Chapter 43: A Rough Transition
The morning was rough for me, I yawned so much and I barely kept myself awake. "I'm guessing my girl found out…" Ms. Ando came to me, alone. "Not really, she was just not wanting me to be alone with Serilly that night." I told her. She nodded to my answer and left my side. "*yawn* *sigh* This is not ideal for me…" I groaned. When I was just about to pass out, I had been struck with something. "Gyaaaagagagagaga! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I turned around. "Good, you're awake." Ringo came to my view. Fury began to override my tiredness during that time. "You know… there are better ways to have me stay awake without doing that!" "Dave, this is punishment for attempting to be alone with Serilly." "Ringo, I keep telling you… It's. NOT. What. It. Seemed. To. Be! Why won't you take my word for it?! Seriously, this whole thing has gone further beyond the typical jealousy one WOULD expect. And, even if I and Serilly did fall in love... how would it change anything? You're at least mostly cool with Feli and Draco being a part of this relationship too. Why are you like this?" "Dave it's… I-I dunno… I just don't know why I'm getting this jealous feeling from Serilly specifically." "Ringo, I want to make it clear to you that me and her are only friends. She's just grateful for me saving her and I now feel like we're even. The only reason why she isn't going back to the sea is because of Ris." "Yeah, I'm… sorry, Dave. I've been a bitch to you and I want to make amends." "Thank you, Ringo." We went our separate ways for the time being. Ringo said that she wanted to go and see how the others were doing. With Satan's help, she had been given a portal to take to Primp. Meanwhile, I stayed in Suzuran with Serilly. "Dave, where did Ringo go?" "She went to Primp Town to check up on our friends." "Oh. Well, can I talk to you about something?" "Yeah? Go on…" "Ever since I was released from that mind controlling stuff, I… I had this liking towards you. My dream from the first night here was about me wanting you." ...! Ms. Ando mentioned that Serilly was making those hugging motions in her sleep. Has she actually…? No, she only said that she was grateful for my actions. Serilly never said that she actually loved me. "I-is that so, Serilly?" "Yes. I denied it before in front of Ringo, but that's not how I truly feel for you. You are just… so amazing, and this chivalrous aura you emanate is unreal. This maiden's heart has fallen for you." "I'm flattered… but please, I don't love you the same. Can we… just be friends? I'm not saying that to be rude… I just... kind of have enough on my plate as it is…" "I see. No matter, I can still always count on you when I need help." "Yeah… ... I wonder how the others are doing right now. They're all at Primp, searching for this ore. I think Harpy is there too…" "Is she really, Dave?" "Well, we won't know for sure until Ringo comes back." We sat around for more time, making up topics to speak of along the way. Ms. Ando would occasionally listen to us talk. She never said anything, only hearing an occasional phrase or sentence from us, then leaving to do things around the house.
Ringo's POV
I saw Amitie and the rest toil away in search for the ore. "Ringo!" I heard Amitie notice me. "Hey, Amitie. Have you guys had any luck with finding ore?" "Not me, Ringo… this stuff must be rare as heck. I wish Dave was here, he would be a strong-willed worker in this." "Yeah, he would be… Say, y'know where Ex is around here?" "No… it's been a few hours since I've seen him, so I dunno. My best guess is that he's somewhere down that way." She pointed me in the likely direction. "Well, that's better than nothing… See ya around, Amitie." I walked away and waved.
Ex's POV
Looking for this ore proved to be a much bigger challenge than what any of us thought. "Phew… this is getting absurd. We dug this whole complex, and we still have not found even a nugget of this stuff." I said to myself. "Father, this is reeeally tiring…" Yui slowed down. "I know, Yui. The progress we have made so far has been minimal at best. Damn… is it really worth it trying to find the ore?" I questioned. "Satan said that it was in our best interest, so he has to be in the right about that." Rulue told me. "You really trust him, do you, Rulue?" I tested her trust in him. "Of course I trust him, he's someone that I love." She answered. "Love, huh? Well, that explains it. *chuckle* You have an interesting taste in men, I'll give you that." I admitted. "M-Mr. Ex…" Lidelle appeared before me. "Hm? What is it, Lidelle?" I knelt a little. "Th-this mining is brutal, my small body can't take anymore of this…" She cried a little. "... My goodness, you have scratches all over and your legs are shaking. Let's… take you outside." I took her. Along the way, I saw Amitie doing her own thing and she looked back at me. Me and Lidelle carried on further to the outside. "M-Mr. Ex… you care about us a lot, do you?" "Of course, Lidelle. I have two daughters now, so I have to really be an adult to take care of kids like you. Besides, I know how gentle and quiet you are. You're vulnerable to being verbally and physically harassed by bullies and such. I got to know that after I saved you and Raffina from those beach thugs. Remember that?" "Y-yes, I do… they were really scary." "But it's all good… because you have people like me and Dave who protect the weak." "Dave… ... Uh, Mr. Ex?" "Yeah?" "Where is Dave?" "Well… he should be in Suzu-" I heard a new voice enter the tunnel as I was saying that. "He IS over in Suzuran." It rang in my ears from the tunnel walls. "R-Ringo…?" I saw her come. "Yep, it's me." She answered my call. "So uh, what are you doing here?" I wondered. "Oh, I came by to see how you guys were doing." She said. "Um… how do I say this? None of us found any as of yet." I told her. "I-it's so painful to do…" Lidelle mentioned to her. "Not too surprising…" Ringo rolled with. "Yeah, um… I gotta get Lidelle outside for her to rest, Ringo. Sorry to make this talk short..." I went on, holding Lidelle's hand.
Raffina's POV
Son of a bitch… How much more of this digging and mining do we have to do to find this stupid kind of rock?! I haven't seen Lidelle in a while and I'm getting worried. What if she got lost in this damn tunnel? She would probably get assaulted by even the smaller creatures, like bats. Speaking of bats… there's one hanging upside-down over my head currently. I feel anxious to be near this bat for the amount of time I had here. But, I must persevere. Someone has to stand up for Lidelle… What kind of big girl can I be if I can't protect her, like that one time in the Puyo Isles? "This whole thing stinks…" I groaned. "Come now, Raffina… you shouldn't lose devotion to help." Tarutaru sat down to rest. "Tarutaru, I'm not losing devotion. I think you're looking too deep into this." I sighed. "This ore is supposed to help the dark mage fight off those Yogs. They'll be tough without it." He said. "But… this guy is a pervert, one with very sick fetishes." I rolled my eyes. "Pervert or not, if he is a good fighter... then it's a must to have him in a fit condition for this." He tried convincing me. "Whatever…" I scoffed.
Lemres' POV
Ever since I came back to Primp, me and the others had been minin' for this ore. Be it as it may, even though I used my Jawbreak Cannon attack to bust through parts of this place… there has been no luck so far. "Damn, man… this could take us forever…" I wiped some sweat off my forehead. "Ugh, what a pain…" Feli complained. "Feli, let's take a break…" I panted slightly. She nodded to my words and we sat. "Lemres, can this really make that dark mage become useful to us?" "If anythin' can help him, it's welcomed to him. Remember: The dark mage's old sword, the Sword of Darkness, broke on him." "Yeah, from that bastard, Vyle." "Even if he still had that blade, none of its makeup would do a damn thing to the Yogs." "It's like that guy's fortune is cursed. Luck and such never seem to be on his side..." "Yup, he never was somebody who had consistent luck on his side. Somethin' bad is usually happening to him. Speakin' of the dark mage… I think I should find 'n talk to him. He needs to know." "But, Lemres…! He's so stubborn! And, he's stupid at times too!" "Feli, how's he supposed to help if he doesn't know?" "Fine, go to him." "Good, I'll be back before ya know it." I left to go see him.
Klug's POV
"*sigh* Where is some motivation when I need some? Seriously, this entire time with digging for the ore has been absolutely dreadful. My hands are shaking from the constant mining. I need a break…" I sat down. After a minute or two passed, a voice came to me. "Klug?" "Oh, it's you, Ringo. I heard that this Yog was very strong and it took all of you guys to pin down the being." "Yeah, those lazer beams were not a joke. For a time, we were forced to take cover." "Even Dave?" "Even him." "At any rate, the first of these Yogs has been put out of commission for the time being. *sniff sniff sniff* Do you smell that?" I had brought to her attention. We looked around, grey stuff started to envelop the tunnel. "What the hell is this...? How can there be smoke down here? There isn't even a fire…" I was bewildered. "...! Klug, everyone here needs to get out!" Ringo yelled. "H-huh?! What's with the sudden urgency, Ringo?!" I jolted to a stance. "Just don't breathe in the smoke, I think that this is smoke from a wicked seed!" She assumed it to be. "You mean-?! Shit! Let's- *cough* -warn everybody!" I ran. We warned a majority of the group, but I didn't see Amitie, Ex, Lemres, Lidelle, or Sig anywhere. There's not much time! We need to get out before this smoke affects us all! Can I make it outside? Those who had made up our group came to the safety of the outside air. A series of coughing fits had lasted for a few seconds after that. "Phew... That was close…" I panted. "Klug? What happened to you guys?" Amitie looked at us in concern. "This seems like trouble…" Ex came by with Lidelle. Oh thank God, those three are safe. I still don't see Lemres or Sig though... "Amitie, a wicked seed might be in the tunnel!" Ringo elaborated. "A wicked seed?! But… Sig is still in there, he's the only one that I didn't see come out." Amitie had revealed that fact. "Oh dear, Sig is still in the tunnel?" Ms. Accord looked uneasy. "He's likely been affected by the smoke by meow." Popoi assumed. "S-Sig is not himself now?" Lidelle shivered. "We have to assume that it has to be the case, Lidelle. Damn! When was that seed placed in there?!" Raffina gritted her teeth. "So, if Sig is still in there... then where's Lemres?" I wondered. "He said that he went to go see the dark mage a little while ago." Feli came to me. "Yo, I'm back g- ... Uh, what's goin' on? Y'all look so…" Lemres stopped. "Lemres, we think there's a wicked seed producing smoke in there." I told him. "Eh?" His face became pale. He was caught up with the realization that Sig was not with the rest of us. "... We must go back in there and destroy the wicked seed, there's no other choice." Ex made up his mind. "What?! H-hold on, Ex! We don't have Carbuncle with us. Without him, it'll be practically impossible to destroy it. And without a way, we'll be inside pointlessly and be affected by that damn smoke." Ringo brought up. "Oh yeah… Where's Arle? We need her here ASAP!" He requested. "*sigh* I'll go get her…" Ms. Rulue begrudgingly opted. We waited with bated breath for her to return. "Geez… you've gotta be kidding me guys, there's a Yog in there?" A voice came up. "A-Arle!" Amitie turned around. "I hope that this Yog is only here by coincidence… If it turns out that they knew that we would be searching for the ore, I swear to God-!" I stopped Feli and calmed her. "It doesn't matter if the Yog is or is not here by chance, Feli. What matters is that we need to deal with that wicked seed first and foremost." I prioritized matters. "Well said, that's why we brought Arle and Carbuncle here today." Ex faced himself towards the cave. "One problem does remain though… As long as we don't know where the wicked seed is in there, it will take us time to find it. The longer that we stay in there, the more we are affected by the smoke." Ms. Accord pointed out. "That is irritating…" Ms. Rulue admitted. "Wait, I remember seeing Dave not being affected by that gunk in the ocean with his armor on. He touched a controlled Serilly, but he was perfectly fine. I don't understand how that can be..." Arle remembered. "What…? You mean to say that he was… unaffected by it, Arle?" Ex looked back. "He had it all over his hands, but nothing happened to him." She described. "I see... *chuckle* I might've found a solution to this issue. Hrrah!" He transformed. "What's the plan then?" Amitie wondered. "Well, my body is completely covered in this armor now, meaning that no outside gases or whatever can get inside… at least, not very easily." He explained in detail. "No way… usin' the armor as a gas mask?" Lemres realized. "Correct. Now, there's one other thing we should clear up, so that we know for sure... Arle, is there a chance that Carbuncle can affected by the smoke?" Ex faced Arle. "It doesn't seem like he's affected… Carby should be fine." She answered. "Good. Carbuncle, how about we go and destroy the wicked seed in there?" He held out his hand to him. "Gu!" The little one ran up to Ex's shoulder. "I guess that means he's on board..." He assumed. "M-Mr. Ex, please come out of this in one piece…" Lidelle wished. "Don't worry, Lidelle. He's a strong person, he won't go down without a fight." Raffina cheered her up. "See you guys later." He left.
Ex's POV
I walked around for a while in the tunnel, but I did have to worry about anything. The smoke couldn't leak inside my armor. The main thing on my mind was an obvious one. If I were a Yog, where would I put a wicked seed? Actually, I don't even know what these things look like. But… maybe Carbuncle remembers what they look like. He'll notice one if he sees it. Up ahead, I can see a shadow of a person creeping around. "Is that… Sig?" I questioned myself. Carbuncle remained quiet as I went in carefully for a closer look. Huh? I sense something off about the boy. It's… not him! Damn this smoke, it's gotten to him. "Who's there?" His head turned. Looks like my large amount of energy has been noticed… "Me. Now, I demand that you release him from your control, Yog!" I showed myself. "Why would I do that? He serves as a form of security. Let me guess... you are after the wicked seed that I made, correct?" It made him speak. "Tch. You're right on the money…" I stepped closer. "If you want to get to the wicked seed, you'll have to go through him first." It continued. "Bullshit! I'm not hurting one of Dave's companions! Get the hell out of my way!" I attempted to dash past. The controlled Sig managed to grab and toss me toward the other way. I used my wings to stop myself from hitting anything. I can't afford to have my armor sustain critical damage. If a hole gets made from any dents, smoke will start to leak inside. If I can't get through, I'll just have to knock the body unconscious. "Rrr! Take this!" I smacked the back of Sig's head, causing the body to fall to the ground. "... Okay, he's still breathing. Phew, thank goodness… Carbuncle, do you know where the wicked seed might be?" "Gugu..." He shook his body to tell me that it was a negative. "I see... Where have I not been to?" I continued to search about until I decided to believe that the wicked seed was somewhere deeper. That's when I noticed: The smoke became thicker than before, almost to the point where it became difficult to see things. "God, this is getting thick… Carbuncle, hop on my shoulder again, so that we don't become separated." "Gugu!" "It doesn't help that this tunnel's huge... What if we keep going in cir- Hey, what's that...?" I squinted as hard as I could, trying to see what was beyond the fumes that surrounded us. "*gasp* Is that…?" "Gu…?" Getting within close proximity proved my assumption, it was the wicked seed that we were looking for. "THIS is what wicked seeds look like?! … Carbuncle, destroy that seed!" "Gugu gu!" He fired his beam at it, which caused an explosion. "Woah!" I covered myself. "... I-is it gone?" I checked around and the smoke quickly receded into nothingness. "I guess it is… Damn, that thing blew up violently..." I sighed in relief and went back to where Sig was. "Let's get him out of here, he might've suffered a concussion from that strike." "Gu!" I carried him outside, where the others still remained. "S-Sig!" Amitie rushed to Sig's side. "He should be fine, barring a smack to the head I gave him. The smoke obviously got to Sig, and the Yog controlling his body wouldn't let me pass. I was left without much of a choice in the end. We were able to find and take out the wicked seed. Now I know why they're called by that, they look… sinister. There's not much else in the way of words that can give their description justice." I reported. "That's great and all, but there has to be a Yog nearby. If we don't get it, it'll have time to make another seed and that's not good for us." Arle brought to our attention. "Wherever it might be, I'll kick it into oblivion!" Raffina swore. "At ease, Raffina. We don't know where we can find the Yog, even if it is close to us." Rulue stopped Raffina from trying to go off by herself. "Lemres, what happened when you talked to the dark mage?" Feli asked him. "Well… I told him about the ore, but he said that he didn't want a replacement sword. To him, it seemed the Sword of Darkness was the only blade that he ever wanted to wield. Plus, he felt disgusted n' offended by the thought of holdin' one with light powers." He dropped on her. "I mean, it's Schezo, of course he's gonna be stubborn about this. Why wouldn't he be?" Arle sighed. "I swear, he's so detestable in that way…" Rulue agreed. "Hold on, could you one of you guys have me go back to Suzuran for a minute? I think we'll need Dave to convince Schezo to help." Ringo announced. "Sure, Ringo. Here you go... This portal will last for a few minutes and it's just outside your home." I made for her. "Sweet, I'll quickly come back with him!" Ringo said before jumping in.
Dave's POV
Me and Serilly relaxed while resting on the couch. "Dave, when will Ringo be back? It's been a while…" Serilly wondered. "I'm sure she's finishing things up at the moment, Serilly…" I told her. And that's when the door opened up. "Well, I stand corrected… she's already done, apparently." I looked up. "Dave, come with me, we need you." Ringo grabbed my hand. "Huh? W-woah, slow it down for just a second, Ringo… What's happening over there?" I stopped her. "Look, there's no time to explain until I get you into that portal. It'll close soon, so move it!" She told me clearly. "Serilly, it looks like I won't come back for a while. Take care of yourself until then, okay?" I wanted her to promise. "Sure." Serilly nodded. Ringo and I left for the portal. She told me what was going on on the other side. Why am I not surprised? Of course there would be a Yog there… And of COURSE Schezo would be stubborn, this is nothing new. We popped out and I got looks from all over. "*sigh* Why did this have to happen? Don't worry, guys. I'll get Schezo to help us, whether he likes it or not. Both Suzuran and Primp are at stake and he has to help us." I assured everyone, transforming and flying off to Schezo's cave.
Rulue's POV
I watched as Dave flew off in the distance. That Sig boy soon opened his eyes, getting up in confusion. "H-huh? Where am I?" He wondered in an emotionless tone. "Sig, you were controlled by one of the bad dimensional thingies. Ex brought you out of your daze and from the cave." Amitie held out her hand. "Well, that sucks. But… thank you for bringing me back to my senses." He thanked Ex. "No problem." He nodded to him. "Let's get you out of here, Sig… Lidelle you're coming with me too. Time to head back to Primp." Feli opted to escort those two away from here. "No, I'll bring them back. It's more efficient if I do it, Feli." Ex denied her. "There he goes again, shouldering anything that Dave doesn't…" I sighed. Ex flew off with the two kids hanging on. "He is a man of responsibility, Ms. Rulue." Accord walked up to me. I wasn't sure what to think of this. Sure, I knew Ex was very powerful… but you would think that less powerful individuals would be given more to do than mostly sitting around. It just felt so weird to me that even I wasn't doing this kind of thing. It goes to show how far both him and Dave have gone in their quest: To become strong and protect two worlds."Maybe Satan's right… Dave and Ex might be the only ones who truly are capable of saving Primp and Suzuran from these new Yogs." I figured. "Don't get down on yourself, we instructors have a duty too. We have students to protect when Dave and Ex cannot. And, I'm even saying this for the case of Ms. Witch as well. Throughout the years of teaching Amitie and the other wonderful students I got to meet… I became better myself. I wanted to be better because I felt more attached to those kiddies as time went on. Surely, you must have the same thing for Dave specifically. You care for him a lot, don't you?" Accord found the time to say. "U-um, what are you talking about? I just admire him as a strong young man." I became hot under the collar. "Don't try to deny it, Rulue. You are watching out for his well-being. You experienced his emotional breakdowns in the past, even mentioning that Dave was a "crybaby" to us." She said. "O-oh, is that so? I guess I forgot that I said so myself…" I laughed awkwardly. "Do you have olde tymers already, meow?" Her cat asked me. "Shut it, cat. That was a rude question, I'm still quite young for your information. Hmph!" I scoffed. "You must be wondering how Ms. Witch is doing. She has been… complaining about being trapped." Accord brought up. "I could've guessed that had been the case, but this is what she gets for taking advantage of Dave behind our backs…" I tilted my head from side to side.
Dave's POV
I landed at the cave enterance, readying myself in convincing Schezo. This dude needs to know when to help and rely on others… Schezo, I will change you, here and now. If I have to end up doing things the hard way for him, then so be it! I walked inside. He must have heard my footsteps from a good distance, because he yelled out. "Who is it now?!" "Schezo, it's me." "... You... Why are YOU here, Dave? Are you going to mock me for having no sword anymore? Or... are you going to lecture to me that I should embrace the power of light; even though I am a dark mage, just as Comet Warlock told me?" "I'll do more than what Lemres tried to do, I'll make it be so." "As long as I have a will of my own... that will NEVER happen, Dave! Just go away! Why are you guys so intent on having me join in this?! Sure, I fought against Yogs in the past, but I would only be getting in your way. Besides, this is your problem, not mine. I don't care if all of Primp and Suzuran are at stake. I would rather die than have myself suffer and fight to pointlessly survive. I was never a hero to begin with, so why?! Why are you still trying to get me to help?!" "Schezo... have you ever considered why dark magic is powerful in the first place?" "Why is it powerful in the first place? *chuckle* Dave, are you stupid? Of course I know why it's like that. It's because the darkness is an unparalleled tool of annihilation." Schezo mocked my supposed stupidity. "I used to think that was the why in all of this, but I think we were both wrong, Schezo." "How so?" "Think about it: Darkness can't exist without light... and the same can be said in vice-versa. Both of these cannot be without the other. They coexist indefinitely together and this coexistence cannot be severed. It's like a never-ending conflict, raging on since the start of time." "Oi, enough with the philosophical shit! Your point being...?" "*sigh* Don't you see? The potential of enhancing your dark powers with light… IT'S THERE!" "I am a dark mage, I would never stoop to using light powers!" "Oh really? Just like how you would supposedly never stoop to violating females at night, like Arle?" "What…? I-I don't know what you are talking about. I may very well be what most people would label as a pervert, but I don't go and violate women." "That is a bold-faced lie, Schezo! I heard from Arle that you snuck into her house to do just that. Luckily, she caught on just in time and chased you out. That brings me to another reason why I'm here. Put 'em up, we're having a fist fight!" "*sigh* What's the point? You would win in the end anyway. If I couldn't beat you with the Sword of Darkness… then how can I possibly stand a chance with only my hands?" "Then I'll just beat some sense into you!" "Dave, this is all completely pointless. Go back to your friends and deal with those Yogs without me." I began beating his face in and gave a long-winded speech. For a while, he just did not break. He just did not want to be a part of this whatsoever. However, I refused to give up. "*pant pant*" "Do you- *cough* *hack* -see? Nothing that you say or do will change me, Dave." I channeled my inner spirit and called in a new power to use on Schezo. "… Mind Shift." I flashed my hand, then brought the lit up palm in front of Schezo. "...? Wh-what the hell is going ooooooon?!" He exclaimed.
Author's Notes: A wicked seed was planted while many of the characters were continuing to search for the ore needed for Schezo's new sword. Lemres left to go see the dark mage, only to come back and see the others outside the tunnel. Schezo denied the request that Lemres brought to him: To help everyone else in defeating the Yogs. This led to the group ultimately making the decision to bring in Dave to convince him. Our lead enters the dark mage's cave and some initial persuasion didn't seem to do the trick. Dave forced himself to try out this new thing of his called "Mind Shift". What did it do to Schezo though? Next chapter, Chapter 44: Being put to the Test.