The two stare down at Celis and Jonas.)
Lord Blood Mask: Bajai has told me about you. Coming here…to warn the old king…and stop me…
Celis: So you're Lord Blood Mask? Pretty original of you, naming your army after yourself.
Lord Blood Mask: Hoff…hoff…hoff…Lord Blood Mask was never my name. I have no name. The world gave me the name, after my army.
Jonas: What have you done with the King?!
Lord Blood Mask: Dead. Bajai here set him on fire.
Jonas: Wh-what?!
Bajai: Haven't you seen my staff? (Bajai holds up the fire staff. It burns brightly.)
Jonas: The Fire Staff?!
Celis: Fire Staff? How many of these things are there?
Bajai: Six. Fire. Water. Earth. Lightning. Shadow. Light.
Celis: Ha! Well, you're wrong. Jonas has…had an Ice Staff!
Bajai: You stupid girl! The four main elemental staffs-Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning-have the power to transform into a weaker, secondary elemental. In your case, Water can become Ice!
Jonas: Where is my staff?!
Lord Blood Mask: Falkor is practicing with it. He will be my new apprentice. Once the Blood Masks collect all the Elemental Staffs, the world will be ours, without a doubt.
Bajai: It is the perfect plan, sir…
Lord Blood Mask: Now then-
Falkor: L-lord B-blood muh-mask! Th-the stuh-staff! It's reh-reacting!
(Falkor pushes Celis and Jonas out of the way from behind and rushes into the middle of the room. He places the staff on the floor…and it begins to turn. It spins around nearly eight times…and stops pointing to the southwest.)
Bajai: It's…in Giglomorsh?!
Lord Blood Mask: No…no, I knew it! It's in . That famous place…
Bajai: If it's the Ice…er, Water Staff we are using…it must be pointing to the Shadow Staff!
Lord Blood Mask: We leave immediately. Come, Bajai.
Celis: Where do you think you're going?
Lord Blood Mask: Grr! Bajai! Take the Water Staff. We will need it to get to the right spot on . Falkor! Prove yourself. Kill the girl and the other.
Celis: You're not going any-whoa!
(Using the Fire Staff, Falkor shoots a fire ball at the door…plus Celis and Jonas. They leap out of the way, and the fire engulfs the main door, leading outside. It quickly burns to ash. Lord Blood Mask and Bajai hurry out, surprisingly fast.)
Celis: You-!
Falkor: Y-you w-won't be stuh-stopping L-lord Bluh-Blood Ma-mask.
Celis: Nice stutter. Jonas, you might want to back up. I'll deal with this idiot.
Falkor: D-die!
(Another burst of flame. Celis leaps forward, then rolls to the side as another flame scorches the floor. With a spin on the floor, shoulder on the ground, Celis trips Falkor, who falls, dropping the Fire Staff. It bounces once, and then falls with a clatter. Jonas runs up and picks it up.)
Jonas: Thanks Celis! Now then-
Falkor: P-please…
(Celis gets up, and starts to walk to the door.)
Celis: Let's leave him. We've got to catch up to Lord Blood Mask.
Jonas: …If you say so.
(They both walk to the door. Behind them, Falkor leaps up, and runs at them arms outstretched.)
Falkor: Yuh-you didn't let m-me finish! P-PLEASE D-DIE!
(Celis shoves her shoulder back, hitting Falkor right in the face. He falls back, blood drooling out of his mouth-hole.)
Celis: It's probably his nose bleeding. Let's get outta here.
(Celis and Jonas leave. All around them, Harsofol is being destroyed by the Blood Masks. Jonas looks pained.)
Celis: We don't have time. Where is ?
Jonas: As the staff showed…south-east of here. They must have used a magical incantation with the staff…
Celis: Magical incantation?
Jonas: The staffs must have the power to point to the two most powerful ones. The secret needs to just be unlocked by incantation.
Celis: …
(…)
Celis: How are we going to get to , anyway? Can we cross the river?
Jonas: I have a, erm, plan.
(Jonas holds up the Fire Staff. It glints in the hot sun…)
