Chapter 24: What it Truly Means to be a Dark Mage

We searched non-stop for Schezo's cave. No matter which outer portion of the woods we looked, Me and Feli couldn't find it. "*pant* Hold on, Dave... let's take a break." She requested. "A-alright, we're not making progress anyway, so we might as well." We sat together, against a tree and looking up to the sky. "Feli, this place is tranquil… the peace, the plants and animals…" "Yeah, the breeze is like that too." I don't know why, but I started to sing about the current state of the forest. "Oooooooh~... This world is the embodiment of tranquility... this quiet and little forest. All living things have a kindred spirit, deep-down inside. It is that very spirit, which fuels this exact tranquil feeling. It's only something one would understand… if they experience that... for themselves~..." Feli stared at me in awe. "You can sing?" "Of course, music is a passion that I had back in my world, Feli." "Well, I think you're a wonderful singer." "O-oh, really?" I blushed from that compliment. I didn't think I sang that well, but she seemed to like it. "You look cute when you make that innocent face, Dave." I continued to blush until we hear rustling. "...! W-who's there?!" I panicked. "Relax, it's me." I veered my head to see the source of the voice. "Y-you...?" I saw a figure jump down from another tree. It was Rulue.

She must have followed us as we took off for Schezo's cave. "What are you doing here?" I asked her. "I should ask you that very question. It's dangerous to be in these woods, since this is where those rabid Puyos came from. Who knows what else could be lurking here... I saw you two dash through, after leaving behind that other guy with Tarutaru." "So you saw that… That one guy was Lemres, an… acquaintance of Schezo's. Feli told me that he received a bullet through his arm, from an attacker lurking in the shadows. Because of that, we had Tarutaru take him to a hospital ASAP." "Why though, Dave? Couldn't you have done that, yourself?" "No, we had another thing planned for this afternoon. Unfortunately, Lemres' injury threw a wrench in the plan. Lemres was going to be like a bargaining chip of sorts. For what, you may ask? Schezo. …" I explained this rest of what we wanted from Schezo to Rulue. "I see now... but, that same attacker may be shifting around here… What if that poor girl gets shot next? Besides, I doubt that pervert, Schezo, will be listening to what you have to say. I know him, and he's a very stubborn person… Ugh, it pisses me off just thinking about him." "Don't worry, I'll protect Feli if things go to that with the attacker… and, Schezo DID save us all by destroying those Puyos. I think it's warranted to thank him as well, even if he's not the nicest person." "*sigh* Fine, go. Not without me though, he'll need some... persuasion. Plus, you two seem to be lost, so I'll guide you to his cave." I nodded to Rulue, letting her join us.

It took us a while, but there it was. "This cave's bigger than I thought…" I spoke in surprise. "Is he in there?" Feli checked. "*sigh* Let me. I'll get him running out here in a flash." Rulue took over. "Hyyyyyyah!" She pounded the earth surrounding the cave, causing the area to shake. "What the hell is this?!" Schezo's voice bellowed from the cave. We see him run out in a panic before he looks at us. "Rise and shine, Schezo~..." Rulue majorly taunted him, grinning at his expense. After seeing what truly went down, he got extremely angry. "Ruuuulue…! How DARE you mess with me and my cave! What is your justification for doing this shit?! And YOU! Why are you here, Dave?!" This was the angriest that I've seen Schezo be. I mean, that was for a good reason. It was his home and that shaking probably made it cave in a bit. "N-now hold on, Schezo! I have a good reason, just calm down, okay?" I was assuring him. "Hahaha... calm down? CALM DOWN?! That was my place of residence! What makes you three think that you can go and ruin it?!" He was so furious that he leapt at and rapidly punched me. "Ouch! Ack! Help! Get this lunatic off of me!" I pleaded. Rulue and Feli each took hold of one of his arms, then pulled him away. "If you hurt Dave anymore… then I'll make you shit your pants and regret doing it." Feli glared at him. "Grr… Dammit! Why can't I just be left alone?" Schezo questioned to himself. "That… is precisely why we came, to make you no longer lonely… and live a normal life." I told him.

This caused a rather negative exchange of words to play out. "Dave, you still don't get it… I WANT TO LIVE ALONE! No more friendship crap, and no staying together like a family… I hate being with other people! End of story!" "Even if those people are thankful for what you did?" "Tch... I did that Puyo extermination yesterday, strictly for my own benefit. I don't care for you or anyone else." "Not even Lemres?" "Sh-shut up, don't twist things! My relation to him is only mutual because of my respect for his magic power. I DON'T treat him as a "friend"." Rulue was right, Schezo's stubbornness goes a long way. "You know, your cave wouldn't be in shambles right now if you weren't so stubborn. This is why others hate your attitude, because you act like such a jackass! That's all thanks in part, due to your seclusion from society. And, as if that wasn't bad enough… not being around other people gives you a less than desirable position to be social. Hence, you sound like a pervert to those. All from your self-imposed stipulations… why do this to yourself? We can help you… It may take a while, but I know that people will like you if you bother to change, Schezo … What do you say?" He looked at me, as though I were crazy. "Are you high? I'll admit it, you do make a convincing argument… but please, you do remember that I am a dark mage, right?" "*sigh* It's clear that you don't see eye-to-eye with us, Schezo. I'll make a deal with you, and it involves putting our conflicting ideologies regarding your well-being to the test." "What kind of test, Dave?" "A fight. If I win, you'll have to try being more social and make friends with people." "Very well, should I be victorious in this… then you will leave me alone, FOREVER!" "Then it looks like we both accept these terms." We stared each other down as we readied for a brawl.

Feli and Rulue released him from their grip. "You may have bested me before… but I can assure you, that will NOT happen again. Things are going to be different in this round..." After saying that, I applied my strong dragon armor. "... because of this, Schezo." "I can feel a powerful aura from you, you're not bluffing." "Of course not, why would I do that now of all times?" "Tch. Whatever... Here I come!" Schezo ran toward me. "Haaaaa!" His sword swiped against me. "Heh, nice knife you got there. It's too bad that it didn't do anything." "Th-this cannot be! Grr...! Fine then, Thunderstorm!" "! Ack-! I'll show you…! Cryogenic Bomb!" "Ah! Cold, cold, COLD!" Our onslaughts continued going back and forth, like a game of tennis. "Star Strike!" That attack ended me the last time me and Schezo fought, I couldn't afford to get hurt by it. I used my blade as a shield, to which it broke. "Damn!" "So you had a sword too… Heh. Such a shame that it didn't stand up to MY dark magic." "You motherfucker… get over here!" I jetted to him for a punch, he almost didn't see it coming. "Rrrrrrrr!" "Th-that speed-! Argh!" His body slammed against that cave's entrance. "Ugh... This isn't over yet!" He was going to jump to me. At that moment, I thought of something really cheeky to do. I lured him to jump towards where Rulue was, by taunting. "You-! Raaaaaaaah!" Then, I simply just sidestepped out of the way, and waited for things to ensue. "Gyaaaah!" Rulue saw him coming toward her. "Woooooah! Look out!" He fell on top of her, with a hand on one of her breasts. "Y-You… DERANGED PERVERT! Do not defile the body of the one and only fighting queen!" She uppercutted the shit out of the poor bastard. "Oof-! Yaaaaaaah!" The dark mage flew up high into the air, then landed on the ground in major pain. "Holy fuck… Now I know for sure in the future... do not piss her off." I whispered to myself. "Hmph! Seriously… he's such a degenerate at times." Rulue complained. "Woah, I think you knocked him out..." Feli reacted. "Well, that's what he gets for being so reckless. It's only natural that he pays for violating a woman's body, namely mine." I may have beaten him, but he passed out in the process. So we had to wait for him to get back up. Meanwhile, I decided to deactivate my armor and make some small talk. Though, I ended up getting way more than what I originally bargained for.

"Hey, Ms Rulue-" She stopped my words. "Just... call me Rulue when we're not at school." "O-okay. So um, Rulue… I'm just curious, how long have you known Schezo for?" "That… I've known him for several years. I believe I first met him when he was just fourteen... so seven years ago." She told me. "He would be twenty-one now, right?" I thought back to time at the strip club. He WAS actually old enough to go, regardless of special perks. "Yes, but he wasn't always the pervert that you see now… In truth, this was before he became a dark mage. We crossed paths after this one event that occurred… As a seventeen-year old, I was kidnapped by a vampire lord, known simply as Count. This was also when I met Satan for the first time. I found him sulking in a secluded corner of Count's Castle. He carried on about Carbuncle being taken away from him by the count." "Huh? But isn't Carbuncle… Arle's companion?" "*sigh* I guess she didn't tell you… She claimed the little guy as her own a while after this story took place. Before then, Carbuncle was Satan's pet. He loved him so much for how adorable he was... Anyway, I wanted to help him by killing Count off, to which I did. Navigating that castle was strenuous and time-consuming, fighting countless monsters besides that damn vampire lord. Satan thanked me greatly, then I fell in love with him. I left the castle and wandered about for days on end, looking for a way back home. That's when I saw a boy, Schezo. He looked lost, as much I was… we talked about our solo journeys. His was similar to mine, except it was being pulled into a mirror that he viewed for himself. At least, that's what he claimed to be the case. It was a day where he and classmates of his were on a school trip. Thinking that someone was calling out to him, the "voice" led him to the very mirror that was mentioned. Trapped in a dungeon, he learned to use dark magic. He traversed through it, slaying monsters... and he then caught a glimpse of the "Sword of Darkness". She told the story before stopping for a couple of seconds.

That must be Schezo's sword, then... "Upon defeating it, he gained the ability to wield it for himself. With these newly obtained strengths, he escaped in one piece. The mirror showed Schezo his future as a dark mage. His teacher found and scolded him for being separated from the others, then dragged him away. He released himself from her grasp and ran away, never to be seen again by her, or his fellow students. We both realized how similar our stories were, just with a few key differences. Be as it was though... he left me after we had that talk, saying that he'll become an all-powerful dark mage. This was the origin story of how me and Schezo knew one another. Now you know, Dave…" I was left sitting there, dumbfounded from the story. Feli listened to the tale as well, just as dumbfounded as I. "So that sword Schezo holds now…" I guessed. "Yeah, it's the Sword of Darkness. A one-of-a-kind blade that was forged with dark magic. I never knew how it came to be... however, I've heard that this relic has the power to do almost anything that the user desires." Rulue finished. "A weapon enveloped in pure darkness…" Feli observed it. "Oooooough…" We saw Schezo waking up in a daze. "Oh good, you're up." I said. "Fuck…" He shook his head. "...! Dave, you WEASEL! You did that on purpose so I would lose!" He accused me. I thought it would be best to play innocent. "Huh? I don't know what you mean, Schezo." "Do not feign ignorance, Dave! You deliberately taunted me, so that I would jump at Rulue. And you casually dodged at the last second to make sure that happened." "Are you seriously insinuating that I purposefully made you jump at her? Please, I was simply trying to keep my distance. There's nothing wrong with that, right? All I wanted was to defend myself from you, that's it. There's no ulterior motive involving my actions. It just seems like more of a coincidence that you landed on top of Rulue, don't you agree?" "Bah! Fine, be that way if you wish, dirty rat." "Now, now. What did I say as the condition of you losing to me?" "That I would be more of a normal human, in a nutshell?" "Essentially." "..." I knew that Schezo hated this, but in my mind, it was for the best that he changes. "We'll start with that tomorrow, Schezo… take note of it." I informed him. "Tch." He scoffed. I gestured to Feli and Rulue. "Come on, we're leaving." They nodded and we left Schezo where he was.

Schezo's POV

I dealt with the pain that Dave inflicted onto me. "Argh… Goddammit. I had the Sword of Darkness, but even that didn't do jackshit. DAMMIT!" I was so angry, I thought that one or a few of my veins would burst from emotional tension. "I'm so mad, I want to kill myself! I can't live with the fact that Dave is better than me..." I was going to go through with it too. I aimed the sword to my own stomach, preparing for suicide. Just when the blade was about to puncture my skin, a voice stopped me. "Stop, Schezo." "! W-who goes there?! Expose yourself this instant!" "You should be familiar with who I am, listen to this voice… what do you hear?" "S-Satan?!" "Ding, Ding, Ding! Correct!" He appeared before me, flying with his wings. "What do you want?" I asked him unenthusiastically. "Sheesh, lighten up. It's true that Dave defeated you, but he felt like he had to." He said. "Why?" I piled the questioning more on him. "He thought that you changing would be for the best. Even I admit it, you're quite… detestable to deal with at times." He elaborated. "What did you say to me?!" I drew out my blade. "Relax, Dark Mage. I don't want to fight you, especially not in the condition you're in." "I can take care of myself, Satan. I don't need or want help from others… you should already know that by now." "That's why I feel more inclined to do so. Here, let me show you…" He grabbed me and started to fly. "H-hey! What the hell are you doing?!" I flailed about. "Look, Schezo." He urged me.

We saw Dave walking away from my cave, talking to those two. "Let's listen in, shall we?" He made it possible for us to hear Dave's conversation, even though we were many meters high in the air. "Dave, I'm still not sure if Schezo can really improve himself." Rulue told him. "Don't worry, it'll be difficult for sure… but, I know that there's a bright side to the evil residing in his heart and spirit. I feel it as a small flicker of light. It barely shines within the darkness, holding on for hope." He assured her. "You seem to be confident with changing that dark mage…" Feli spoke with her own doubts. "Yes seriously, how does this guy expect to make me "better" ?" I questioned. "Schezo, keep listening." Satan urged me once more. "Fine." I said, keeping my mouth shut. "He'll find a way to wield the darkness, rather than being used by it, Feli." Dave pressed on. "What do you mean by that?" She asked him. "Feli, Schezo's spirit is unconsciously letting the darkness run wild. His mentality is clouded by a lust for absolute power. As anyone should know, lust can be a deadly sin. It also goes a little in tandem with gluttony. I guess you can say by alternative… he's a power-hungry glutton." He finished. "WHAT?! The nerve of-!" I got cut off. "Schezo, I sense trouble heading Dave's way, we need to go help him." Satan advised. "Bah, he can hold his own! He defeated pathetic, old me not too long ago." "No, I sense a ravenous form of energy near him. It's imperative that we join him and Rulue." He dipped us down as quickly as he could.

Dave's POV

I talked to Rulue and Feli about how Schezo is currently. At that moment, I heard a voice from above. "Dave! You are in danger, be on your guard!" I looked up to see who it was. It wasn't just one person, but rather, two. "Satan?! What are you-? And Schezo?!" I reacted. "Over there, from that brush, I feel an overwhelming power." He said. Upon hearing that, I activated my strong armor on the spur. "Alright pussy, show yourself! If you're so strong, why hide from us?!" I called out. We saw a figure emerge from the brush, one I knew. "! M-Maguro?! What the hell are you doing here? You should be in prison where you belong!" I lashed my words out. "Hehehe! It's nice to see you again after… how long has it been? Like a month or so?" He joked. "Maguro… I don't know how you could've escaped… but, I'm putting you back in your place, craven!" I threatened him. "Oooooo~ I'm sooooo scared." The bastard sarcastically spoke. "*sigh* Satan, is Maguro the source of this energy that you speak of?" I asked him. "No, he's not." He confirmed. "Start talking! Who else is with you?" I pressed Maguro. "… …" He stayed silent. "Answer me, dammit!" I demanded. "Wait Dave, look at his hand over there." Feli said. "Wh-what?! A gun?! So YOU were the one who shot Lemres!" I gritted my teeth. "Yeah, I admit it." Maguro told me the hard truth. "Why...? Why?!" I grew impatient. "Chill, man. It was so that I could lure you into the forest." "What the hell, Maguro?! I would have gone in there regardless… Why did you need me?!" "It was so that I could lead you to my new master." "Master?" "Yeah, you heard me." "Where is this person?" "In the bushes right now... listening to this very discussion, Dave." Maguro called for his master to appear. "Behold, mortals. I am all-powerful and not one to be trifled with…" The figure spoke. "N-no… It's him…!" Rulue couldn't believe it. "Wait… Rulue?" I was confused. "Dave, he's none other than the vampire lord that I told you of... Count." She explained. "What?! But, that's impossible…! You killed him! Also that sunlight should be turning him into dust! How is he thriving in it?!" I brought up.

The count noticed Rulue with us. "Ah, so you were that girl that fought me in years past. And to address the elephant in the forest... I have found a way to be insensitive to the sun's rays." He showed himself more. "Tell me, Count… how the hell are you alive? Me and Satan both saw you in a dead state after I defeated you." She wondered. "Yes, yes. I understand your confusion… You see, I faked my own death so that I could go into hiding for these years. I found a portal that led me to this world, and it was the perfect thing that I needed. That fight made my power dwindle to a fraction of what it was before then. I preyed on the weak here, recovering myself… slowly, but surely. Now, I am at full strength once again. Plus, I plan to go further beyond. I was granted a new name by those who I am working for, Count Vyle. A fitting name, considering that I AM quite vile." He laughed at us. "Vyle, you monster…" Satan grew angry at the count. "Hm? Say, Ruler of the Puyo Underworld. You seem different now, compared to how you were back then… What had become of your evil? I thought you had your own vile agenda to fill out." The count wondered. "I'm not like you, I am a dignified and benevolent ruler. Besides, Dave here allowed me to grow into who I am now." Satan pointed to me. "Ah-! That armor…! Impossible, a new Demonic Dragon Warrior?" "Vyle, I may be a demon now, but my heart and spirit are not filled with evil and darkness. Instead, they're fueled with hope and justice! That's where actual power manifests from, not darkness." "Ha! I see. Regardless, I feel your power… it pales in comparison to mine." "What…?" I didn't believe his words for a second.

"Allow me to show you… … … The acidic black haze begins to form… Come, if it is dormancy you seek. Bat Storm, go." Vyle summoned a swarm of bats to sick on me. "Seriously? A bunch of bats won't put me away." I stood my ground. "Dave, no! Don't let those touch you!" Satan warned me. "Wh-?!" The bats came in too fast for me to see clearly. "Dammit, get off of me!" I pulled on them. They bunched up together while sticking to me. I felt a shock emanating from the bats, it was very painful. "AAAAAAAGH!" I fell down on my stomach instantly and discovered that I was paralyzed. My arms and legs didn't move and my body stayed on the ground. "Sh-shit…" I couldn't do anything, I was helpless. "Bastard!" Satan attacked the count. "Cataclysm!" His attack managed to do something, but not a whole lot. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Satan, you have become soft. Even back then, you did a bit of significant damage to me. However, now as it stands, you don't match me in any capacity. I'm sure the new Demonic Dragon Warrior would have fit the bill… but I didn't take a chance. I incapacitated the fool for assurance of my victory." He spoke. "Guys, run while you still can… that includes you, Satan. Go…! I can't move anywhere, my body is paralyzed. "No, we're not leaving you like this, Dave!" He insisted. "I'm too heavy to be carried right now... And for some reason, I can't turn off my armor. Just please go, for your own sakes...!" I pleaded. "Dammit! We are taking you with us whether you want it or not! We can't have you needlessly die on us." Rulue told me. "Schezo, Feli… help us…!" Satan requested, trying to lift me. "Oh? Are you running away?" Vyle wondered. "They're too scared of ya." Maguro replied to him. "Heh. Perhaps they are…" He smiled viciously. "Vyle, don't think that this is over… this is but a tactical retreat. We'll return to destroy your ass, Lord of Vampires!" Satan swore.

All four of my allies carried me and ran as fast as they could. For a while, they trucked on. "*pant* Okay, I think we lost them…" Rulue believed. They started to slow to a stop, putting me down to rest themselves. "Ough… I seriously hope I don't have to do THAT ever again…" Schezo bitched. "Stop your whining, Dark Mage… we all wish not to do something similar to that in the future." Satan promptly shuts him up. "*pant* Dave, how are you feeling?" Feli asked me. "This paralysis has not faded, Feli… Satan, what did Vyle do to me?" I wondered. "Vyle has this power to permanently paralyze anyone, by using his bat friends. However, it only works on people who are weak enough to have their muscles fried. Basically, the electrical charge was overwhelming. As a result, your arms and legs are now holders of too much of that charge. They lost the will to move because of that." He elaborated. "So… am I stuck like this forever?" I asked him. "There is a way to remove it, but we need to seek help from the dead." "Why the dead?" "Ghosts absorb electromagnetism for energy, which that is a byproduct left over in your body right now." He finished. "I know a duo of ghosts that could help us with that." Feli said. "! You do?!" I reacted. "Well then, this is a surprise… If you know where to find them, then lead us the way." Satan implored her. "Alright, let's continue carrying Dave." She lead the others. "Come oooooon!" Schezo complained. "Shut up, Schezo. Deal with it, so that you can become a better person. This is a debt you owe after I saved your ass, while in a weak state." I glared at him. "Tch." He scoffed. I was carried off to where Feli was leading us to.

Author's Notes: Dave fought Schezo for a second time. In this scuffle, he managed to win with the use of taunting. Schezo begrudgingly goes with Dave's proposition, hating it all the while. Satan joins the dark mage as they fly to listen in on a conversation. However, he sensed an extremely powerful force near Dave, Feli, and Rulue. This force was Count Vyle, the vampire lord who kidnapped Rulue when she was seventeen. He shocked Dave and the gang went ahead to retreat, carrying him along the way. Satan mentioned that ghosts can absorb excess electromagnetic energy. This prompted Feli to say that she knew two ghosts, so she has the others follow her lead. What is to be of Dave? And who is this ghost duo Feli spoke of? Next chapter, Chapter 25: A Ghostly Yin and Yang.