Chapter 49: The Second Yog
We kept following Nohoho until we reached a small village of sorts. "You live here?" Arle looked about. "At this point, yes. After being dragged from the world we were both from, Arle… I lost my way of living. That was the case before this showed up. This is a village where frog creatures of all kinds can live in harmony." Nohoho explained. "Ribbit! Ribbit!" A smaller frog uttered. "*gasp* It's Dongurigaeru! How are you doing, you cute little thing?" Schezo ran up to and softly caressed it. "Donguri- who now?" I raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you know each other?" Nohoho got curious. "...? *throat clear* Something like that…" Schezo stopped and blushed out of embarrassment. "Why does it look like that?" I wondered. "Dave, Dongurigaeru is an acorn frog. He's an interesting frog, but he can only say "ribbit"." Amitie whispered to me. "Ah, okay." I whispered back. "So… where's the place that you saw the eyeball at?" Rulue reminded Nohoho. "Oh, um… over here." He led us. "Well, isn't this the most ominous sight…" Arle got a chill. "I'm… inclined to agree, Arle. This is... unsettling to say the least." Rulue nodded slowly. What we had been looking at was a cellar for a house right by Nohoho's. "The eye just kind of entered here and has stayed since two days ago." The frog said. "Two days ago? … That was a day before we were trying to look for the ore!" Ex realized. "...! No way... So THIS is where the Yog hid before and after placing that seed in the tunnel…" I couldn't believe it. "How did it even get in there? Aren't these cellar doors usually supposed to be locked?" Yui examined the door. "I guess the Yog used a tiny bit of dimensional travel. It only needed to get to the other side of this door. Unlocking it wouldn't really be possible for a Yog, and it's more convenient for it to "phase" through, in technical terms." Ex figured. "That definitely sounds possible, Ex… knowing these things." Satan nodded to him. "Does the method of entry really matter here? We're not solving a breaking and entering crime here; we're taking down a Yog." Schezo sighed. "Right. We need to stop it ASAP." I nodded.
I led the way below, with my armor still on. Not everyone went in, Schezo opted to stay behind. The reason behind that decision of his was pretty obvious at this point. Each step that we took, the place echoed. By the time that we reached the bottom, many of us became cold from the area. "Jeez! Why is this place so cooold?!" Raffina complained. "Brrgh! Goddamn, it's cold as shit in here!" Witch's body shook from this chill. "Ugh, even compared to outside… the near-winter surface world has nothing on this." Ex rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, and I can see your guy's breaths. Now… I'm in my armor, so I don't really know how cold it is in here." I said. "L-let's just f-find the Yog and get the h-hell out of here." Rulue chattered. "I-I'd rather not get turned into a p-popsicle in a creepy cellar like this." Amite frowned. "M-me neither, Amitie…" Arle agreed with her. "I guess that it's pretty cold…" Sig spoke, seeming to be mostly indifferent to it. We all walked forward, many of us shivered in the process. "Th-this cold feeling seems almost too unnatural…" Accord turned her head from side to side. "Ms. Accord, what could you mean by that?" I stopped. The others stopped when I did, looking at her. "Well… i-it just feels too icy, that can't just be an underground thing when it's almost winter. E-even that's not as cold as this." She had put into perspective.
From the way that my friends are shaking, it MUST be abnormally cold. "N-now that you say that… … th-this somewhat feels like Arle's Ice Storm, but cranked up to eleven." Rulue thought about. "C-could it be the Yog's d-doing?" Satan wondered if that was the case. "I don't know, but if this place is THAT chilly, you guys might catch a cold." I leaned against a wall. "Yeah, this cold area is freezing my ass…" Minotauros sighed. "A-achoo! *sniff* I-I-I think I might be g-getting a bit sick, Ms. Accord." Lidelle turned to her. "Oh dear… … Lidelle, could you stay outside where the dark mage is? You will be safe up there." She told her. "O-okay…" Lidelle nodded and left us. "O-other than this chilling atmosphere, this cellar is dark as hell." Yui pointed out. "D-duh... we can see that cl-clearly, Yui. *sigh* My hair is gonna get messed up from this..." Raffina felt the curly end of her hair. "That's not what you should be worrying about, Raffina. You can fix it later, the Yog on the other hand… that can't wait." I said. She didn't say anything to me, only giving me a glare. "I-I… think you crossed Raffina, Dave. Sh-she really cares about her gorgeous looks." Amitie moved over to me. "Y-yeah… pissing off Raffina is not of your best interest to do." Klug shuffled to my side. "Argh! It wasn't my intention to piss her off. Still, that shouldn't be a priority over the Yog." I stopped leaning on the wall and sighed.
"G-guys, I think I see something up ahead. I can sense it too, it has to be the Yog." Satan tensed up. "Th-then it's time for me to transform." Ex readied. "It's go time…" I stepped forward. "It's n-now or never…" Ringo overcame the chill. Ex, Rulue, Minotauros, and Tarutaru all came to the front of the group with me. Everyone else huddled up in the back. "So I see... all of you came to take me down." A voice rang out. "You must be the Yog that planted a wicked seed in the tunnel yesterday." Ex said to it. "Yes, I am… the Yog of Chills to be specific." It answered. "Th-then, you're the one making this cellar so damn cold...!" Rulue pointed at it. "I am." It admitted. "Why? Why are you making it chilly here?" I demanded an answer. "The cold is a form of homeostasis to me. Warm, and especially hot weather, are not in my comfort zone." It answered. "Homeostasis…?" I stopped asking. "Uh… wh-what's home-eo… stay-sis, Dave?" Amitie shivered and tilted her head. "Okay, for those of you that don't know… Homeostasis is, in simple terms, a state of maintaining stability in surviving from stuff. I've known the meaning to this word for a while now." I elaborated. I could tell who knew what the word was before I explained, all based off of facial expressions. "In other words, it's constantly living in ideal enough conditions that allow a living thing to live as it wants…" Ringo caught on. "So, Yog… you are greatly outnumbered by us here. You have two choices: One, you take off with us chasing you down. Or two... you stay here, fight us, and be soundly defeated. It's your call: Which one do you choose?" Ex gave it those options.
The Yog stared us as down when it was given options. "Tch. You ignorant mass of people… Nothing would change if I tried going away from you." It scoffed. "You will fight us then?" Satan guessed. "I'm doing this for the sake of chaos running free. I'm not going to be easily defeated by the likes of you." The Yog narrowed its eyelid. "Hence why we are fighting you! You Yogs are all the same when it comes to mindset!" I yelled at it. "Then so be it… Yog Beam!" The Yog fired the signature beam from its eye right at us. We all gasped from the sheer power emitted from it. Minotauros acted and twirled his axe quickly to hold back the beam from hitting us. "Wh-what are you waiting for?! Attack it now! Rrrr…!" He urged us. "You heard him, slam this thing with everything you have!" I ordered. We fought with it for a while, becoming nearly frozen and tired. "Revolution!" Ex began spinning the Yog around. "Cataclysm!" Satan threw out. "Fighting Queen Special!" Rulue laid the smack down. With the Yog on the ground, Tarutaru rushed over and did his attack. "Stomp!" He slammed his foot on it. Minotauros came in next with his. "Moooooo! Axe Strike!" He swung. The slash made the poor giant eyeball bleed out considerably. At this point, the Yog was screaming in pain. It sounded like the total pain was nearly indescribable.
It was then my turn to get a hit in. "Yah!" I kicked it. The Yog then screamed even more after I made the wound from Minotauros' axe worse. Blood was just gushing all around, getting everywhere. The walls nearby were pretty much painted with it. "Everyone else, now! Make this Yog know that it's not smart to fight against all of us at once!" Satan barked. "Unite… Magic…" They began. "Th-this isn't... over yet, you are not going to kill me… I'll be... taking my leave." The Yog winced. "Sh-shit! It's going to go back to the other Yogs, stop it!" I alerted everybody. But, it was too late… the Yog was gone, just like that. The unnaturally cold atmosphere also dissipated. "Dammit, it's gone…" Ex clenched his fist. Everyone was panting, so we rested for a bit to regain stamina. "At least… we will be safe for a while. We should be thankful for that, Mr. Ex." Accord rested a hand on his shoulder. "But… who's to say that another won't just come to us? Or… what if all the other Yogs just retaliate us with an all-out-offensive?" He questioned. "If the latter scenario happens... we might be fucking screwed, even with our bigger numbers. We can only pick off one of them at a time. And, for those who were with us when we fought the first one… you would know that Yog mentioned about the others each being stronger than the last." I turned around to face everybody. "Yeah, Yogs are nothing to write off as weak or stupid." Arle fixed up her hair. "We should tell the news to Schezo and Lidelle." Satan started walking back to the staircase. "Yes… we should." Rulue followed behind him, along with Minotauros.
The rest of us looked at each other silently for a minute. "Uh… is everyone okay?" Amitie broke the silence. "*sigh* Of course we're not, Amitie. There's a lot that we have to worry about. You heard the two possibilities that Ex brought up, right?" Ringo turned to face her. "Yeah... I did, Ringo… Now that you put it like that… it sounds really bad. What do we do if the worst happens?" She gripped her Puyo hat tightly. "I'm not sure if I should be the one telling you this, Amitie, but… we'll just do whatever we can. We're all friends here, aren't we?" Sig spoke to her. "W-well…" Amitie stopped. "Let's head outside already, there's no point in sticking around here." Ex left after saying that. Accord followed behind him, along with Sig, Raffina, Yui, Tarutaru, Klug, Witch, and Ringo. The cellar emptied out until it was just me and Amitie inside. "You're not gonna exit with us?" I looked back. "Dave… c-can we talk alone somewhere later? I wanna feel better while we're all in this dark time." She requested. "Amitie… … Okay, before me and Ringo go back to Suzuran at the end of the day… I'll tell her that I have business to attend to." I said. "Thank you so much…" She smiled. We left and met back up with the gang. "What took you so long to come out of there?" Ringo looked at me. "We both thought something made a weird noise… but, it must've been our imagination." I lied. "Uh... Mm-hm…" Amitie nodded, going along with my lie. "I would get that it could've just been your imagination if it was only one of you. However, the fact that you BOTH thought that there was something in the cellar making a weird sound… it can't just be rubbed off as a misperception." Her eyes narrowed as she said that to us. "W-well, no… I mean… we both checked the area surrounding us, and we didn't find anything out of place." I lied again. "*sigh* If that's how things turned out…" Ringo accepted our reason.
*sigh* I'm sorry to do this to you Ringo, I really am. Amitie seems to really want to talk to me in private. She only wants the other girls to know our thing when it's the right time… "Then, let's return to the tunnel. We still need to look for the ore needed for his sword." Ex took a quick glance at Schezo when saying that. "Actually, about that… I can't be with you guys today, I have something to do." Rulue told us. "What? Why? What could possibly be more important than this, Rulue?" Satan wondered. "I… can't say, my darling Satan… sorry." She left without saying goodbye. "What in the hell…?" I scratched my head. "How could she just leave even me like that?" Minotauros had put away his axe. "Something is wrong here, did everyone see her face? It looked sad… I hardly ever see Rulue like that." Arle described. "I'll go see what's up, I think I saw her go this way…" Raffina ran off. "*sigh* I'll go too, this might have me make it up to Rulue if I find out what could be wrong. Besides, I have yet to sort things out… regarding that one time." Schezo followed suit. "W-wait, regarding WHAT time? Come back!" I reached my arm out, but it was too late. He was already gone by the time I fully stretched it out. "What is even going on anymore?" Sig was puzzled. "I don't know, but I am concerned for Rulue. Unfortunately, those three ran off too quickly for me to clearly see where they went. All we can do is wait for Schezo and Raffina to come back. If we leave here now, they won't know where we went." Satan answered with a serious expression. "If that's how things stand now… Ex, let's power down. There's no reason to keep our armor on." I turned to him. "I suppose so." He nodded. We both disengaged and sighed like two bummed kids.
I took one look at Lidelle and knew for a fact that she caught a cold. Her cheeks were colored a bright red and she began sniffing every so often. "... Ms. Witch, do you have anything for Lidelle?" Accord asked her. "... I do, but this is the only pill that I have for colds." She said. "It's better than nothing, we need to head inside a warm building." Accord insisted. "I know a place that is big enough to fit all of us and then some. Come." Nohoho joined the scene. We all nodded and he led the way again. "Here's the place, I'll stay out here and see when that guy and girl will come back. I can lead them here after they notice no one else is by the cellar. " He said, then left to be by the cellar we were just at. We entered inside and sat down on any available seats. "So… what the heck is this place?" Ringo faced me. "Dunno." I shrugged. "Well, Nohoho brought us here for our benefit… does it really matter what this place is?" Arle faced us. "I'd rather not think about what this place is… I believe it's kinda pointless to do so." Sig stated his opinion. "I… agree." Klug hesitated, then nodded. "What should we do then?" Tarutaru leaned over. "Talk. Me and Ms. Accord are gonna tend to Lidelle in the meantime." Witch answered his question. "Uh, about that… I'm going to come along with you two, if that's okay with you." Ex stood up. "*giggle* I'm sure Lidelle would be happy to have you by her side, Mr. Ex." Accord smiled. "Ehehehe…" He laughed awkwardly and walked away with them. "And that makes me the only adult left to watch over you guys…" Satan leaned back. "... We can watch over ourselves, you know… I thought you would have known that by now, Satan." I said to him. "You're right… Hell, you're the reason why and how many of us sticking together now, Dave. I should treat all of you like the young adults you are. Dave, you're really something else." He smiled at me. "Thanks." I smiled back.
Satan continued to smile as this went on. "We are ALL in this thing, for accomplishing the common goal of stopping the Yogs. Dave, I know that it's been like four months at this point… but I must thank you for being with me at Primp Magic School. When I was, at first, being a douchebag… you helped me out in that dark time. Even when I was an absolute jerk to you of all people... you completely changed who I was as a person. I began to see the value of friendship, started to see what true integrity was… Dave, you pulled me out of my form of escapism and molded me into a new individual. For that: I must give you my absolute thanks. Without it, there's no way that I would have experienced the happy endings and memories to look back on." Klug bowed. "K-Klug…" My eyes widened. Klug soon took off his glasses and looked at me straight. "Be honest about what I'm going to ask you, Dave. ... Do you regret helping me see life in a much more positive light?" He asked. "... Why of course I don't… why would I regret it? Sure the pathway leading up to your change sucked, but it's like I initially said back then. Do you remember, Klug? I said that I saw you as a good person, even in spite of the extremely rude behavior you displayed to me. I knew that someone like you could change for the better with enough effort. With that… I saw us two as friends, and not enemies." I answered. "You…! Oh my God… you are blessed, Dave. You truly do have the power to bring people together, and it's not a form of magic or anything. No, it's your unyielding kindness for others who you list off as "redeemable". Thank you so much! *sob*" He got up and hugged me in his crying state.
The tears he had shed were of complete joy. I patted him on the back to display that kindness of mine. "Klug, you go and strive to be the best spellcaster that you can be." I told him. "I-I will, Dave!" He nodded and stopped hugging. "Uh, Dave? Can we go over there and talk for a bit alone?" Ringo tugged my arm. "Sure?" I stood up and walked with her to a corner. "Tell me Dave, what you had said to me after you came out of the cellar with Amitie… did you lie to me? Amitie looked like she was just rolling with whatever you were saying. Her "Mm-hm" sounded delayed and her nodding was sudden." She narrowed her eyes again. Okay… remain calm Dave, and keep a straight face for Ringo… "What? No, I didn't lie. We both know how Amitie is, look at her." I pointed. Amitie seemed to stare off into space as she sat in a chair. "Um… ... No, it's not as simple as that, you know. *sigh* Tell me the damn truth Dave, stop hiding secrets from me! Why are you like this? Why are you covering for Amitie? Explain yourself, or I WILL dump you and no longer be a girlfriend of yours." She poked at me. I stopped for a minute to think. "... Ringo… … If you're going to assume that something is up, provide evidence." "Wh-what...?" "Prove that what I had told you was a lie." "..." "You don't have any decisive evidence of me covering for Amitie. The most you have is Amitie's supposedly delayed "Mm-hm", which is circumstantial at best. Ringo, I think you are being extremely paranoid." "B-but! … She was obviously just going along with whatever YOU said. I know Amitie more than you do, Dave... I've known her for years!" She shook my body around. I thought about my next choice of words carefully.
"Ring-" I get cut off. "Just… stop it, Dave… We should tell Ringo what really happened." Amitie came up to. "A-Amitie! What are you doing?!" I demanded an answer. "It's not like me to lie to my friends… Ringo, me and Dave were the last ones to exit the cellar because I said to him that I wanted to talk alone somewhere else later." She told her truthfully. "Then why was he covering for you?" Ringo wondered. "I didn't tell him the specifics of what we would talk about, but I think he already knows. Right?" Amitie turned to me with a serious expression. "... If things have escalated this far, then I won't lie about it any further. Yes, I do know what you might've wanted out of that time later. It's about our more recent love, isn't it?" I assumed. "Wait, what? D-did I hear that correctly…? Amitie… when did you-?" Ringo stared at her with wide eyes. "Ringo, at the very end of the shorty-lived trip in Japan… that's when it struck me. I felt an overwhelming sense of care for Dave after he ate that sushi stuff. I wanted him to live a good life where he didn't have to be majorly injured or bedridden so much. Some big flaws aside, he's a wonderful person and I enjoyed his company, ever since he joined my class in Primp Magic School. I may not be the brightest girl, or the prettiest for that matter, but I can say… the love that Dave and me share now is legit. I… I was afraid of telling you and the other girls that I loved him; I was afraid of what you'd say, or do to me. Ringo… are you mad at me, as an old friend yours, for loving the same guy that you love?" Amitie spoke out.
Ringo hadn't said a word for a minute or two, appearing as though she was collecting her thoughts. "A-Amitie… … I… don't hate you. You're still a wonderful friend, I would never be mad at you for something like this. But please… next time when you intend to hide something from me like this, don't. Just tell me, okay? Oh, and Dave… I'm sorry for putting unnecessary pressure on you like that, I didn't know... Just... don't be stupid by trying to lie me because you're afraid to say the truth. I'm your girlfriend... and you're my boyfriend; we should know everything that happens to each other. Don't be afraid of what I might say to you. We resolve situations by talking them out, that's how things should be. That kind of thing doesn't just happen for couples, but for friends too. I want you to know that, cuz... since before you met us all, you were not very talkative... and you were shy, right?" Ringo took my hand. "...!" I was taken aback by this response, I didn't know what to say. Does she seriously remember that I was bashful as hell all that time ago…? … Now that I recall… it felt like it only happened yesterday. I was introduced to Ms. Accord before I became a half-student. Then… everything else just happened so damn fast. Klug's conversion as a person, the downfall of his father…. The Puyo Isles, my romantic experience with Ringo, Feli, AND Draco. The fight against Vyle, the incarnation of Yui, the midterms… Tee, the trip to Japan, and finally to where things are at now… the Yogs. Does Ringo want me to live the best outcome for myself and everyone else around me? For everyone to be... satisfied…? Me… My friends… My girls… Yes, we should all live life the way that will be best for us. Which reminds me… I need to save Draco tomorrow and prove that very point.
"... Yes… you are exactly right, Ringo. I wasn't very talkative before I met every one of you. I must thank the two of you for being the first ones to help me out of my turtle shell. You guys all accepted me for who I was and showed an immeasurable amount of kindness and support for me. Everyone that I either befriended or loved… built a bond with me that could never be broken so easily. I think that's the beauty of humanity... actually enjoying each other's company, whether it may be through friendship, platonic relationships, or deep sexual desires. I might have been afraid of facing the ugly truth in the past, and especially today… but that changes from this point onward. I must face it, I have to. I WILL see to that promise being made, for you see… … *sigh* I need to show that my bonds with you guys have not loosened. Someone we know is held captive right now by another individual." I smiled, then relinquished it for a serious look. "Huh?!" The girl reacted. "Wh-who's held captive, Dave? Who?!" Ringo pressed me for details. "Ringo, Amitie… Draco was the one who was kidnapped. It happened while I was on my way to the tunnel. I must tell you the truth about this too, Ringo: I didn't move over to the tunnel right away after you and Lemres parted ways with me. Last night, I went to Draco's house to suggest that she'd ought to get a cell phone. Today, I brought her to the phone store in Primp so that she could buy one. I told her its functions and how to use it, then led her over to the woods so that I could still get over to the tunnel. She thought that I had time to date her, because I promised to her last night that I would. Unfortunately, the urgency with searching for the Yog threw a wrench into that plan. I couldn't just dilly-dally about. And then… HE ambushed us, a guy called Hohow Bird." Before I could say another word, Amitie stopped me.
Amitie's face changed drastically upon me dropping that name. "H-him?!" Her eyes widened. "Wait, you know him?" My eyes widened too. "Yeah, he's a bit full of himself when it comes to being a hero of sorts." She nodded. "A BIT?! I think what you're saying is an understatement. When I saw him, he was extremely arrogant. And, when I said that I was a hero while powering up into my armor… he mocked me and questioned how I could be one with armor so evil looking! Tch… Anyway, he snatched Draco because APPARENTLY… she broke this rule where only birds can fly around Primp Town." I scoffed. "What the heck? I've never seen a rule like that for Primp…" Amitie took off her hat in confusion. "Ugh, it's stupid as hell, Amitie. So, he said that if I wanted her back... I would have to enter a fighting tournament that's going on tomorrow, and win the whole thing. He's also going to take part in it as well. After saying that, he left, and I have no idea where he's keeping Draco." I covered one of my eyes with a hand. "So… you have no choice but to enter the tournament tomorrow…" Ringo's face showed sadness. "Ringo, this is not like you… ... Dave will get Draco back by winning this thing, right?" Amitie lightened up the mood. "Yeah, Dave will wipe the floor with that… bird guy… Uh, what does he look like anyway?" Ringo wondered. Amitie whispered to her the description of Hohow Bird's appearance. "But yes, I will show him what it truly means to be a hero! It's not about what you think is right, but rather... what you know for a fact is right. That's how me and him are different. His way of thinking is distorted and whatnot. That is leading him through a false sense of heroism. I'll teach him how to be a true hero for the people. Maybe then, he can apologize for putting Draco under such a ridiculous rule that shouldn't be." I turned around. "Maybe… I wanna see that bird recognize what it means to be a hero." Amitie looked forward to. "Yes. I know that he has the potential, his heart is just in the wrong place." I nodded to her words. We decided to sit back down on chairs and talk in a more positive light.
Author's Notes: Dave and the gang find the second of the Yogs in a cellar. Just when they had it on the ropes, the Yog disappeared. After leaving the cellar... the group split up a little, then entered another place in the frog village. Drama ensued as recollections and truths popped up. Amitie eventually told Ringo the truth that she loves Dave as well, after he made an effort to hide it. Soon after he stopped hiding this truth, Dave decided to speak up about Draco being held captive by Hohow Bird to the two girls. They were shocked to hear it, then Amitie said that she wanted to see Hohow Bird develop as an individual. Meanwhile, Schezo went after Rulue, to see what's up with her. Raffina went in the same direction as well to make sure her idol was fine. What is up with Rulue? And, how will Feli perform in her mission to save Suzuran's hostages from the criminals? Next chapter, Chapter 50: Another Shocking Turn and the Stealth Mission.