Holmcross Project Deep: Legend Of Demons
"Nooooo! Mommy, mommy, wake up," a child's voice shrieked, partially drowned out by the crashing of the waves and the collapse of the ship. The girl with short blonde hair shook her mother's pale and slack torso. "Mommy, don't die!"
"M....my dear...dear Jane, the woman lying on the hardwood floor of the ship said weakly. A small trickle of crimson ran out of her mouth and down her cheek. "They...are approaching, the Demons....Demons of yore...we may not be able to make it to our destination."
"Mommy, the ship! Please don't die! Daddy will be so sad!"
Suddenly, a portion of the ship's hull came crashing through, drenching both the little girl and the wounded woman with water. An angry sea, full with the fury of Filgaia, tossed and turned with rage. Their path to salvation...their path away from evil was disintegrating before their eyes.
"I'm sorry...Jane. You have always been a good girl." The woman lifted her bloody arm, beckoning the girl to come closer. The girl nestled herself in her mother's soft and silky brown hair, clinging to her for dear life.
"Mommy..."
"My sweet, sweet Jane," she said, stroking her hair. "I will...never forget you, even in death. You are the...light of my life."
"Mommy...I want to stay here. With you."
"I will not remain...on this material coil for long," she tried to explain to her distraught and frightened child. "You see...death is..." She could not finish her sentence before coughing up a large amount of blood.
"Mommy! I....I don't understand!"
The woman was growing paler and weaker by the second. As she look outside through the gaping hole of the ship, she could see evil approaching. An entire flock of winged monsters with swords and spears were beginning to converge on the lone vessel on the sea. Even at the distance they were from them, and even through the violent sounds of wave after wave crashing onto the ship...the howls and screams of the monsters could be heard. The girl tried to turn her head to look as well, but her mother held it there fast with her remaining ounces of strength. She wanted to shield her child from the terror approaching for as long as possible, even if it meant her demise would impact even quicker.
"Do not...look, my child. There is nothing out there but...devastation and horror."
"I know," the girl replied sadly.
"Your eyes are too full of vigor...and...hope for it to be crushed by those visions out there. That is for...adults."
"I...I know."
"Come nearer."
The girl hugged her mother tightly again, and the mother whispered something inside of her ear as she did so.
"My...locket."
"What," the girl asked, confused.
"My...my locket. Please...take it. Don't let me...die with it."
"O-Okay," she agreed.
"Now, Jane. Please...now!"
The girl reluctantly agreed, fumbling around to find the lock to the necklace. She found it and began unhooking the loop on the back of her mother's neck and removing the bronze piece of jewelry. It was then she noticed that her hands were entirely drenched in a sticky crimson liquid. The back of the woman's neck was covered in blood- -her fur dress, the back of her head, the locket itself...coated in the woman's blood. As the ship rocked violently to the beat of the waves of the sea, the girl felt herself becoming dizzy. The smell of death, combined with the motion of the boat was becoming too much for her.
"Jane...I...feel weak," she said, her voice almost inaudible at this point. "I am drained of...life."
"M...mommy..."
"I...am sorry...I could not...see you...grow up to be a fine...young woman."
"..."
"...Farewell, my...my only daughter." Through the darkness, the girl could feel her mother's body go slack. The heavy blood loss was too much for her to bear. Her time had finally come.
"...Mommy," the girl asked. But she received no answer. "Mommy?"
There was no response. After all this, after all the Maxwell Family did to escape the wrath of the Demons...now this. They had come too far to be killed. As Jane sat there, cradling her dead mother's torso in her arms, she thought of all the good times they had together. The adventures across the globe...meeting strange and interesting people in their travels...making friends with other kids her age...she remembered it all. But now that was a thing of the past. Now, things had taken a horrible turn in their desperate bid to find refuge away from the Demons. The girl sat in darkness for what seemed to be forever, until she heard heavy footsteps. They were in the same room of the ship she was in.
"Who is it," Jane asked in fear, her voice trembling, "Who is it?"
"..." Nothing but silence.
"A...aah...show y-y-yourself. Please."
"..." Again, nothing but the darkness and quiet, except for the howling of the demons and the crashing waves of the sea.
"I...I feel weird," Jane said out loud. "I feel sick."
Another wave hit the ship, tipping it sideways in the water a little. Jane clasped onto something that felt like a barrel sitting nearby, but unknowingly let go of the locket she had taken from her mother. Through her adjusted vision through the darkness, she saw her mother's corpse slide off into parts unknown. The girl tried to grasp her arm to stop it, but it was too late. Suddenly, a voice she recognized pierced through to her.
"Jane? Are you in here?"
"F...father?"
"Jane! Come over here! Where are you?"
"Father, father! I'm in here!"
The girl stood up quickly, trying to maintain her balance over the wobbly vessel on the rough sea. All of a sudden, a shrill sound that sounded like a cross between a female's scream and a cat's meow filled the room. Jane thought it was the Demons outside, so she ignored it and continued on her path. As she made tiny steps forward to where she thought the voice was coming from, a soft light appeared in front of her. It truly was her father Nicholi with her. He had lit a torch to illuminate the path to himself. Nicholi stood there, waiting for her with open arms.
"My baby, Jane," Nicholi said with obvious worry on his face" Come to me!"
"Daddy, daddy! Mommy died! She died!"
The light from the torch allowed both Nicholi and Jane to see a barely visible figure crumpled up against the opposite wall of the ship. A red trail of blood lined the floor from where she slid to where she arrived at. Nicholi glanced at the horrible sight before him, but seemed emotionally unaffected by the scene. He asked again for the girl to come to her.
"Jane! We're almost to the island! I need to see that you are safe! Let's go!"
"But...but Mommy~~"
"We don't have time for that," Nicholi exclaimed, interrupting her. "She's dead, there's nothing that can be done! Now come on!"
Jane was stunned at what she just heard. But now all that she wanted was to be in the arms of someone that she knew...and to be someplace comfortable. Following the direction of her father, she tiptoed over to him. Nicholi encouraged her, and even asked if she could move faster.
"Jane, very good! Please hurry. We're almost there!"
"I...I'm coming," Jane said. "I'm almost...there."
Jane was about five feet away from her father now. Keeping her balance through the rocking of the ship, the howls of the Demons outside and the violent ocean storm, she managed to make it into her father's strong, warm arms. Jane nearly tripped on the final step, but Nicholi caught her and brought her to her feet.
"Jane, my daughter! I...thought you were gone forever," the man said to his daughter.
"Daddy, oh daddy," Jane said, beginning to cry over what happened.
"Let's go, Jane. Let's get off this ship, quickly."
"Okay," she agreed.
The two headed toward the main doorway, about to leave when all of a sudden Jane remembered something. She felt her dress, her neck...but it wasn't there.
"No! Mommy's locket, Jane yelled. "Mommy wanted me to have it!"
"What," Nicholi asked. "You mean..."
"Yes, Daddy! It was Mommy's last wish! So please let me get it!"
With that, Jane decided to head back into the further depths of the storage room. She tried to, but her arm was firmly held in place. It seems Nicholi would not let go. Jane looked up at her father, asking him if she could retrieve it.
"No," boomed Nicholi. "Come on, we have to get off this ship!"
"But Mommy's necklace...I need it!"
"For the last time...no," he exclaimed again. Jane was frightened at how her father was yelling at her now. He had never used that tone of voice with her...it was something new. Something she didn't like at all. Jane disobeyed her father and tried to tear her arm away from his hand, but it was impossible. His grip only tightened with each moment she tried to break free. His hand was becoming so tightly gripped to her arm that it was starting to hurt her now.
"D-Daddy, let go! My arm," Jane protested.
"No," Nicholi yelled at her. "You're not going anywhere, my delicious morsel!"
The torch went out all of a sudden. Jane could've swore she heard her father laugh before it happened, but it was all a blur to her. She also could've swore his voice became higher-pitched. Demonic, even. But it was all a blur to her now. Jane stood there in the darkness with her father, the hand still tightly gripped to her arm.
"D-Daddy? Mommy's locket..."
"Gra-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa," a shrill cackle that pierced the darkness began. "My delicious little morsel....your soul in dreams is ripe for the picking!"
"D-Daddy," Jane asked, fearing something horrible was about to happen.
"Your daddy is dead, little Jane," the shrill cat-like voice spoke. "I will be your 'parent' now!"
"Noooo! Let go of me! Let go!" Jane tried to tear her arm away from the hand that had a hold of her again, but failed. The hand's warmth had begun to fade rapidly, and now all that remained was a frigid vice that bound her in place. As she stood there trapped, the torch became illuminated again. Jane looked up to see something truly horrible in the place of her father. A vicious cat/female combination that craved her very soul was now in front of her.
"Gu-fu-fu-fu-fuuuuu," the demon chuckled. "I will have you, my dear...every last bit!" The demon took its other hand, nails sharp and all, and thrust it into the girl's chest.
"Aaahhhhh!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Aaahhhhhhhh," a woman screamed, jolting up from her bed. A coat of sweat covered her brow and a stream of tears poured from both of her eyes as she sat up erect in her small bed on the ship. A young man was kneeling at bedside, holding her arm gently to comfort her. The young woman looked over quickly, saw her right arm in his hands and immediately tore it away from him.
"Get away, you," The blonde yelled at him.
"Miss Jane! Miss Jane," The man firmly tried to get through to her. "You were having another dream again, Miss Jane! I thought~~"
"I don't care what you thought," Jane snapped at him. "I'm perfectly fine!"
Jane got up out of bed, paying no mind to her manservant as she walked quickly over to the small desk on the other side of the cabin. She took a small piece of cloth from the drawer and wiped the partially dried-up tears and sweat off of her face. Jane looked in the mirror to see if she mad missed anything. Convinced that she hadn't, she walked over to the side of her bed, got her travel equipment and her ARM, and proceeded to leave the small quarters. Her servant said something to her before she left.
"Miss Jane," he said humbly. "We're almost to the Cage Tower. I had planned on waking you when we arrived, but...now that is not the case."
"Good," Jane replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "McDullen, don't screw this up for me! This is my big chance to become rich and famous! If you do, I'll never forgive you!"
With that, she left the small room and slammed the door behind her. A detached and sullen McDullen was left standing in the cabin by himself, left to ponder what had just transpired. Jane had never been this caustic and irritable when she had woken from her short naps. He knew that she had a slight temper when she rose from a rest, but this time...it was extreme. He had never seen anything like this from her before. Left by himself after this explosion of anger, McDullen made a final conclusion about the situation.
"She is," he thought to himself. "She's getting worse. She's changing into something horrible." He slowly walked over to the cabin window, where he saw Jane yelling at the sailors and Drake outside on the deck. It was a beautiful sunrise, and the sea was calm and relaxed...but that wasn't good enough for him. He knew better than that.
"'Her' big chance? What about the kids at the orphanage? I knew it. It is an omen...I know it is..."
~~~~~~~~
Four days had passed since Princess Cecilia's failure to save the Guardian Statue and destroy the chunk of the Demon Queen's heart on Mount Zenom. Belselk, one of the Demons they had encountered in Aldehyde was lying in wait for them there, all too aware of their plans to stop the resurrection of who they know now simply as 'Mother'. This 'Mother'...the matriarch of the encroaching Demon Race...what were her plans for Filgaia? Maybe total takeover? Destruction? Annihilation? Or something much, much worse veiled in darkness...this is what the Innocent One sought to know. To find out these plans and bring them to a grinding halt in their tracks. And, of course, she also wanted to get back her treasured heirloom, the mystic Tear Drop as well.
Arriving in Baskar again, they headed towards the Chieftain's house. He was already waiting outside for them- -his connections with the Guardians of Past allowed him to divine their arrival back to the village. Maybe he even knew that they would fail...
"You did not destroy the piece, did you," asked the Baskar Chief upon their arrival.
Cecilia hung her head as Jack stood silently behind her. "Forgive me, Baskar Chief...there was someone else who knew of our plans and destroyed the Guardian Statue that had the piece of the Demon Queen's heart inside. We were too late."
"I understand, I understand...come in, young warriors of light. Come and rest. Rest up for the next journey."
"Thank you, Chief. We are exhausted from our journey," Cecilia said, accepting the offer.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Baskar Chief sat down on his designated fur rug, while Cecilia and Jack plopped down exhausted on an extra-layered bearskin rug with extra blankets. The helper bowed once again while leaving them to talk about their trials.
"Well, I see," the Baskar Chief said. He took a long puff on his wooden pipe, filling the air with a misty haze of smoke. "So you will go to Ione Paua's domain."
"Ione...whatsa," Jack replied with a confused look on his face.
"Ione Paua, you doof," Hanpan said to him sitting on a nearby bed. "I think Ione Paua is the next Guardian trapped inside of a Guardian Statue."
"Correct, my little grassland creature," the Chief said, grinning. "We call it Ione Paua's domain, simply because we do not use the same terms and words that you outsiders to the village use. But if you need me to explain, that place is what you people call Saint Centour."
"I see now," Jack stated. "Come to think of it, I do remember seeing a large statue of a beast in the middle of Saint Centour when I was last there." The Chief of Baskar glared at him, insulted at how the swordsman called the Guardian a mere 'beast'. He quickly corrected himself to calm the old man's anger. "I mean, now that I know Ione Paua is a Guardian, I would never dare call him a beast."
"Her," the old man corrected him. "Our Matron Saint Ione Paua, Guardian of Purity."
"Aah, yes, right. 'Her', I meant. Oops."
The Chief sighed, took another puff of his pipe and continued on. "You had no ship when you arrived here. So that means you cannot get there by sea."
"Yes, about that," Cecilia inquired. "Saint Centour is halfway across the globe from here, if the map I have is correct. So what I was wondering is~~"
"I am sorry, Innocent One," he said. "We do not use those vessels you call 'boats'."
"Oh," she simply said back to him.
"Well, now what will we do," Jack butted in with a grin. "We're stuck on a tiny landmass on the Outer Sea, there're no boats here to take us to Saint Centour...no pun intended, but we're stranded at sea without a paddle!"
"Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho," the Chief chuckled heartily. "There is still hope. I can feel the breath of Zephyr in these brittle old bones of mine!" The Chief slowly rose to his feet, as did the duo. They followed him over to a small shelf lined up in a corner of the room. Reaching up to the top shelf, he tried to pull something off of it. But he could not, and fell backwards. Jack caught him before he fell on the floor.
"Hmm, quick...like a wolf," the Chief complimented him. "I am glad I have agile hands behind me."
"Well, I wasn't going to let you fall," Jack firmly stated. He let go of the elder, letting him regain his balance on both feet. "Here, let me get whatever it was you were going for." Jack, at the Chief's direction, easily reached back behind on the top shelf and grabbed a small box carved out of oak. Jack handed him the box, and the Chief held it to his face.
"This box," he said. "This box was carved out of wood from an oak tree from Zenom Mountain. I would never place anything so precious and valuable in any other container."
"So, what's inside," Jack inquired, not really enthused with all of the drama.
"I will open the box and remove the contents."
His wrinkled old fingers fumbling around with the tiny handle on the front, the Baskar Chief opened up the tiny box to reveal what was so important. He pulled out a small glowing orb with a live flame inside.
"This is the pride of Baskar, warriors of virtue. This is the Kizim Flame."
"Whatsa Flame," Jack asked, again confused. "Looks like a child's toy."
"Jack," Hanpan scolded him. "Kizim Flame! Remember that!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
"So, how is this supposed to help us cross the ocean," Cecilia asked the old leader.
"Ahem! Well, this flame was given to ancient Baskarians of old by the Elw. As a final parting gift, we received this as a present of good faith from the Elw Tribe. It has been passed down from generation to generation- -from my father's father's father...to his son...to his son, and so on. Now I am the sole keeper of the Kizim Flame."
"Oh, I see," Cecilia replied. "But how will it help us?"
"Ahem! Getting to my point," he continued. "This flame is rumored to hold mysterious powers beyond human comprehension. Even we Baskarians can't understand what the flame inside is trying to tell us. But we know it has a strange and mysterious magical property inside." He gave the flame to Cecilia. "I regretfully have no other path of recourse but to give or sacred treasure from the Elw to us, the Kizim Flame, to you who fight in the Guardians' place. I know you'll be able to make good use of it. Please, use it to the best of your abilities."
Cecilia's face turned into one of shock when she held the orb close to her. "It...can't be! It feels like a Guardian's power!"
"Yes, Innocent One. It just may be the will and faith of the Guardians of Filgaia inside of that magical orb."
"I understand...I understand now," she said under her breath."
"Very well," the Chief concluded. "I have done all I can for you now. It is up to you young people to save our Filgaia from the Demon Queen now. Tomorrow you will leave our humble village in search of other Guardian Statues. There is an ancient building northeast to this village which has a strange mechanism stored inside. This building is rumored to have been built by the Elw, shortly before they left for another dimension. I do not know if that orb has anything to do with the building, but you should look for more clues there."
"I understand, Mr. Baskar Chief," Cecilia said, thanking him. "Thank you for all you've done to help us."
"Do not thank me, young one. Thank the Guardians who fight to maintain the light in this turbulent world."
"I see. You are correct."
"Good night, Innocent One, her swordsman, and his grassland creature. May the Guardians bless you on your journey."
With that, the Baskar Chief left the small hut. Both warriors and their small blue friend were very exhausted from their ordeals on Zenom Mountain, and they instantly fell into a deep sleep shortly after their talk with the Chief. Slumbering peacefully, they knew not what 'fate' had in store for them in their trials to come.
~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, across the world, another young person also slept just as soundly as the other two. This man with blue hair had set up a tent a little ways inside of the now-defunct Arctica Kingdom, after walking through the shallows towards the destroyed castle. Rudy Roughnight left Court Seim four days ago, bidding the children and residents goodbye in a search for his past. Nicholi Maxwell, the man who had taken him in after his harrowing trial as a shipwreck victim-turned ocean drifter, was especially moved at the lad's farewell get-together. It was an all-around joyful and memorable moment, as the entire village had become attached to him in those short weeks he resided there. It was something he never received in Surf Village, the place that made him into a rogue and scapegoat. Cradling a long, cylinder-shaped black piece of metal in his sleep, Rudy recalled in his dreams the day he finally left Court Seim. As he bid them goodbye...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Everyone, thank you. Thank you for accepting me when I needed it the most," Rudy tearfully said to the crowd gathered at the entrance to the town. "I'm leaving on a journey of self-discovery. Please, all of you...lend me your luck and good faith."
"Yes," a man's voice shouted from the crowd. "Rudy, I'll be praying for you!"
"I shall pray for you too, my boy," an elderly woman in the front offered.
"Me too," a little boy said. "Odoryuk saved you. He must have plans for you."
Nicholi Maxwell walked up beside him and offered him his blessings. "Rudy, since you landed on this small landmass and came into our tiny town, you've livened up the place and it's inhabitants. I don't know exactly what it is about you, and I don't think I'll ever know, But we've all grown attached to you, and we all hate to see you leave us so soon. So that's why I've decided to give you a little going-away present. You know to remember us by." Nicholi motioned to someone in the crowd, and a large, muscular man made his way through the people. He was carrying something shaped like a large tube wrapped up in green paper, topped off with a red bow on the top. The man placed it down on the ground before Rudy and stepped back. Nicholi continued on with his little talk.
"Go ahead, Rudy. Open it up."
"Hmm," he wondered. "You're giving me a present?"
"Of course, my boy! You didn't think you were going to leave without getting a present from me, did you?"
"Well, thanks Mr. Maxwell, sir."
"Oh, come on Rudy! I told you that it was all right to be casual with me!"
Rudy laughed and opened up the present with a smile on his face. He felt like a little kid again, when he got a present on his 'birthday' every year from his father Zepet. It made him remember the good times...the times he knew and loved. He tore the wrapping paper off, stunned to find what his present really was.
"Hope you like it, Rudy," Nicholi said, patting him on the back. "I fixed it all up for you!"
"I...I," was all he could say.
"Oh, no need to be so coy, Rudy," Nicholi said to him. The crowd laughed and encouraged him to show his emotions. Rudy was brought to tears, and the crowd all gathered around him to comfort him.
"It'll be fine, Rudy," the old woman from before assured him. " You'll be back to see us, right?"
"Y-Yeah," was all he could say.
"Cheer up, Mr. Rudy," Lilly, the girl from the beach said to him. "I'm not scared of you anymore. I know that deep down you're a nice person and that it was a miracle that you lived."
"Thanks, Lilly," Rudy said, thanking her with a thorough tussling of her hair. Lilly enjoyed it when he did that to her hair. The girl's grandfather known as Gregory came up to him and wished him well also.
"Kind sir, my granddaughter dies not lie. It was a miracle you were saved. Lucadia, the Guardian of the Seas was angry that day, but Odoryuk saved you I firmly believe that."
"Thank you too, Gregory," Rudy told him. "I know. It was a miracle and still is that I'm even alive to this day. That's why I need to leave. It would seem like I was wasting the Guardians' offerings if I stayed here."
The old man, being a faithful believer in the gods of Filgaia, understood his sentiments and why he wanted to leave. "I would probably do the same thing If I were in your shoes. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Rudy."
"Thank you sir," he said again. "Thank all of you...for believing in me and accepting me."
As he left the town, he turned around and waved goodbye to the citizens of Court Seim. They responded by cheering and waving back to him. With his present, an ARM custom-fitted by Nicholi for the blue-haired man strapped to his back, Rudy Roughnight walked off into the sunset northward to the shallows leading to the realm of the destroyed Arctica Kingdom. To the place where Zepet Roughnight was once famous...
~~~~~~~~~~
As he lay there sleeping in his tent, Rudy smiled- -his dreams pleasant and smooth. But new things awaited him tomorrow...new things that would change his life forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Rudy traveled even further into the icy continent of Arctica Kingdom. Land of cold and warriors as it was called before its destruction, there was a good chance that clues remained about Zepet Roughnight. Maybe there were clues left as to what happened to cause the terrible tragedy.
The young man approached a large structure in the middle of the continent. From what he could tell it looked strange- -not like a normal castle would look like, especially if it was destroyed overnight by an unknown force. From a frozen plateau at a distance, he could vaguely see what the structure looked like. But a strange, red light was emitting from the ground, blocking out his full vision.
"What is that," he asked himself. "Is that Arctica?"
Suddenly, what sounded like a slab of metal hitting the ground made a slight clanking sound from behind him. Rudy whirled around, eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone was there with him. Concluding that it was probably his Bazooka hitting a small rock jutting from the ground, he turned around to look at the mysterious structure again. The wind was blowing gently, and fragile snowflakes fell from the sky. Rudy stood erect at the tip of the plateau, deciding on whether to advance on the structure or to hold his ground and look at a distance. His adventurous spirit soon made the decision for him, however.
"I've got to see this up close," he said aloud.
Climbing down the wall of the plateau, Rudy carefully made his way over to the structure that held his curiosity firmly in place. As he got closer, he soon realized that the building in point was not a castle like he thought, but some sort of mysterious large metallic sphere-like hovel.
"What is this thing? It looks out of this world."
Rudy was soon right in front of it now. Indeed, a red light emanated from the ground, completely circling the structure. Not even knowing what it was or where it was coming from, he concluded that it was probably a forcefield of some sort designed to protect it.
"I see, a shield...interesting. This is very advanced technology. I've never in my life seen something like this."
All of a sudden, another metal clanking sound came from behind him. Rudy turned around, but saw nothing behind him except for an open field of snow. And now, his conclusion was different from before. No jutting rocks or obstacles around for his Bazooka to hit, he now believed there was someone there with him? But...who? Rudy inhaled the icy air, catching his breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute now.
"It...smells like metal," Rudy said unknowingly.
Then, it happened. It got quiet. Too quiet for his liking, anyway. The wind seemed to stop and disappear immediately after he said these words. The snow no longer fell from the sky after he said these words. Something was very amiss, and he was at a loss to describe why. But if he knew anything for sure, it was that someone was in his presence near this gigantic metallic sphere. Rudy looked up and saw an obvious large shadowy figure standing on the plateau he was just on. Acting on instinct and reflex, Rudy unlocked the Bazooka and placed it on his shoulder. But by the time he looked back up from unlocking the lock, it was gone.
"...No, it was...just there," he told himself silently. "Where did it go?"
Arming the weapon on his shoulder, Rudy trudged forward through the snow. With each step of his, metal clanking sounds paralleled them. When Rudy stopped, the clanking halted as well.
"Where are you," he yelled aloud at the open air. "Show yourself, whoever you are! I promise I won't hurt you!"
"You should be more worried about me hurting you," came a dark, brooding reply.
Rudy's eyes widened again. As he turned around towards the Photosphere, he looked up to see a large figure come crashing down upon him through the chilly air. The brunt edge of the figure's spear impacting the lad's cranium, Rudy was knocked out cold by the unknown assailant. Whoever it was...the assailant was fast and unrelenting. The large mass of armor picked up the slack warrior from the snow-covered plains and threw him over his shoulder. Heading toward the entrance of the building shaped like a sphere, the unconscious Rudy and the mysterious figure disappeared from sight.
The Bazooka remained forgotten outside, small drops of blue liquid covering the barrel.
"Nooooo! Mommy, mommy, wake up," a child's voice shrieked, partially drowned out by the crashing of the waves and the collapse of the ship. The girl with short blonde hair shook her mother's pale and slack torso. "Mommy, don't die!"
"M....my dear...dear Jane, the woman lying on the hardwood floor of the ship said weakly. A small trickle of crimson ran out of her mouth and down her cheek. "They...are approaching, the Demons....Demons of yore...we may not be able to make it to our destination."
"Mommy, the ship! Please don't die! Daddy will be so sad!"
Suddenly, a portion of the ship's hull came crashing through, drenching both the little girl and the wounded woman with water. An angry sea, full with the fury of Filgaia, tossed and turned with rage. Their path to salvation...their path away from evil was disintegrating before their eyes.
"I'm sorry...Jane. You have always been a good girl." The woman lifted her bloody arm, beckoning the girl to come closer. The girl nestled herself in her mother's soft and silky brown hair, clinging to her for dear life.
"Mommy..."
"My sweet, sweet Jane," she said, stroking her hair. "I will...never forget you, even in death. You are the...light of my life."
"Mommy...I want to stay here. With you."
"I will not remain...on this material coil for long," she tried to explain to her distraught and frightened child. "You see...death is..." She could not finish her sentence before coughing up a large amount of blood.
"Mommy! I....I don't understand!"
The woman was growing paler and weaker by the second. As she look outside through the gaping hole of the ship, she could see evil approaching. An entire flock of winged monsters with swords and spears were beginning to converge on the lone vessel on the sea. Even at the distance they were from them, and even through the violent sounds of wave after wave crashing onto the ship...the howls and screams of the monsters could be heard. The girl tried to turn her head to look as well, but her mother held it there fast with her remaining ounces of strength. She wanted to shield her child from the terror approaching for as long as possible, even if it meant her demise would impact even quicker.
"Do not...look, my child. There is nothing out there but...devastation and horror."
"I know," the girl replied sadly.
"Your eyes are too full of vigor...and...hope for it to be crushed by those visions out there. That is for...adults."
"I...I know."
"Come nearer."
The girl hugged her mother tightly again, and the mother whispered something inside of her ear as she did so.
"My...locket."
"What," the girl asked, confused.
"My...my locket. Please...take it. Don't let me...die with it."
"O-Okay," she agreed.
"Now, Jane. Please...now!"
The girl reluctantly agreed, fumbling around to find the lock to the necklace. She found it and began unhooking the loop on the back of her mother's neck and removing the bronze piece of jewelry. It was then she noticed that her hands were entirely drenched in a sticky crimson liquid. The back of the woman's neck was covered in blood- -her fur dress, the back of her head, the locket itself...coated in the woman's blood. As the ship rocked violently to the beat of the waves of the sea, the girl felt herself becoming dizzy. The smell of death, combined with the motion of the boat was becoming too much for her.
"Jane...I...feel weak," she said, her voice almost inaudible at this point. "I am drained of...life."
"M...mommy..."
"I...am sorry...I could not...see you...grow up to be a fine...young woman."
"..."
"...Farewell, my...my only daughter." Through the darkness, the girl could feel her mother's body go slack. The heavy blood loss was too much for her to bear. Her time had finally come.
"...Mommy," the girl asked. But she received no answer. "Mommy?"
There was no response. After all this, after all the Maxwell Family did to escape the wrath of the Demons...now this. They had come too far to be killed. As Jane sat there, cradling her dead mother's torso in her arms, she thought of all the good times they had together. The adventures across the globe...meeting strange and interesting people in their travels...making friends with other kids her age...she remembered it all. But now that was a thing of the past. Now, things had taken a horrible turn in their desperate bid to find refuge away from the Demons. The girl sat in darkness for what seemed to be forever, until she heard heavy footsteps. They were in the same room of the ship she was in.
"Who is it," Jane asked in fear, her voice trembling, "Who is it?"
"..." Nothing but silence.
"A...aah...show y-y-yourself. Please."
"..." Again, nothing but the darkness and quiet, except for the howling of the demons and the crashing waves of the sea.
"I...I feel weird," Jane said out loud. "I feel sick."
Another wave hit the ship, tipping it sideways in the water a little. Jane clasped onto something that felt like a barrel sitting nearby, but unknowingly let go of the locket she had taken from her mother. Through her adjusted vision through the darkness, she saw her mother's corpse slide off into parts unknown. The girl tried to grasp her arm to stop it, but it was too late. Suddenly, a voice she recognized pierced through to her.
"Jane? Are you in here?"
"F...father?"
"Jane! Come over here! Where are you?"
"Father, father! I'm in here!"
The girl stood up quickly, trying to maintain her balance over the wobbly vessel on the rough sea. All of a sudden, a shrill sound that sounded like a cross between a female's scream and a cat's meow filled the room. Jane thought it was the Demons outside, so she ignored it and continued on her path. As she made tiny steps forward to where she thought the voice was coming from, a soft light appeared in front of her. It truly was her father Nicholi with her. He had lit a torch to illuminate the path to himself. Nicholi stood there, waiting for her with open arms.
"My baby, Jane," Nicholi said with obvious worry on his face" Come to me!"
"Daddy, daddy! Mommy died! She died!"
The light from the torch allowed both Nicholi and Jane to see a barely visible figure crumpled up against the opposite wall of the ship. A red trail of blood lined the floor from where she slid to where she arrived at. Nicholi glanced at the horrible sight before him, but seemed emotionally unaffected by the scene. He asked again for the girl to come to her.
"Jane! We're almost to the island! I need to see that you are safe! Let's go!"
"But...but Mommy~~"
"We don't have time for that," Nicholi exclaimed, interrupting her. "She's dead, there's nothing that can be done! Now come on!"
Jane was stunned at what she just heard. But now all that she wanted was to be in the arms of someone that she knew...and to be someplace comfortable. Following the direction of her father, she tiptoed over to him. Nicholi encouraged her, and even asked if she could move faster.
"Jane, very good! Please hurry. We're almost there!"
"I...I'm coming," Jane said. "I'm almost...there."
Jane was about five feet away from her father now. Keeping her balance through the rocking of the ship, the howls of the Demons outside and the violent ocean storm, she managed to make it into her father's strong, warm arms. Jane nearly tripped on the final step, but Nicholi caught her and brought her to her feet.
"Jane, my daughter! I...thought you were gone forever," the man said to his daughter.
"Daddy, oh daddy," Jane said, beginning to cry over what happened.
"Let's go, Jane. Let's get off this ship, quickly."
"Okay," she agreed.
The two headed toward the main doorway, about to leave when all of a sudden Jane remembered something. She felt her dress, her neck...but it wasn't there.
"No! Mommy's locket, Jane yelled. "Mommy wanted me to have it!"
"What," Nicholi asked. "You mean..."
"Yes, Daddy! It was Mommy's last wish! So please let me get it!"
With that, Jane decided to head back into the further depths of the storage room. She tried to, but her arm was firmly held in place. It seems Nicholi would not let go. Jane looked up at her father, asking him if she could retrieve it.
"No," boomed Nicholi. "Come on, we have to get off this ship!"
"But Mommy's necklace...I need it!"
"For the last time...no," he exclaimed again. Jane was frightened at how her father was yelling at her now. He had never used that tone of voice with her...it was something new. Something she didn't like at all. Jane disobeyed her father and tried to tear her arm away from his hand, but it was impossible. His grip only tightened with each moment she tried to break free. His hand was becoming so tightly gripped to her arm that it was starting to hurt her now.
"D-Daddy, let go! My arm," Jane protested.
"No," Nicholi yelled at her. "You're not going anywhere, my delicious morsel!"
The torch went out all of a sudden. Jane could've swore she heard her father laugh before it happened, but it was all a blur to her. She also could've swore his voice became higher-pitched. Demonic, even. But it was all a blur to her now. Jane stood there in the darkness with her father, the hand still tightly gripped to her arm.
"D-Daddy? Mommy's locket..."
"Gra-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaa," a shrill cackle that pierced the darkness began. "My delicious little morsel....your soul in dreams is ripe for the picking!"
"D-Daddy," Jane asked, fearing something horrible was about to happen.
"Your daddy is dead, little Jane," the shrill cat-like voice spoke. "I will be your 'parent' now!"
"Noooo! Let go of me! Let go!" Jane tried to tear her arm away from the hand that had a hold of her again, but failed. The hand's warmth had begun to fade rapidly, and now all that remained was a frigid vice that bound her in place. As she stood there trapped, the torch became illuminated again. Jane looked up to see something truly horrible in the place of her father. A vicious cat/female combination that craved her very soul was now in front of her.
"Gu-fu-fu-fu-fuuuuu," the demon chuckled. "I will have you, my dear...every last bit!" The demon took its other hand, nails sharp and all, and thrust it into the girl's chest.
"Aaahhhhh!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Aaahhhhhhhh," a woman screamed, jolting up from her bed. A coat of sweat covered her brow and a stream of tears poured from both of her eyes as she sat up erect in her small bed on the ship. A young man was kneeling at bedside, holding her arm gently to comfort her. The young woman looked over quickly, saw her right arm in his hands and immediately tore it away from him.
"Get away, you," The blonde yelled at him.
"Miss Jane! Miss Jane," The man firmly tried to get through to her. "You were having another dream again, Miss Jane! I thought~~"
"I don't care what you thought," Jane snapped at him. "I'm perfectly fine!"
Jane got up out of bed, paying no mind to her manservant as she walked quickly over to the small desk on the other side of the cabin. She took a small piece of cloth from the drawer and wiped the partially dried-up tears and sweat off of her face. Jane looked in the mirror to see if she mad missed anything. Convinced that she hadn't, she walked over to the side of her bed, got her travel equipment and her ARM, and proceeded to leave the small quarters. Her servant said something to her before she left.
"Miss Jane," he said humbly. "We're almost to the Cage Tower. I had planned on waking you when we arrived, but...now that is not the case."
"Good," Jane replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "McDullen, don't screw this up for me! This is my big chance to become rich and famous! If you do, I'll never forgive you!"
With that, she left the small room and slammed the door behind her. A detached and sullen McDullen was left standing in the cabin by himself, left to ponder what had just transpired. Jane had never been this caustic and irritable when she had woken from her short naps. He knew that she had a slight temper when she rose from a rest, but this time...it was extreme. He had never seen anything like this from her before. Left by himself after this explosion of anger, McDullen made a final conclusion about the situation.
"She is," he thought to himself. "She's getting worse. She's changing into something horrible." He slowly walked over to the cabin window, where he saw Jane yelling at the sailors and Drake outside on the deck. It was a beautiful sunrise, and the sea was calm and relaxed...but that wasn't good enough for him. He knew better than that.
"'Her' big chance? What about the kids at the orphanage? I knew it. It is an omen...I know it is..."
~~~~~~~~
Four days had passed since Princess Cecilia's failure to save the Guardian Statue and destroy the chunk of the Demon Queen's heart on Mount Zenom. Belselk, one of the Demons they had encountered in Aldehyde was lying in wait for them there, all too aware of their plans to stop the resurrection of who they know now simply as 'Mother'. This 'Mother'...the matriarch of the encroaching Demon Race...what were her plans for Filgaia? Maybe total takeover? Destruction? Annihilation? Or something much, much worse veiled in darkness...this is what the Innocent One sought to know. To find out these plans and bring them to a grinding halt in their tracks. And, of course, she also wanted to get back her treasured heirloom, the mystic Tear Drop as well.
Arriving in Baskar again, they headed towards the Chieftain's house. He was already waiting outside for them- -his connections with the Guardians of Past allowed him to divine their arrival back to the village. Maybe he even knew that they would fail...
"You did not destroy the piece, did you," asked the Baskar Chief upon their arrival.
Cecilia hung her head as Jack stood silently behind her. "Forgive me, Baskar Chief...there was someone else who knew of our plans and destroyed the Guardian Statue that had the piece of the Demon Queen's heart inside. We were too late."
"I understand, I understand...come in, young warriors of light. Come and rest. Rest up for the next journey."
"Thank you, Chief. We are exhausted from our journey," Cecilia said, accepting the offer.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Baskar Chief sat down on his designated fur rug, while Cecilia and Jack plopped down exhausted on an extra-layered bearskin rug with extra blankets. The helper bowed once again while leaving them to talk about their trials.
"Well, I see," the Baskar Chief said. He took a long puff on his wooden pipe, filling the air with a misty haze of smoke. "So you will go to Ione Paua's domain."
"Ione...whatsa," Jack replied with a confused look on his face.
"Ione Paua, you doof," Hanpan said to him sitting on a nearby bed. "I think Ione Paua is the next Guardian trapped inside of a Guardian Statue."
"Correct, my little grassland creature," the Chief said, grinning. "We call it Ione Paua's domain, simply because we do not use the same terms and words that you outsiders to the village use. But if you need me to explain, that place is what you people call Saint Centour."
"I see now," Jack stated. "Come to think of it, I do remember seeing a large statue of a beast in the middle of Saint Centour when I was last there." The Chief of Baskar glared at him, insulted at how the swordsman called the Guardian a mere 'beast'. He quickly corrected himself to calm the old man's anger. "I mean, now that I know Ione Paua is a Guardian, I would never dare call him a beast."
"Her," the old man corrected him. "Our Matron Saint Ione Paua, Guardian of Purity."
"Aah, yes, right. 'Her', I meant. Oops."
The Chief sighed, took another puff of his pipe and continued on. "You had no ship when you arrived here. So that means you cannot get there by sea."
"Yes, about that," Cecilia inquired. "Saint Centour is halfway across the globe from here, if the map I have is correct. So what I was wondering is~~"
"I am sorry, Innocent One," he said. "We do not use those vessels you call 'boats'."
"Oh," she simply said back to him.
"Well, now what will we do," Jack butted in with a grin. "We're stuck on a tiny landmass on the Outer Sea, there're no boats here to take us to Saint Centour...no pun intended, but we're stranded at sea without a paddle!"
"Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho," the Chief chuckled heartily. "There is still hope. I can feel the breath of Zephyr in these brittle old bones of mine!" The Chief slowly rose to his feet, as did the duo. They followed him over to a small shelf lined up in a corner of the room. Reaching up to the top shelf, he tried to pull something off of it. But he could not, and fell backwards. Jack caught him before he fell on the floor.
"Hmm, quick...like a wolf," the Chief complimented him. "I am glad I have agile hands behind me."
"Well, I wasn't going to let you fall," Jack firmly stated. He let go of the elder, letting him regain his balance on both feet. "Here, let me get whatever it was you were going for." Jack, at the Chief's direction, easily reached back behind on the top shelf and grabbed a small box carved out of oak. Jack handed him the box, and the Chief held it to his face.
"This box," he said. "This box was carved out of wood from an oak tree from Zenom Mountain. I would never place anything so precious and valuable in any other container."
"So, what's inside," Jack inquired, not really enthused with all of the drama.
"I will open the box and remove the contents."
His wrinkled old fingers fumbling around with the tiny handle on the front, the Baskar Chief opened up the tiny box to reveal what was so important. He pulled out a small glowing orb with a live flame inside.
"This is the pride of Baskar, warriors of virtue. This is the Kizim Flame."
"Whatsa Flame," Jack asked, again confused. "Looks like a child's toy."
"Jack," Hanpan scolded him. "Kizim Flame! Remember that!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
"So, how is this supposed to help us cross the ocean," Cecilia asked the old leader.
"Ahem! Well, this flame was given to ancient Baskarians of old by the Elw. As a final parting gift, we received this as a present of good faith from the Elw Tribe. It has been passed down from generation to generation- -from my father's father's father...to his son...to his son, and so on. Now I am the sole keeper of the Kizim Flame."
"Oh, I see," Cecilia replied. "But how will it help us?"
"Ahem! Getting to my point," he continued. "This flame is rumored to hold mysterious powers beyond human comprehension. Even we Baskarians can't understand what the flame inside is trying to tell us. But we know it has a strange and mysterious magical property inside." He gave the flame to Cecilia. "I regretfully have no other path of recourse but to give or sacred treasure from the Elw to us, the Kizim Flame, to you who fight in the Guardians' place. I know you'll be able to make good use of it. Please, use it to the best of your abilities."
Cecilia's face turned into one of shock when she held the orb close to her. "It...can't be! It feels like a Guardian's power!"
"Yes, Innocent One. It just may be the will and faith of the Guardians of Filgaia inside of that magical orb."
"I understand...I understand now," she said under her breath."
"Very well," the Chief concluded. "I have done all I can for you now. It is up to you young people to save our Filgaia from the Demon Queen now. Tomorrow you will leave our humble village in search of other Guardian Statues. There is an ancient building northeast to this village which has a strange mechanism stored inside. This building is rumored to have been built by the Elw, shortly before they left for another dimension. I do not know if that orb has anything to do with the building, but you should look for more clues there."
"I understand, Mr. Baskar Chief," Cecilia said, thanking him. "Thank you for all you've done to help us."
"Do not thank me, young one. Thank the Guardians who fight to maintain the light in this turbulent world."
"I see. You are correct."
"Good night, Innocent One, her swordsman, and his grassland creature. May the Guardians bless you on your journey."
With that, the Baskar Chief left the small hut. Both warriors and their small blue friend were very exhausted from their ordeals on Zenom Mountain, and they instantly fell into a deep sleep shortly after their talk with the Chief. Slumbering peacefully, they knew not what 'fate' had in store for them in their trials to come.
~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, across the world, another young person also slept just as soundly as the other two. This man with blue hair had set up a tent a little ways inside of the now-defunct Arctica Kingdom, after walking through the shallows towards the destroyed castle. Rudy Roughnight left Court Seim four days ago, bidding the children and residents goodbye in a search for his past. Nicholi Maxwell, the man who had taken him in after his harrowing trial as a shipwreck victim-turned ocean drifter, was especially moved at the lad's farewell get-together. It was an all-around joyful and memorable moment, as the entire village had become attached to him in those short weeks he resided there. It was something he never received in Surf Village, the place that made him into a rogue and scapegoat. Cradling a long, cylinder-shaped black piece of metal in his sleep, Rudy recalled in his dreams the day he finally left Court Seim. As he bid them goodbye...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Everyone, thank you. Thank you for accepting me when I needed it the most," Rudy tearfully said to the crowd gathered at the entrance to the town. "I'm leaving on a journey of self-discovery. Please, all of you...lend me your luck and good faith."
"Yes," a man's voice shouted from the crowd. "Rudy, I'll be praying for you!"
"I shall pray for you too, my boy," an elderly woman in the front offered.
"Me too," a little boy said. "Odoryuk saved you. He must have plans for you."
Nicholi Maxwell walked up beside him and offered him his blessings. "Rudy, since you landed on this small landmass and came into our tiny town, you've livened up the place and it's inhabitants. I don't know exactly what it is about you, and I don't think I'll ever know, But we've all grown attached to you, and we all hate to see you leave us so soon. So that's why I've decided to give you a little going-away present. You know to remember us by." Nicholi motioned to someone in the crowd, and a large, muscular man made his way through the people. He was carrying something shaped like a large tube wrapped up in green paper, topped off with a red bow on the top. The man placed it down on the ground before Rudy and stepped back. Nicholi continued on with his little talk.
"Go ahead, Rudy. Open it up."
"Hmm," he wondered. "You're giving me a present?"
"Of course, my boy! You didn't think you were going to leave without getting a present from me, did you?"
"Well, thanks Mr. Maxwell, sir."
"Oh, come on Rudy! I told you that it was all right to be casual with me!"
Rudy laughed and opened up the present with a smile on his face. He felt like a little kid again, when he got a present on his 'birthday' every year from his father Zepet. It made him remember the good times...the times he knew and loved. He tore the wrapping paper off, stunned to find what his present really was.
"Hope you like it, Rudy," Nicholi said, patting him on the back. "I fixed it all up for you!"
"I...I," was all he could say.
"Oh, no need to be so coy, Rudy," Nicholi said to him. The crowd laughed and encouraged him to show his emotions. Rudy was brought to tears, and the crowd all gathered around him to comfort him.
"It'll be fine, Rudy," the old woman from before assured him. " You'll be back to see us, right?"
"Y-Yeah," was all he could say.
"Cheer up, Mr. Rudy," Lilly, the girl from the beach said to him. "I'm not scared of you anymore. I know that deep down you're a nice person and that it was a miracle that you lived."
"Thanks, Lilly," Rudy said, thanking her with a thorough tussling of her hair. Lilly enjoyed it when he did that to her hair. The girl's grandfather known as Gregory came up to him and wished him well also.
"Kind sir, my granddaughter dies not lie. It was a miracle you were saved. Lucadia, the Guardian of the Seas was angry that day, but Odoryuk saved you I firmly believe that."
"Thank you too, Gregory," Rudy told him. "I know. It was a miracle and still is that I'm even alive to this day. That's why I need to leave. It would seem like I was wasting the Guardians' offerings if I stayed here."
The old man, being a faithful believer in the gods of Filgaia, understood his sentiments and why he wanted to leave. "I would probably do the same thing If I were in your shoes. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Rudy."
"Thank you sir," he said again. "Thank all of you...for believing in me and accepting me."
As he left the town, he turned around and waved goodbye to the citizens of Court Seim. They responded by cheering and waving back to him. With his present, an ARM custom-fitted by Nicholi for the blue-haired man strapped to his back, Rudy Roughnight walked off into the sunset northward to the shallows leading to the realm of the destroyed Arctica Kingdom. To the place where Zepet Roughnight was once famous...
~~~~~~~~~~
As he lay there sleeping in his tent, Rudy smiled- -his dreams pleasant and smooth. But new things awaited him tomorrow...new things that would change his life forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Rudy traveled even further into the icy continent of Arctica Kingdom. Land of cold and warriors as it was called before its destruction, there was a good chance that clues remained about Zepet Roughnight. Maybe there were clues left as to what happened to cause the terrible tragedy.
The young man approached a large structure in the middle of the continent. From what he could tell it looked strange- -not like a normal castle would look like, especially if it was destroyed overnight by an unknown force. From a frozen plateau at a distance, he could vaguely see what the structure looked like. But a strange, red light was emitting from the ground, blocking out his full vision.
"What is that," he asked himself. "Is that Arctica?"
Suddenly, what sounded like a slab of metal hitting the ground made a slight clanking sound from behind him. Rudy whirled around, eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone was there with him. Concluding that it was probably his Bazooka hitting a small rock jutting from the ground, he turned around to look at the mysterious structure again. The wind was blowing gently, and fragile snowflakes fell from the sky. Rudy stood erect at the tip of the plateau, deciding on whether to advance on the structure or to hold his ground and look at a distance. His adventurous spirit soon made the decision for him, however.
"I've got to see this up close," he said aloud.
Climbing down the wall of the plateau, Rudy carefully made his way over to the structure that held his curiosity firmly in place. As he got closer, he soon realized that the building in point was not a castle like he thought, but some sort of mysterious large metallic sphere-like hovel.
"What is this thing? It looks out of this world."
Rudy was soon right in front of it now. Indeed, a red light emanated from the ground, completely circling the structure. Not even knowing what it was or where it was coming from, he concluded that it was probably a forcefield of some sort designed to protect it.
"I see, a shield...interesting. This is very advanced technology. I've never in my life seen something like this."
All of a sudden, another metal clanking sound came from behind him. Rudy turned around, but saw nothing behind him except for an open field of snow. And now, his conclusion was different from before. No jutting rocks or obstacles around for his Bazooka to hit, he now believed there was someone there with him? But...who? Rudy inhaled the icy air, catching his breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute now.
"It...smells like metal," Rudy said unknowingly.
Then, it happened. It got quiet. Too quiet for his liking, anyway. The wind seemed to stop and disappear immediately after he said these words. The snow no longer fell from the sky after he said these words. Something was very amiss, and he was at a loss to describe why. But if he knew anything for sure, it was that someone was in his presence near this gigantic metallic sphere. Rudy looked up and saw an obvious large shadowy figure standing on the plateau he was just on. Acting on instinct and reflex, Rudy unlocked the Bazooka and placed it on his shoulder. But by the time he looked back up from unlocking the lock, it was gone.
"...No, it was...just there," he told himself silently. "Where did it go?"
Arming the weapon on his shoulder, Rudy trudged forward through the snow. With each step of his, metal clanking sounds paralleled them. When Rudy stopped, the clanking halted as well.
"Where are you," he yelled aloud at the open air. "Show yourself, whoever you are! I promise I won't hurt you!"
"You should be more worried about me hurting you," came a dark, brooding reply.
Rudy's eyes widened again. As he turned around towards the Photosphere, he looked up to see a large figure come crashing down upon him through the chilly air. The brunt edge of the figure's spear impacting the lad's cranium, Rudy was knocked out cold by the unknown assailant. Whoever it was...the assailant was fast and unrelenting. The large mass of armor picked up the slack warrior from the snow-covered plains and threw him over his shoulder. Heading toward the entrance of the building shaped like a sphere, the unconscious Rudy and the mysterious figure disappeared from sight.
The Bazooka remained forgotten outside, small drops of blue liquid covering the barrel.