(Howdy boys and girls! Let's get this show on the road! Be prepared to be
even more confused then you were in the last chapter, as Kirby wakes up,
and faces the new Meta Knight!)
I struggled in NME's grip. "LET GO OF HIM!" I shouted, thrusting towards Magnum. NME my struggle silently, with a look on his face as if he was considering throwing me into the flames. Suddenly, I fell through his fingers. His eyes widened, and I looked down at my self in surprise. I was disappearing! A bright rush of flame engulfed me, and I cried out.
My true eyes opened, and I rolled over in time enough to dodge Meta Knight's sword. It sank deep into my pillow, causing goose down to float into the air. "Hey!" I shouted in a bewildered voice. I looked around for the owner of the sword. Meta Knight was no where to be seen. I grabbed his sword and angrily stormed from the room, furious for this flagrant attempt on my life. Before leaving, I checked in on the students. He wasn't in the dorms, but a sleeping Samarra was. The students were also asleep; many of them covered heavily in bandages. I left quickly and continued my search.
I ran outside and looked about the training area were the attack had taken place. No one was there, but for hundreds of wolf prints and the smell of mass amounts of drying blood . . . and of course, Dimitri's corpse. No one had moved or covered it yet. I ran on towards Tuff and Claris' home. I stopped, realizing suddenly the many possible things my dream could have been. A nightmare sent by NME himself to confuse me, and cause me to kill the real Meta Knight . . . or a vision warning me of a real threat in my midst . . . . Or even just a dream. But what of the sword that had almost impaled me? It didn't fly to my room by it's self, and then try to kill my also. And along with this, that 'look' that Meta Knight had given Dimitri in the fight still lingered with me . . . . What had THAT been? But I didn't want to seem foolish if the vision really was just a dream, so I slowed down and walked in.
Sitting at the table, was Tuff and 'Meta Knight.' It seemed they had just finished a long talk. "Meta Knight, your sword . . ." He looked at the sword I held with surprise, then slapped his hand to his sheath as if to check it was really empty. It was. "How did you get that from me?" He said confusedly. I warily shuffled forward and handed it to him. "Sir," I said slowly. "I just had a strange dream, like a vision, you could say . . . in the dream, a second Meta Knight called you an imposter . . ."
The Meta Knight at the table said nothing, but I noticed with interest the way his eyes flashed when I said 'imposter.' "A lie." He said frankly, and continued. "A poisoned dream, probably sent to you by NME, to stir you. Forget it." He calmly sipped what appeared to be a cup of tea. I sat down next to Tuff, and thought things over. So many possibilities . . . One, the Meta Knight in front of me was a fake. Two, it really was just a dream. Three, if the dream was a lie, then maybe Magnum wasn't really being killed slowly and painfully. Four, the real Meta Knight was in front of me, and the one in the dream was fake made to confuse me. My mind spun in confusion and anxiety.
The Meta Knight across the table stared in a look of worry that I could tell was real. But what was he worried for? Me? Magnum? Or that I had found him to be a fake? I stared back, and wondered suddenly were Claris was. I asked Tuff.
"She had to lay down. She said it was too much for one sitting." I could sympathize. Even though I had known Meta Knight for many years, and had been in the center of the war with NME, I was still baffled by everything that was happening.
I walked down the hall to Claris and Tuff's room. I opened the door, to find much to my surprise that she wasn't laying down. Rather, she was packing a large case with clothing. She was getting ready to run. "What are you doing?!" I asked in shock. She turned to me with wide, frightened eyes. They were the eyes of a trapped or injured animal.
"I don't know who 'Meta Knight' is, or who he was to you, but there's something wrong with that man. I'm leaving, and taking Tuff with me," She muttered strangely. She crossed the room and took my hand. "Kirby, I trust your decisions, and your actions. You've been a friend to me for many a year, and even raised my son." A tear came to her eye at the mention of Magnum. "So please Kirby, trust MY decision to stay away from Meta Knight. Stay away from that him. That, that, Meta Knight . . ." her eyes suddenly glazed over, and she seemed to be looking at an image far away. " . . . He'll end up killing you." She whispered. She finished packing her bag, and stowed it under the bed. "I'm leaving tonight. You'll do the same, unless you would rather stay and fight, or, just, I don't know. But I've got one last thing to ask of you." I waited patiently.
"I heard you talking. I too had a dream. Magnum is going to die, and soon. But I've been wrong before. You can change the out come of my vision, because it's only the most likely of SEVERAL possible futures. So please, PLEASE, save my son!" She cried openly now. "But do what you must to stay alive. I have to get ready now . . ." I left the room, with many of my current worries and confusion fleeing. Claris was a seer, if not one that had been inactive in her abilities for many years. But she had never been wrong where her judgment was concerned. I trusted her completely. The Meta Knight out there was a fake. I had to confront him.
I closed the door and was taken by surprise by 'Meta Knight's' eyes, glowing a dark, ominous green. I noticed quickly the way that his hand stayed firmly on the hilt of his sword. I yearned for a weapon right then . . . something with which to defend myself. But I had nothing but my faded powers. These I had not used in so long, that I wasn't sure that I could still use them to fight. But it didn't matter. Here I couldn't use them. The Meta Knight standing in front of me moved forward, totally silent and menacing. I wondered what he was doing, and realized that he meant to fight and finish me: right there and then. I remembered something vital at that moment, as 'Meta Knight' stalked toward me: My star. MY WARPSTAR! It was in a pouch in the shoulder strap I wore belted around me! I scrabbled to undo the fastenings of the pouch.
Meta Knight suddenly ran forward, and dug his sword into my side. I gasped and stopped my search for a moment as blood began to rush from my side. I looked into Meta Knight's eyes, and saw something strange about his eyes. In the centers, were deep, watery, looking slits. I stared deeper into these hair thin pupils, and my body numbed. I felt nothing as Meta Knight twisted the sword. I began to fall into the darkness of these pupils, drowning in the blackness. It really wasn't Meta Knight. I didn't even feel it as I hit the floor, nor as Meta Knight pulled out his sword. I looked up and watched as in the dark hallway, those slim pupils widened. I was looking into the eyes of a beast. It was the last thing I saw then.
I awoke and screamed in sudden pain. My side throbbed, and I looked down. My cloak had stiffened with the hardened blood, though I spotted a small spot of wetness from my fresh losses. I looked back up wincing with the poisoned fire racing through my side and recognized my surroundings. The castle. But where were the flames? The wolves? A smoldering chain tied me myself to a charred and blackened wall. The entire room smelled of sulfur. But that was all that seemed the same from my dream. I remembered the life capsule in NME's throne. The true Meta Knight. I Stumbled to my feet and gasped with more pain, and snapped the rotten, useless chain around my leg. I staggered forward. The capsule in the back of the throne was shattered. Glass was strewn across the floor. Meta Knight had gotten out. I looked up; expecting to see Magnum's torn body. Empty chains and tethers hung from the ceiling, and shook at me like furious snakes. But no Magnum. I continued on, and ventured down the west hallway. I fell over, and recognized a blackened doorway. Meta Knight's chambers of old. I laughed without the feeling and wondered why NME would bother to recreate that detail of the castle. I tried to get up and couldn't find the energy, and so crawled on.
At the end of the hall, the dead end wall had been torn down. Through the gaping hole, I could see the last rays of the sun. Silhouetted against this faint light were three figures: The two Meta Knights, and Magnum. The latter was laying still and torn, half hanging out of the giant hole. The two Meta knights faced each other, weaponless, menacingly. I tried to focus on them, but the edges of my vision were beginning to cloud. I felt my heart slowing, but I tried harder to stay awake. Some thing important was about to happen . . . .
(It's getting awful strange, isn't it? Wait until you read the next part! Cappy town is going to receive some special visitors soon too. . . helpers that are out of this world. Keep reading to find out who they are! NOTE: So that you don't get TOO confused, let me explain. . . Several thousand years ago, when Meta Knight traversed the universe in search of Kirby, he encountered Sgt. Cosmo when looking for a new ship. They discussed the disbanded star federation. . . and after Meta Knight left, he had no idea what a strong impression he had left on Cosmo. Cosmo spread the word, and his own star federation II started. . . Even when he disappeared and crash landed on his own island, the second federation continued to grow in force and number. . . read and be amazed!)
I struggled in NME's grip. "LET GO OF HIM!" I shouted, thrusting towards Magnum. NME my struggle silently, with a look on his face as if he was considering throwing me into the flames. Suddenly, I fell through his fingers. His eyes widened, and I looked down at my self in surprise. I was disappearing! A bright rush of flame engulfed me, and I cried out.
My true eyes opened, and I rolled over in time enough to dodge Meta Knight's sword. It sank deep into my pillow, causing goose down to float into the air. "Hey!" I shouted in a bewildered voice. I looked around for the owner of the sword. Meta Knight was no where to be seen. I grabbed his sword and angrily stormed from the room, furious for this flagrant attempt on my life. Before leaving, I checked in on the students. He wasn't in the dorms, but a sleeping Samarra was. The students were also asleep; many of them covered heavily in bandages. I left quickly and continued my search.
I ran outside and looked about the training area were the attack had taken place. No one was there, but for hundreds of wolf prints and the smell of mass amounts of drying blood . . . and of course, Dimitri's corpse. No one had moved or covered it yet. I ran on towards Tuff and Claris' home. I stopped, realizing suddenly the many possible things my dream could have been. A nightmare sent by NME himself to confuse me, and cause me to kill the real Meta Knight . . . or a vision warning me of a real threat in my midst . . . . Or even just a dream. But what of the sword that had almost impaled me? It didn't fly to my room by it's self, and then try to kill my also. And along with this, that 'look' that Meta Knight had given Dimitri in the fight still lingered with me . . . . What had THAT been? But I didn't want to seem foolish if the vision really was just a dream, so I slowed down and walked in.
Sitting at the table, was Tuff and 'Meta Knight.' It seemed they had just finished a long talk. "Meta Knight, your sword . . ." He looked at the sword I held with surprise, then slapped his hand to his sheath as if to check it was really empty. It was. "How did you get that from me?" He said confusedly. I warily shuffled forward and handed it to him. "Sir," I said slowly. "I just had a strange dream, like a vision, you could say . . . in the dream, a second Meta Knight called you an imposter . . ."
The Meta Knight at the table said nothing, but I noticed with interest the way his eyes flashed when I said 'imposter.' "A lie." He said frankly, and continued. "A poisoned dream, probably sent to you by NME, to stir you. Forget it." He calmly sipped what appeared to be a cup of tea. I sat down next to Tuff, and thought things over. So many possibilities . . . One, the Meta Knight in front of me was a fake. Two, it really was just a dream. Three, if the dream was a lie, then maybe Magnum wasn't really being killed slowly and painfully. Four, the real Meta Knight was in front of me, and the one in the dream was fake made to confuse me. My mind spun in confusion and anxiety.
The Meta Knight across the table stared in a look of worry that I could tell was real. But what was he worried for? Me? Magnum? Or that I had found him to be a fake? I stared back, and wondered suddenly were Claris was. I asked Tuff.
"She had to lay down. She said it was too much for one sitting." I could sympathize. Even though I had known Meta Knight for many years, and had been in the center of the war with NME, I was still baffled by everything that was happening.
I walked down the hall to Claris and Tuff's room. I opened the door, to find much to my surprise that she wasn't laying down. Rather, she was packing a large case with clothing. She was getting ready to run. "What are you doing?!" I asked in shock. She turned to me with wide, frightened eyes. They were the eyes of a trapped or injured animal.
"I don't know who 'Meta Knight' is, or who he was to you, but there's something wrong with that man. I'm leaving, and taking Tuff with me," She muttered strangely. She crossed the room and took my hand. "Kirby, I trust your decisions, and your actions. You've been a friend to me for many a year, and even raised my son." A tear came to her eye at the mention of Magnum. "So please Kirby, trust MY decision to stay away from Meta Knight. Stay away from that him. That, that, Meta Knight . . ." her eyes suddenly glazed over, and she seemed to be looking at an image far away. " . . . He'll end up killing you." She whispered. She finished packing her bag, and stowed it under the bed. "I'm leaving tonight. You'll do the same, unless you would rather stay and fight, or, just, I don't know. But I've got one last thing to ask of you." I waited patiently.
"I heard you talking. I too had a dream. Magnum is going to die, and soon. But I've been wrong before. You can change the out come of my vision, because it's only the most likely of SEVERAL possible futures. So please, PLEASE, save my son!" She cried openly now. "But do what you must to stay alive. I have to get ready now . . ." I left the room, with many of my current worries and confusion fleeing. Claris was a seer, if not one that had been inactive in her abilities for many years. But she had never been wrong where her judgment was concerned. I trusted her completely. The Meta Knight out there was a fake. I had to confront him.
I closed the door and was taken by surprise by 'Meta Knight's' eyes, glowing a dark, ominous green. I noticed quickly the way that his hand stayed firmly on the hilt of his sword. I yearned for a weapon right then . . . something with which to defend myself. But I had nothing but my faded powers. These I had not used in so long, that I wasn't sure that I could still use them to fight. But it didn't matter. Here I couldn't use them. The Meta Knight standing in front of me moved forward, totally silent and menacing. I wondered what he was doing, and realized that he meant to fight and finish me: right there and then. I remembered something vital at that moment, as 'Meta Knight' stalked toward me: My star. MY WARPSTAR! It was in a pouch in the shoulder strap I wore belted around me! I scrabbled to undo the fastenings of the pouch.
Meta Knight suddenly ran forward, and dug his sword into my side. I gasped and stopped my search for a moment as blood began to rush from my side. I looked into Meta Knight's eyes, and saw something strange about his eyes. In the centers, were deep, watery, looking slits. I stared deeper into these hair thin pupils, and my body numbed. I felt nothing as Meta Knight twisted the sword. I began to fall into the darkness of these pupils, drowning in the blackness. It really wasn't Meta Knight. I didn't even feel it as I hit the floor, nor as Meta Knight pulled out his sword. I looked up and watched as in the dark hallway, those slim pupils widened. I was looking into the eyes of a beast. It was the last thing I saw then.
I awoke and screamed in sudden pain. My side throbbed, and I looked down. My cloak had stiffened with the hardened blood, though I spotted a small spot of wetness from my fresh losses. I looked back up wincing with the poisoned fire racing through my side and recognized my surroundings. The castle. But where were the flames? The wolves? A smoldering chain tied me myself to a charred and blackened wall. The entire room smelled of sulfur. But that was all that seemed the same from my dream. I remembered the life capsule in NME's throne. The true Meta Knight. I Stumbled to my feet and gasped with more pain, and snapped the rotten, useless chain around my leg. I staggered forward. The capsule in the back of the throne was shattered. Glass was strewn across the floor. Meta Knight had gotten out. I looked up; expecting to see Magnum's torn body. Empty chains and tethers hung from the ceiling, and shook at me like furious snakes. But no Magnum. I continued on, and ventured down the west hallway. I fell over, and recognized a blackened doorway. Meta Knight's chambers of old. I laughed without the feeling and wondered why NME would bother to recreate that detail of the castle. I tried to get up and couldn't find the energy, and so crawled on.
At the end of the hall, the dead end wall had been torn down. Through the gaping hole, I could see the last rays of the sun. Silhouetted against this faint light were three figures: The two Meta Knights, and Magnum. The latter was laying still and torn, half hanging out of the giant hole. The two Meta knights faced each other, weaponless, menacingly. I tried to focus on them, but the edges of my vision were beginning to cloud. I felt my heart slowing, but I tried harder to stay awake. Some thing important was about to happen . . . .
(It's getting awful strange, isn't it? Wait until you read the next part! Cappy town is going to receive some special visitors soon too. . . helpers that are out of this world. Keep reading to find out who they are! NOTE: So that you don't get TOO confused, let me explain. . . Several thousand years ago, when Meta Knight traversed the universe in search of Kirby, he encountered Sgt. Cosmo when looking for a new ship. They discussed the disbanded star federation. . . and after Meta Knight left, he had no idea what a strong impression he had left on Cosmo. Cosmo spread the word, and his own star federation II started. . . Even when he disappeared and crash landed on his own island, the second federation continued to grow in force and number. . . read and be amazed!)