Well, who knows what part 7 was all about...I was kinda lazy there...here comes some more totally random stuff.
Well, since we're split up, I'll just do this from a third-person sort of deal. Not like any of you care. I wonder, if you're reading this, how you got this far. You either have a lot of patience, or are really bored.
Side-Story #1
Julio and Zan walked down a cliffside. "Why are we walking down a cliff?" Zan asked.
"Simple!" Julio yelled back. "All good treasures are on cliffs! You of all people should know that, Zan!"
"Well, yes," Zan said, scrambling for footing, "But doesn't one usually climb the cliff instead of going down it?"
Julio had to stop for that one. "That is true, isn't it," he mumbled to himself. "That is always true. Hmm...but that's strange. The dungeon started at the top of the cliff. Does this mean that this cliff does not follow the cliff standards? Maybe it's a special case...but that would mean that we would keep going on past this cliff. But, from what it looks like, there isn't anywhere to go past this cliff."
"Can we at least get on better grounding?" Zan wailed, looking at the unsteady footing they were on.
"So, does that mean that this is...a special cliff?" Julio's eyes burned with passion. "It could! And when something is as special as this, then it is undoubtedly guarding some kind of special treasure! And that treasure can only be..." Julio slammed his foot on a nearby rock, preparing to reveal the name of the treasure. However, the rock was so loose, that it came loose and fell, taking several rocks with it, as well as Julio and Zan. They both fell far down, both wailing the entire way.
Time passed...
They came to at the bottom of the cliff, both bleary-eyed and without any bearings. "Julio..." Zan growled, "I hate you so much."
"Are you kidding me? That cliff was so asking for it! I showed it the power of justice!" He laughed and pounded his chest. "See? Look! Not a single scratch."
"That's cause we're just sprites. They aren't gonna make a new sprite for an injured you. Unless you lost an arm or something."
"Hey...where are we, anyway?" Julio asked, looking around.
"No changing the subject!" Zan shouted. "We almost got ourselves killed! Did you not even realize that?"
"No, seriously, there's something weird about this place," Julio said. There was a strange green glow that emanated from the caverns nearby.
"Almost killed! And you're worried about our location! What's wrong with that? Do you not even realize the consequence of your actions?"
"Zan, not to burst your bubble or anything..."
"I don't want to die by falling off a cliff!"
"But this is really important..." The glow was getting more and more intense.
"I'll tell you what's important! My living!"
"Zan, there's something coming from over there!"
"What?" They both looked over, only to see a hideous monster come lurching out of the cave. It was a hideously rotted corpse - undead. It looked right at them with one eye that barely stayed in its socket and gave a guttural moan. It took another step, and some of its rotten intestines fell out.
"GAAAH!" They both screamed. Zan jumped into Julio's arms, and Julio turned and ran, both still screaming. They didn't stop running for a while. When they finally did, Julio threw Zan down and walked in a circle, rubbing his arms and sweating. "What the hell was that?" he yelled, still shaking slightly.
"Undead," Zan whispered. "Why would they be here?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you. You're the Lich. You should know these kind of things."
"I should," Zan said. "I know where all the necromancers are. But there aren't any around this area, and no one has moved nearby here for over two thousand years. There's no way a spell to bind the dead could hold for so long."
Julio shivered. "Jeez...two thousand year-old undead. How nasty." He rubbed his arms again. "But there's no other choice now. We know that there's something down there that's controlling the dead. This is something that needs to be ended."
"Even though I don't want to, I agree. We need to put these souls to rest." Zan stood up sadly and started walking. "Man, I wish Alexander or Hagmore were here. They would be so helpful right now."
"Can't rely on everyone all the time. Hey, we made it for a long time together, just the two of us, remember?" Julio prodded Zan with his elbow, grinning. "Remember all the crazy adventures we had? Stealing from old men, and that crazy vase quest?"
"Man, that vase quest pissed me off. I knew I should have invested in a players guide for that one."
"You're such a wuss. It only took us three days!"
"Three days wasted! Think of what we could have done in three days!"
"Hmm..." Julio thought. "Looked for other vases!"
"Gah!" Zan fell over, and into the water. "Uh? Hey, the river."
"Wow, we're back already," Julio said, looking around. "No sign of our friend."
"Don't call him a friend. He may decide to become friendly and bring some of his friends along."
"That's what friends are for!" Julio kicked over a boulder. "He doesn't seem to want to see us. I feel a bit rejected."
"Well, we did kind of run away screaming from the sight of him. I would too."
"Dude, you have a piranha living in your hat."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nevermind. Let's just go looking through the cave. Maybe our undead friend was just an illusion." Julio grinned and stared forward. However, he didn't get far before something squished under his foot. He glanced down and saw that he was stepping in the rotted guts of the undead corpse that had fallen out. He shivered and washed off his boot. "Okay, so it's not fake..." Before he could finish, a low moan came from the cave. Zan and Julio looked at each other.
"This is not gonna be fun. You lead."
"Me? Why should I lead?"
"Because you're the big strong Fighter, and I'm the weak Arch Mage. Go." With that, Zan pushed Julio into the cave, and they were swallowed by the darkness.
A lot of time passed. Julio led the way, a large torch in his hand, Zan right behind him. Both looked around constantly, keeping their eyes open for undead. As they walked, a large lizard came crawling out of a side tunnel and growled at them.
"Burst Lightning!" Zan shouted immediately. The lizard was killed instantly.
"Dude, mellow out," Julio said. "Save your magic for the big guys. I'll take care of these little guys."
"Little?" Zan shouted, a little paranoid. "It's bigger than both of us!"
"So?" A small bat came flying out at them. "Ah-ha!" Julio cut the bat in half.
[Gain 16EXP and 203 GP. Acquired x1 Pipe Organ]
"Gah -" Zan sat and stared at the pipe organ that now occupied most of the cavern. "Wha...how are we supposed to use this in our quest to conquer evil?"
"By playing it and increasing our rate of item creation, obviously!" Julio said, grinning. He sat down at the organ bench and began to slam out a horrible melody.
"You may kill us with the act of playing it!" Zan shouted over the noise. "Anyway, let's get going. We don't have time to sit around..." His stomach suddenly growled loudly. Zan gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well...what time is it?"
"Hmm..." Julio rubbed his chin. "Probably well after dusk."
"Really?" Zan said, looking a bit confused. "That late already?"
"Not surprising." Julio shrugged. "It was almost dusk when we entered these caves. We should probably rest and recover here for the night."
"I would agree, but what about those undead?" Julio twitched.
"Well, they won't be that much of a problem. We'll just have to set up a watch for them. I'll take first watch. Now, for some food." He dipped into the item bag and pulled out some assorted breads, cheeses, meats, and cereal. Zan threw some sticks together and cast a fire spell on them to make a fire. The two wolfed down on the food, basking in the warmth of the small blaze. Zan settled down in a sleeping bag as Julio continued to sit on the organ bench, his arms crossed, looking down the two tunnels leading out. His sword rested on the bench, in easy reach. Time passed.
A while later, Zan came out of a restless sleep to silence. He glanced around. The fire had gone out, and in the dim light, he could see Julio, still sitting, arms crossed, his head bobbing in sleep. Zan was about to throw a rock at him when he heard that low moan again - this time, it was closer. Shaking violently, Zan jumped out of his sleeping bag and rushed over to Julio. "Julio! Wake up!" he shouted, shaking him by the shoulders.
"Eh...don't wanna go to school...lemme sleep..." Julio mumbled. Zan twitched.
"Dusk Bolt!" Julio was electrified by the lightning blast. With lightning still coursing through his body, he jumped up.
"What is it? What's going on? Time for ass-kicking!" He then looked around. "Whoa, Zan, what's up?"
"T-t-the undead..." Zan stammered, pointing to one of the tunnels. Julio grabbed his sword and drew it. Zan hid behind him. Another moan came from the caves. There was the sound of dragging and shuffling, and a hideous slippery sound. Julio tightened the grip on his sword. They both waited, tense.
Julio saw a shadow in the tunnels and wasted no time. Coursing with lightning, he rushed forward with a yell. "Blitz Howlnado!" he shouted, spinning. A whirlwind of electricity kicked up and tore through whatever it was hiding in the shadows. There was a squeal and a tearing sound as the whirlwind did its job. When the battle was over, Julio and Zan both rushed over.
It wasn't undead. It had been a large, amphibious lizard. The lightning attack had done a thorough job on its life. "Well..." Julio said, breathing a bit easier. "That's reassuring. I thought it was another damn corpse." They both laughed a bit sheepishly as the EXP was dished out. Their laughter was cut off by another moan from the depths of the caves,
"That's it, I'm not sleeping." Zan said stubbornly. "I will not have some rotting corpse trying to defile me whilst I sleep."
"In that case, let's just keep going. I'm not about to sleep anytime soon until we know that those undead stay dead." Julio gathered up the camp equipment and they set out.
It wasn't easy to try and make it through an unexplored cave. There was little sign of any human contact with the entire area. Bugs and lizards ranging in all sizes were scattered all over. They ran into an occasional wolf or large beast. But never once did they see a single corpse. Which made them all the more paranoid.
"Julio, can we turn back?" Zan pleaded, cowering behind Julio as they stood before a fork in the road. Julio stood in silence, considering which path to take. "Please, let's go back. This place creeps me out."
"Ah, you sissy. A few undead scare you? You are one! C'mon, I think we should go this way. It looks like it could have treasure down it."
"Don't they all these days?" Zan asked worriedly as Julio marched down the right path. A few moments later, there was the sound of a quick scuffle and an explosion. Julio came running back, looking a bit wide-eyed and grinning wildly.
"Not that way," was all he said, taking the left path. Zan followed him this time, though he was still uncertain. The path began to twist and turn, slowly leveling out and widening.
"I have the feeling we have stumbled onto the end of this cave," Zan said sarcastically.
"Ya think?" Julio said, drawing his sword. "And, we know what the end of the cave means.
"Yeah...boss battle."
An enormous beast loomed above them, roaring and flailing about. It was a minotaur, with broken shackles still clasped to its wrists. Its eyes burned in the shadow, and its horns gleamed in the dim light provided by the torch. It took a heavy step into the light, and moved its head closer to get a better look at them.
"Julio, I have the feeling of impending doom..." Zan whimpered.
"I think I may just agree with you..." Julio whispered back. "But I don't think this guy's going to let us go so easily..." They both began to slowly creep back, keeping their eyes on the minotaur the entire time. As they were creeping, Zan's boot hit a pebble and he slipped slightly. With that little movement, the two lost their confidence and broke into a dead run back into the tunnels. The minotaur roared and came barreling after them. The tunnels quickly became too small for the minotaur to fit through, so Julio and Zan ran down until they hit a bend in the path that hid them from it. They stopped and sat against the wall, breathing heavily.
"What in god's name is a minotaur doing in a place like this?" Zan asked. "We could never beat that, even with everyone else."
"No kidding...look at that thing go," Julio said, peeking around the corner. Zan did so, and saw that the minotaur was tearing apart the entire room. They looked at each other and swallowed nervously.
"We're so dead if we try and fight that thing," Zan said with utmost confidence.
"I completely agree with you," Julio said, ready to back his statement up with evidence.
"So, the only thing we can do is..."
"Leave, logically."
"All in favor?"
"Yes."
"Then, we go." With that, the two turned and began to stroll out of the cave. They didn't get far. A few feet away, they ran into the edge of the battle screen.
"Damn! The battle's started officially now! We can't get out!" Zan wailed. He beat the edge mercilessly. "C'mon! Let us out, just this once!" Nothing happened. Zan sighed and sank to the ground. "We are so fucked."
"In times like these..." Julio's eyes were shadowed dramatically. "There's only one thing to do." He drew his sword with echoing sound effects. "FIGHT TO THE BITTER, PAINFUL END!!" With that, Julio charged into the battle with a scream.
"Julio, you are so very dead." Zan made a quick prayer. "Well, it was nice knowing you."
"Taste my exposition!" Julio shouted, jumping up. "Whoop-Ass Supreme! Pigeon Flogging!!"
"What the hell kind of attack name is that?" Zan shouted over the din of battle. Julio swung his sword, and a flurry of pigeons appeared from nowhere. They swooped about, causing a large distraction to the minotaur. As it flailed about, Julio touched onto the group and leapt towards the minotaur's stomach. He thrust his sword in deep and tore it out, ripping away flesh and causing large amounts of damage.
"WHAT!" Zan shouted, baffled. "If he can do that...then we can win!!" His eyes flashed with determination. "IKUZE!" He stepped out from behind the wall and his hands began to glow with magic power. "Nightmare Calling! Darkness Overwhelming! Burst Drop!" Lava began to pour down upon the beast, and dark power consolidated onto the settling magma. It suddenly burst, causing more massive damage.
The minotaur now took it's turn. It slammed its hand onto the ground, causing parts of the ceiling to come crashing down on them.
"Let's-see-how-quick-we-can-make-this-battle-attack!" Julio shouted. "Magnum Breaker!" He struck the ground with his sword, and the ground exploded, causing massive damage to the boss and painful damage to Julio himself. "DAMN."
"And-now-I-will-follow-through-magic!" Zan said, raising his hands over his head. "Thunderbolt!" Intense lightning crashed down through the ground. More powerful damage. "Julio! This thing has low defense! We can do this!"
"EXCELLENT!" Julio shouted, posing.
"NOT ANYMORE," said the sign the minotaur held up, giving Julio a bitch slap of a lifetime. Julio was left in critical.
"Okay, so we are all officially going to die." Zan said.
"We can do it! Dual Tech, Zan!" Julio jumped up, his sword shining brightly. The dramatic music began.
"But...you'll die from it! You don't have enough HP!" Zan cried. Julio ginned, despite the blood that was dripping from his wounds.
"It's okay! If this won't kill it, nothing can! Let's GO!!"
Zan nearly didn't cast the spell. He didn't want his best friend to die. But then he remembered all their friends. They were counting on them to find the weapon hidden here. To save the world, they would need to be strong.
"Orraaah!!" Zan screamed, drawing in more magic power than he ever had. "Dual Tech! Hispanic Justice Might Fusion!" Their power shone brightly, like a beacon of Justice for the entire world to see and marvel. "Aluminum Linoleum! SOUTHERN CROSS-BREAKER!"
There was a huge explosion.
Yeah, huge. It shook the Richter scale. It made people have heart attacks. It caused a distant planet to lose its orbital axis and fall into the sun. It blew up then entire solar system.
And when the smoke cleared, the minotaur was still there.
Julio dropped to his knees, having no more strength. He fell, unable to support his own body anymore. "No...after all this time, we couldn't do it..." A pool of blood began to form where he lay. Zan clutched his side, having used up all his MP and gotten hurt in the process.
The minotaur reared back and roared, the toppled over, dead.
A huge sweat drop appeared on Julio and Zan's heads. EXP was dished out, and the gold bag dropped from the sky into their wallet. Zan managed to limp over to where Julio lay on the ground, bleeding to death. There was nothing he could do - he was no healer, and there was no potion that could heal this. "Julio...why'd you have to go and do that? We could have pulled back and regrouped...you're always like this..." He coughed violently, blood spitting out. "Ah ha...ha ha ha...what irony. We kill the boss, only to die ourselves from the wounds. I need to find something...anything, to heal us..." He began to limp forward, blood trailing behind him.
Zan didn't know how long he walked. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been hours. All he knew was that he had to keep moving forward. Eventually he was crawling, unable to control himself. It was like his body was forcing itself to keep going, no matter the cost.
It suddenly was just in front of him. He didn't see it from a distance, or feel it - it was just there, sticking out of the ground a few feet away; a large, shining blade that emanated an aura of pure evil. The Masamune. Zan wondered idly in the back of his mind why it was there, but the thought was banished with how he would get by it. The evil was like a wall - he couldn't get any closer.
That was when he heard the footsteps behind him. He couldn't turn - that took too much effort. Might as well let whatever it was stab him in the back while he lay here, unable to move any further. He saw the boot fall next to his head, then lift and keep going. He managed to look up, and saw Julio, his eyes blank, walking towards the evil blade. He still had the wounds from before, but he must have bleed his blood all away - there was no more coming out. Julio walked up to the large sword and stopped in front of it, his mouth moving silently. He suddenly reached out and took hold of the hilt. The blade crackled with energy, but Julio ignored it and drew the blade out of the ground.
The blade tried to corrupt him with it's evil - but Julio was almost dead, and his spirit had already left his body. There was nothing for the blade to corrupt. Unable to do anything, the weapon submitted its will to Julio's. With that, Julio fell to his knees, only supported by the sword, which had lodged into the ground.
Without the barrier stopping him, Zan kept going. He could see what it was that was pulling him - a large, metal staff that was imbedded into a pedestal. He crawled up to it and saw that there were words inscribed in the base - but he could barely see clearly, as such could not make them out. He reached out and took hold of the staff.
It was like awakening from sleep. Zan suddenly felt more aware than he had ever felt in his entire life. He could FEEL life around him, breathing, heartbeats, a soft glow of existence. He felt the wound in his side close up, and could feel strength returning to his body once again. He turned to look at Julio, who's body had nearly stopped working now. His spirit still hung about, unsure as to where to go, and unable to leave until the body fully died. Zan pointed with his staff and a bright light shone, tracing a symbol along Julio's heart. He would live, now...his soul tied to his body, and his body tied to him. Zan felt power unlike he had even known.
"Zan, if you're going to possess my body, please ASK me next time," Julio moaned, holding his side painfully. "You have no idea how much that hurts."
"Sorry," Zan said apologetically, "but I didn't have much of a choice. It was either that or letting you die."
"Well, ask me still. I might not want your help."
"Whatever."
"So...what did you find there? Must be something powerful." Julio peered at the plain staff, looking at it from every angle. "I don't get it...what is it?"
"I don't know myself..." Zan said, turning to look at the pedestal. He then remembered the writing on the base, and peered at it. He read it aloud: "My Mind is My Power, My Power is My Mind. I Control the Living and the Dead. Let All Who Breath Live to Serve Me. Umbrath." Zan straightened. "Umbrath...that sounds familiar. Do you remember ever hearing that name before?" He didn't really expect Julio to know.
"Sure, it was the one guy who was turned into a Lich...what, two hundred years ago? He was real evil and controlled a whole bunch of kings and such, 'til some Heroes stopped him." Zan boggled at him. "What? I was a history buff in school."
"Well, then." Zan looked at the staff in his hands. "This should be very helpful to us in the future, don't you think?"
"Not as helpful as my awesome powerful Masamune! Man, I emanate evil from every pore!"
"No, the sword does. Let's get a-movin'. We have to meet up with the others in eight days." With their wounds healed, the two walked out of the cave, now ready to face any evil that would stand in their way.
NEXT: Side-Story #2
Well, since we're split up, I'll just do this from a third-person sort of deal. Not like any of you care. I wonder, if you're reading this, how you got this far. You either have a lot of patience, or are really bored.
Side-Story #1
Julio and Zan walked down a cliffside. "Why are we walking down a cliff?" Zan asked.
"Simple!" Julio yelled back. "All good treasures are on cliffs! You of all people should know that, Zan!"
"Well, yes," Zan said, scrambling for footing, "But doesn't one usually climb the cliff instead of going down it?"
Julio had to stop for that one. "That is true, isn't it," he mumbled to himself. "That is always true. Hmm...but that's strange. The dungeon started at the top of the cliff. Does this mean that this cliff does not follow the cliff standards? Maybe it's a special case...but that would mean that we would keep going on past this cliff. But, from what it looks like, there isn't anywhere to go past this cliff."
"Can we at least get on better grounding?" Zan wailed, looking at the unsteady footing they were on.
"So, does that mean that this is...a special cliff?" Julio's eyes burned with passion. "It could! And when something is as special as this, then it is undoubtedly guarding some kind of special treasure! And that treasure can only be..." Julio slammed his foot on a nearby rock, preparing to reveal the name of the treasure. However, the rock was so loose, that it came loose and fell, taking several rocks with it, as well as Julio and Zan. They both fell far down, both wailing the entire way.
Time passed...
They came to at the bottom of the cliff, both bleary-eyed and without any bearings. "Julio..." Zan growled, "I hate you so much."
"Are you kidding me? That cliff was so asking for it! I showed it the power of justice!" He laughed and pounded his chest. "See? Look! Not a single scratch."
"That's cause we're just sprites. They aren't gonna make a new sprite for an injured you. Unless you lost an arm or something."
"Hey...where are we, anyway?" Julio asked, looking around.
"No changing the subject!" Zan shouted. "We almost got ourselves killed! Did you not even realize that?"
"No, seriously, there's something weird about this place," Julio said. There was a strange green glow that emanated from the caverns nearby.
"Almost killed! And you're worried about our location! What's wrong with that? Do you not even realize the consequence of your actions?"
"Zan, not to burst your bubble or anything..."
"I don't want to die by falling off a cliff!"
"But this is really important..." The glow was getting more and more intense.
"I'll tell you what's important! My living!"
"Zan, there's something coming from over there!"
"What?" They both looked over, only to see a hideous monster come lurching out of the cave. It was a hideously rotted corpse - undead. It looked right at them with one eye that barely stayed in its socket and gave a guttural moan. It took another step, and some of its rotten intestines fell out.
"GAAAH!" They both screamed. Zan jumped into Julio's arms, and Julio turned and ran, both still screaming. They didn't stop running for a while. When they finally did, Julio threw Zan down and walked in a circle, rubbing his arms and sweating. "What the hell was that?" he yelled, still shaking slightly.
"Undead," Zan whispered. "Why would they be here?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you. You're the Lich. You should know these kind of things."
"I should," Zan said. "I know where all the necromancers are. But there aren't any around this area, and no one has moved nearby here for over two thousand years. There's no way a spell to bind the dead could hold for so long."
Julio shivered. "Jeez...two thousand year-old undead. How nasty." He rubbed his arms again. "But there's no other choice now. We know that there's something down there that's controlling the dead. This is something that needs to be ended."
"Even though I don't want to, I agree. We need to put these souls to rest." Zan stood up sadly and started walking. "Man, I wish Alexander or Hagmore were here. They would be so helpful right now."
"Can't rely on everyone all the time. Hey, we made it for a long time together, just the two of us, remember?" Julio prodded Zan with his elbow, grinning. "Remember all the crazy adventures we had? Stealing from old men, and that crazy vase quest?"
"Man, that vase quest pissed me off. I knew I should have invested in a players guide for that one."
"You're such a wuss. It only took us three days!"
"Three days wasted! Think of what we could have done in three days!"
"Hmm..." Julio thought. "Looked for other vases!"
"Gah!" Zan fell over, and into the water. "Uh? Hey, the river."
"Wow, we're back already," Julio said, looking around. "No sign of our friend."
"Don't call him a friend. He may decide to become friendly and bring some of his friends along."
"That's what friends are for!" Julio kicked over a boulder. "He doesn't seem to want to see us. I feel a bit rejected."
"Well, we did kind of run away screaming from the sight of him. I would too."
"Dude, you have a piranha living in your hat."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nevermind. Let's just go looking through the cave. Maybe our undead friend was just an illusion." Julio grinned and stared forward. However, he didn't get far before something squished under his foot. He glanced down and saw that he was stepping in the rotted guts of the undead corpse that had fallen out. He shivered and washed off his boot. "Okay, so it's not fake..." Before he could finish, a low moan came from the cave. Zan and Julio looked at each other.
"This is not gonna be fun. You lead."
"Me? Why should I lead?"
"Because you're the big strong Fighter, and I'm the weak Arch Mage. Go." With that, Zan pushed Julio into the cave, and they were swallowed by the darkness.
A lot of time passed. Julio led the way, a large torch in his hand, Zan right behind him. Both looked around constantly, keeping their eyes open for undead. As they walked, a large lizard came crawling out of a side tunnel and growled at them.
"Burst Lightning!" Zan shouted immediately. The lizard was killed instantly.
"Dude, mellow out," Julio said. "Save your magic for the big guys. I'll take care of these little guys."
"Little?" Zan shouted, a little paranoid. "It's bigger than both of us!"
"So?" A small bat came flying out at them. "Ah-ha!" Julio cut the bat in half.
[Gain 16EXP and 203 GP. Acquired x1 Pipe Organ]
"Gah -" Zan sat and stared at the pipe organ that now occupied most of the cavern. "Wha...how are we supposed to use this in our quest to conquer evil?"
"By playing it and increasing our rate of item creation, obviously!" Julio said, grinning. He sat down at the organ bench and began to slam out a horrible melody.
"You may kill us with the act of playing it!" Zan shouted over the noise. "Anyway, let's get going. We don't have time to sit around..." His stomach suddenly growled loudly. Zan gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well...what time is it?"
"Hmm..." Julio rubbed his chin. "Probably well after dusk."
"Really?" Zan said, looking a bit confused. "That late already?"
"Not surprising." Julio shrugged. "It was almost dusk when we entered these caves. We should probably rest and recover here for the night."
"I would agree, but what about those undead?" Julio twitched.
"Well, they won't be that much of a problem. We'll just have to set up a watch for them. I'll take first watch. Now, for some food." He dipped into the item bag and pulled out some assorted breads, cheeses, meats, and cereal. Zan threw some sticks together and cast a fire spell on them to make a fire. The two wolfed down on the food, basking in the warmth of the small blaze. Zan settled down in a sleeping bag as Julio continued to sit on the organ bench, his arms crossed, looking down the two tunnels leading out. His sword rested on the bench, in easy reach. Time passed.
A while later, Zan came out of a restless sleep to silence. He glanced around. The fire had gone out, and in the dim light, he could see Julio, still sitting, arms crossed, his head bobbing in sleep. Zan was about to throw a rock at him when he heard that low moan again - this time, it was closer. Shaking violently, Zan jumped out of his sleeping bag and rushed over to Julio. "Julio! Wake up!" he shouted, shaking him by the shoulders.
"Eh...don't wanna go to school...lemme sleep..." Julio mumbled. Zan twitched.
"Dusk Bolt!" Julio was electrified by the lightning blast. With lightning still coursing through his body, he jumped up.
"What is it? What's going on? Time for ass-kicking!" He then looked around. "Whoa, Zan, what's up?"
"T-t-the undead..." Zan stammered, pointing to one of the tunnels. Julio grabbed his sword and drew it. Zan hid behind him. Another moan came from the caves. There was the sound of dragging and shuffling, and a hideous slippery sound. Julio tightened the grip on his sword. They both waited, tense.
Julio saw a shadow in the tunnels and wasted no time. Coursing with lightning, he rushed forward with a yell. "Blitz Howlnado!" he shouted, spinning. A whirlwind of electricity kicked up and tore through whatever it was hiding in the shadows. There was a squeal and a tearing sound as the whirlwind did its job. When the battle was over, Julio and Zan both rushed over.
It wasn't undead. It had been a large, amphibious lizard. The lightning attack had done a thorough job on its life. "Well..." Julio said, breathing a bit easier. "That's reassuring. I thought it was another damn corpse." They both laughed a bit sheepishly as the EXP was dished out. Their laughter was cut off by another moan from the depths of the caves,
"That's it, I'm not sleeping." Zan said stubbornly. "I will not have some rotting corpse trying to defile me whilst I sleep."
"In that case, let's just keep going. I'm not about to sleep anytime soon until we know that those undead stay dead." Julio gathered up the camp equipment and they set out.
It wasn't easy to try and make it through an unexplored cave. There was little sign of any human contact with the entire area. Bugs and lizards ranging in all sizes were scattered all over. They ran into an occasional wolf or large beast. But never once did they see a single corpse. Which made them all the more paranoid.
"Julio, can we turn back?" Zan pleaded, cowering behind Julio as they stood before a fork in the road. Julio stood in silence, considering which path to take. "Please, let's go back. This place creeps me out."
"Ah, you sissy. A few undead scare you? You are one! C'mon, I think we should go this way. It looks like it could have treasure down it."
"Don't they all these days?" Zan asked worriedly as Julio marched down the right path. A few moments later, there was the sound of a quick scuffle and an explosion. Julio came running back, looking a bit wide-eyed and grinning wildly.
"Not that way," was all he said, taking the left path. Zan followed him this time, though he was still uncertain. The path began to twist and turn, slowly leveling out and widening.
"I have the feeling we have stumbled onto the end of this cave," Zan said sarcastically.
"Ya think?" Julio said, drawing his sword. "And, we know what the end of the cave means.
"Yeah...boss battle."
An enormous beast loomed above them, roaring and flailing about. It was a minotaur, with broken shackles still clasped to its wrists. Its eyes burned in the shadow, and its horns gleamed in the dim light provided by the torch. It took a heavy step into the light, and moved its head closer to get a better look at them.
"Julio, I have the feeling of impending doom..." Zan whimpered.
"I think I may just agree with you..." Julio whispered back. "But I don't think this guy's going to let us go so easily..." They both began to slowly creep back, keeping their eyes on the minotaur the entire time. As they were creeping, Zan's boot hit a pebble and he slipped slightly. With that little movement, the two lost their confidence and broke into a dead run back into the tunnels. The minotaur roared and came barreling after them. The tunnels quickly became too small for the minotaur to fit through, so Julio and Zan ran down until they hit a bend in the path that hid them from it. They stopped and sat against the wall, breathing heavily.
"What in god's name is a minotaur doing in a place like this?" Zan asked. "We could never beat that, even with everyone else."
"No kidding...look at that thing go," Julio said, peeking around the corner. Zan did so, and saw that the minotaur was tearing apart the entire room. They looked at each other and swallowed nervously.
"We're so dead if we try and fight that thing," Zan said with utmost confidence.
"I completely agree with you," Julio said, ready to back his statement up with evidence.
"So, the only thing we can do is..."
"Leave, logically."
"All in favor?"
"Yes."
"Then, we go." With that, the two turned and began to stroll out of the cave. They didn't get far. A few feet away, they ran into the edge of the battle screen.
"Damn! The battle's started officially now! We can't get out!" Zan wailed. He beat the edge mercilessly. "C'mon! Let us out, just this once!" Nothing happened. Zan sighed and sank to the ground. "We are so fucked."
"In times like these..." Julio's eyes were shadowed dramatically. "There's only one thing to do." He drew his sword with echoing sound effects. "FIGHT TO THE BITTER, PAINFUL END!!" With that, Julio charged into the battle with a scream.
"Julio, you are so very dead." Zan made a quick prayer. "Well, it was nice knowing you."
"Taste my exposition!" Julio shouted, jumping up. "Whoop-Ass Supreme! Pigeon Flogging!!"
"What the hell kind of attack name is that?" Zan shouted over the din of battle. Julio swung his sword, and a flurry of pigeons appeared from nowhere. They swooped about, causing a large distraction to the minotaur. As it flailed about, Julio touched onto the group and leapt towards the minotaur's stomach. He thrust his sword in deep and tore it out, ripping away flesh and causing large amounts of damage.
"WHAT!" Zan shouted, baffled. "If he can do that...then we can win!!" His eyes flashed with determination. "IKUZE!" He stepped out from behind the wall and his hands began to glow with magic power. "Nightmare Calling! Darkness Overwhelming! Burst Drop!" Lava began to pour down upon the beast, and dark power consolidated onto the settling magma. It suddenly burst, causing more massive damage.
The minotaur now took it's turn. It slammed its hand onto the ground, causing parts of the ceiling to come crashing down on them.
"Let's-see-how-quick-we-can-make-this-battle-attack!" Julio shouted. "Magnum Breaker!" He struck the ground with his sword, and the ground exploded, causing massive damage to the boss and painful damage to Julio himself. "DAMN."
"And-now-I-will-follow-through-magic!" Zan said, raising his hands over his head. "Thunderbolt!" Intense lightning crashed down through the ground. More powerful damage. "Julio! This thing has low defense! We can do this!"
"EXCELLENT!" Julio shouted, posing.
"NOT ANYMORE," said the sign the minotaur held up, giving Julio a bitch slap of a lifetime. Julio was left in critical.
"Okay, so we are all officially going to die." Zan said.
"We can do it! Dual Tech, Zan!" Julio jumped up, his sword shining brightly. The dramatic music began.
"But...you'll die from it! You don't have enough HP!" Zan cried. Julio ginned, despite the blood that was dripping from his wounds.
"It's okay! If this won't kill it, nothing can! Let's GO!!"
Zan nearly didn't cast the spell. He didn't want his best friend to die. But then he remembered all their friends. They were counting on them to find the weapon hidden here. To save the world, they would need to be strong.
"Orraaah!!" Zan screamed, drawing in more magic power than he ever had. "Dual Tech! Hispanic Justice Might Fusion!" Their power shone brightly, like a beacon of Justice for the entire world to see and marvel. "Aluminum Linoleum! SOUTHERN CROSS-BREAKER!"
There was a huge explosion.
Yeah, huge. It shook the Richter scale. It made people have heart attacks. It caused a distant planet to lose its orbital axis and fall into the sun. It blew up then entire solar system.
And when the smoke cleared, the minotaur was still there.
Julio dropped to his knees, having no more strength. He fell, unable to support his own body anymore. "No...after all this time, we couldn't do it..." A pool of blood began to form where he lay. Zan clutched his side, having used up all his MP and gotten hurt in the process.
The minotaur reared back and roared, the toppled over, dead.
A huge sweat drop appeared on Julio and Zan's heads. EXP was dished out, and the gold bag dropped from the sky into their wallet. Zan managed to limp over to where Julio lay on the ground, bleeding to death. There was nothing he could do - he was no healer, and there was no potion that could heal this. "Julio...why'd you have to go and do that? We could have pulled back and regrouped...you're always like this..." He coughed violently, blood spitting out. "Ah ha...ha ha ha...what irony. We kill the boss, only to die ourselves from the wounds. I need to find something...anything, to heal us..." He began to limp forward, blood trailing behind him.
Zan didn't know how long he walked. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been hours. All he knew was that he had to keep moving forward. Eventually he was crawling, unable to control himself. It was like his body was forcing itself to keep going, no matter the cost.
It suddenly was just in front of him. He didn't see it from a distance, or feel it - it was just there, sticking out of the ground a few feet away; a large, shining blade that emanated an aura of pure evil. The Masamune. Zan wondered idly in the back of his mind why it was there, but the thought was banished with how he would get by it. The evil was like a wall - he couldn't get any closer.
That was when he heard the footsteps behind him. He couldn't turn - that took too much effort. Might as well let whatever it was stab him in the back while he lay here, unable to move any further. He saw the boot fall next to his head, then lift and keep going. He managed to look up, and saw Julio, his eyes blank, walking towards the evil blade. He still had the wounds from before, but he must have bleed his blood all away - there was no more coming out. Julio walked up to the large sword and stopped in front of it, his mouth moving silently. He suddenly reached out and took hold of the hilt. The blade crackled with energy, but Julio ignored it and drew the blade out of the ground.
The blade tried to corrupt him with it's evil - but Julio was almost dead, and his spirit had already left his body. There was nothing for the blade to corrupt. Unable to do anything, the weapon submitted its will to Julio's. With that, Julio fell to his knees, only supported by the sword, which had lodged into the ground.
Without the barrier stopping him, Zan kept going. He could see what it was that was pulling him - a large, metal staff that was imbedded into a pedestal. He crawled up to it and saw that there were words inscribed in the base - but he could barely see clearly, as such could not make them out. He reached out and took hold of the staff.
It was like awakening from sleep. Zan suddenly felt more aware than he had ever felt in his entire life. He could FEEL life around him, breathing, heartbeats, a soft glow of existence. He felt the wound in his side close up, and could feel strength returning to his body once again. He turned to look at Julio, who's body had nearly stopped working now. His spirit still hung about, unsure as to where to go, and unable to leave until the body fully died. Zan pointed with his staff and a bright light shone, tracing a symbol along Julio's heart. He would live, now...his soul tied to his body, and his body tied to him. Zan felt power unlike he had even known.
"Zan, if you're going to possess my body, please ASK me next time," Julio moaned, holding his side painfully. "You have no idea how much that hurts."
"Sorry," Zan said apologetically, "but I didn't have much of a choice. It was either that or letting you die."
"Well, ask me still. I might not want your help."
"Whatever."
"So...what did you find there? Must be something powerful." Julio peered at the plain staff, looking at it from every angle. "I don't get it...what is it?"
"I don't know myself..." Zan said, turning to look at the pedestal. He then remembered the writing on the base, and peered at it. He read it aloud: "My Mind is My Power, My Power is My Mind. I Control the Living and the Dead. Let All Who Breath Live to Serve Me. Umbrath." Zan straightened. "Umbrath...that sounds familiar. Do you remember ever hearing that name before?" He didn't really expect Julio to know.
"Sure, it was the one guy who was turned into a Lich...what, two hundred years ago? He was real evil and controlled a whole bunch of kings and such, 'til some Heroes stopped him." Zan boggled at him. "What? I was a history buff in school."
"Well, then." Zan looked at the staff in his hands. "This should be very helpful to us in the future, don't you think?"
"Not as helpful as my awesome powerful Masamune! Man, I emanate evil from every pore!"
"No, the sword does. Let's get a-movin'. We have to meet up with the others in eight days." With their wounds healed, the two walked out of the cave, now ready to face any evil that would stand in their way.
NEXT: Side-Story #2