CORY
It's no surprise that some of us are Lord of the Rings fans. Lisa and I used to watch the movies as kids, as well as all three Hobbit films. Besides, we've got some knights and wizards of our very own.
But the school play is based only on the books, which means we've got a LOT of stuff to cover. It took me a full MONTH to finish a single book. But speaking of rings, I remember hearing of an incident that happened at the town's elementary school.
We've begun entering the spring season, and the Spring Carnival at that school has been sabotaged, but the culprit, a teacher called Miss Melanie Gold, swears that she is innocent. She claims to have found some kind of strange ring and was compelled to put it on. Ever since, she began acting more aggressively.
Now that I think about it, something similar happened with twins Beth and Amanda Welch. And since Beth was able to get the ring off, she was able to save her younger sister from the "evil" and destroyed the ring.
Nothing was inside Dead House tonight, but as I headed back, I heard something near one of the houses. And it didn't sound human. In fact, it sounded like something was digging. But it wasn't a dog.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I carefully made my way over. And what I saw silently shocked me. Maskerade!
The green scaled devil monster finishes digging, and I see what's buried there: A bird corpse! I try not to gag as I see Maskerade fetch something on its twin legs: Two black rings. Slowly, his dark magic began flowing into them, and suddenly, I saw faces emerge in the rings as black smoke poured out!
"Ahhhhh….hello there." The monster chuckled. "My….precious…."
"We….felt faint…." One of the ring faces says. "Yet I…feel my evil return…"
"We have outgrown these jewelric vessels." The other says. "We need a living body to survive.
"And you…you have such evil in you. Yes…you will be perfect…"
"Fear not, dark ones." Maskerade smiles. "You shall live on…as part of me…"
Then, he slips each ring onto his left and right middle fingers. And suddenly, he begins pulsing with green and black energy as the evil spirits begin fusing with him. And I hear evil laughter from Maskerade as I see something…happen to him!
A pair of something explodes from his back and reaches out. Wings! He's gaining wings! And horns! Horns are forming on the top of his head! And his fists catch on green fire, forming into some kind of demonic pitchfork! Wait…a trident!
And he grows! He grows twice his size! At first he was the size of an adult man! Now he's the size of two of them stacked together! Maskerade then roars as he suddenly breathes out green fire like a demonic dragon! Oh man…this is bad.
His eyes glow green, and I see him stand still.
"Yes, my master." He says in a more demonic tone. "I have found the Black Rings. And I have used them to evolve. To make myself even stronger than before. I am one step closer to becoming the ultimate monster. All I need is more fear. More evil. More…power."
Suddenly, he whips around and blasts a green fireball in my direction! I yelp and duck for cover, but the fireball flies past me and smashes into a tree, burning it to dust instantly! I turn back to see Maskerade facing me, with a fiery third eye having emerged and his fiery pitchfork having been magicked away.
"That is but a taste of what is to come. When next we meet."
Maskerade then spreads his wings and flies off, laughing like he's the Jersey Devil. I only looked back at the fried tree and gulped. He was already super strong before. Just how powerful is he now?!
…
"So, let me get this straight? The mask monster evolved upon equipping two cursed rings?!"
"Yep." I answered Lisa at Shadow House the next day. "He got wings and some green demonic fire magic!"
"Hrrrrmmmmm….rings that cause aggression and corruption…" Conrad seems worried. "If we're dealing with what I think we are…then we'll need some more help. Thankfully, I think I can recall someone who just traveled here. Gertrude Smith. A traveling craftswoman and goldsmith who forges all kinds of jewelry. Rumor has it that her creations are magical and bring good luck and fortune upon any who wield it. They say a necklace from her can cleanse illness. That a ring can banish fear and despair. And that a pendant can ward off supernatural beings."
"I think I saw a few carriages full of that stuff." Sue adds. "That has to be her."
"Then perhaps it is time that we paid her a visit." Morgred adds. "Perhaps she knows how to fight against the evil of these dark rings."
…
I have a feeling it will take more than throwing the rings into a volcano from whence they were forged in order to destroy them. Sure enough, we manage to come across such a couple of carriages near the woods and outskirts of town. There, we see a white-haired woman with some jewelry on her head. She also has a blue robe. All it takes is a single sense to know that she's a mage.
"I have been expecting you, Society." Gertrude says. "There are whispers of an order that defends this secluded town. And yet, there is a great darkness. I feel it in the air. Some great unspeakable evil that is forever restless."
"We have indeed faced some of these monstrous foes." Conrad speaks. "But as of late, one of them has evolved. All thanks to two powerful rings of darkness."
At this, Gertrude goes wide-eyed and silent.
"It cannot be…" She whispers. "You speak of…the Black Ring…"
"Pretty much sums it up." I add. "But…there were two of them. How did they come to be?"
"There was once a powerful sorcerer that existed 200 years ago." Gertrude explained. "Having succumbed to darkness under the influence of a being of unspeakable horror. He forged many things, among them being such cursed artifacts as the Bracelet of Evil, and the Black Ring. However, the world only knew that this dark sorcerer crafted only one ring. But what remained unknown…was the fact that he made more."
Using one of her rings, she used her magic to enlarge it and show us what happened through some kind of viewing portal thing. Woah…straight out of a story! Is this more Monster Lore?!
"Into these rings, pitch black as the void, shadows, and dead of night, the sorcerer poured all things evil: Cruelty. Malice. Fear. Hatred. Greed. And Power. All those locked within Pandora's Box…with the light of hope having long since flickered away. With them, he stole the souls of dark and corrupted poltergeist spirits and sealed them within the ring, allowing them to possess any poor soul who wore the cursed rings. Should the wearer be already consumed by evil, the ring will mutate and transform the wretched soul into the monster it truly is."
"Unless it already IS a monster, then in which case it makes even MORE monstrous." Lisa summarizes.
"Is there anything you can offer that can help stop this evil?" Morgred asks.
"Only eight of my many creations have been imbued with such extraordinary powers." Gertrude says. "One gold coin each."
Gold coin? Oh yeah, that's more non-grosser monster currency, unlike toenails. Bleh. As Conrad hands out eight of them, Gertrude presents them to us.
"These five rings are special in their own way. The Yellow Ring of Spirit, forged from Soul Ore, shields you so long as you have the will to survive. The Green Ring of Hope weaponizes that willpower, granting you courage to face what may dwell in the cellar. The Gray Ring of Confidence allows you to become one with the shadows in the walls, slipping undetected through whatever dark forces meet you. The Black Ring of Authority allows you to embrace your fear of the dark and what lies within it, making that fear your own. And the Red Ring of Passion, forged from the blood of the Boogeyman, cleanses the mind, body, and soul of all curses. When all worn on the same hand, the power in your fist is enough to smite even the most unholy of evils."
"So cool…" Lisa gasps. "Is it wrong that I love it when something of a creature is used to make this stuff?!"
"These three pendants are just as unique. The Jade Pendant of Serenity grants wisdom, forged from enchanted Chinese jade. You become balanced, and mastery over oneself and your inner magic becomes possible. The Dark Pendant of Power is indeed a powerful relic, granting just that to whoever wields it. Yet it must be used with the utmost care and caution, lest that power overtake them. Finally, the Rose Quartz Pendant of Tenderness grants courage and kindness, forged from a porcelain doll. Only by wearing all three can you master all equally."
"Ooo! Mine!" Lisa swipes the Power Pendant. "Aw yeah, just like the Triforce!"
"When the three pendants are worn by the one who wields the five rings, they become a mighty being, able to overcome all forms evil takes. But the magic drains quickly when being used up all at once. Once it does, it will take 7 days to fully regain their strength. Use them ONLY when it is absolutely necessary. As a last resort."
"Aw man, you mean these things have a cooldown for a week?!" Lisa groans. "This better be worth it."
"It will." Morgred says as we pay Mrs. Smith. "One day."
"I wish you best of luck confronting this darkness." Gertrude only says. "You will most certainly need it."
As we leave with our new stuff, I can't help but wonder if she will actually provide more help, or is just a neutral supporter like Sader and the Shopkeeper. How long is she staying here, anyway?
Still, we can test these things out tonight on whatever hostile monsters we may encounter in the forest, or maybe just another training session with the Phobians. Whatever works, am I right?
