Chapter 5: Into the Dark
Keja, Picard, and Ameph followed the mysterious YQ down the path to the Wasteland. YQ wasn't interested in getting Ameph's mother back. He was just determined to find Dominus. This fact was very strange to Keja. That picture he saw on the table was of YQ and his family. YQ was no doubt the one on the far left of the picture. Happiness seemed to fill his young face. But the YQ that walked before him now seemed to be a dark and flustered man.
"So whats your name kid?" YQ asked.
"Keja." Keja answered instantly.
"Prince of Yami?" YQ asked.
"Actually I'm technically king." Keja answered with a glum voice.
"Really?" YQ said. "That why your after your brother?"
"In a way, yes." Keja answered.
"Well. You won't have to worry about him." YQ said. "Once I get my hands on him."
"Why are you after him?" Keja asked.
"Trust me dude, you don't want to ask." Picard said.
"Good call Picard." YQ said as they continued down the trail.
They walked through most of the night and eventually made it to the border of the Luminous Spark and Wasteland before daybreak. The soil was different in Wasteland than the soil in Luminous Spark. While the soil in Luminous Spark was normal, the Wasteland's soil was scorched and mostly ash. The group could see several pointed towers in the distance, no doubt belonging to the Castle of Dark Illusions.
"So that's it huh?" Ameph asked.
"Just the outside. Its whats inside that you should be worried about. If you are at all." Picard said.
"I'm not." Ameph replied.
"Well you should be." YQ said. "If that's where your mother is, I wouldn't be surprised if she was dead already."
"Shut it you!" Ameph yelled.
"YQ." Picard said. "What are we going to do once we are in the center room? I mean, if we did the spell then we could-."
"Don't even think about it!" YQ interrupted. "That is one of the last things I'm going to do with you!"
"Fine. Don't get so damn upset about it." Picard said.
They reached the Castle at dawn. Except, it didn't seem like dawn. It was more like night. The huge structure hovered over the shattered ruins of what appeared to be a town. YQ lead Keja and the others into the center of the town to a large dried up fountain.
"So how do we get in?" Ameph asked.
"Like this." YQ said as he pulled out a large key with an opal engraved into the handle. "Clock."
"Yes master YQ." Clock said as he spun around YQ's head.
"As usual, you're the only one who can reach the hole." YQ said handing the Time Wizard the Illusions Key. "Turn it for us."
"Yes master YQ." Clock said as he hovered to the top of the fountain and placed the key into a large stone that the fountain was holding. He turned the key with ease and a large rumbling followed.
"Prepare yourselves." YQ said.
"For what?" Keja asked.
"Zombies." YQ replied as a bright light illuminated from the bottom of the castle. "That's our entrance. We just have to get past the guards."
"What guards?" Ameph asked.
Her question was suddenly followed by the ground sprouting several arms. The arms were accompanied by their owners, which crawled their way out of the cold scorched ground.
"Those guards." Picard answered.
"Clown Zombies?" Keja said. "I've seen better."
"Get a grip on the reality of this place kid." YQ said. "As long as that Castle floats, their strength is doubled."
"Great." Ameph said.
The Clown Zombies let out a chilling chuckle before charging the four.
"DNA Surgery!" Keja yelled as he shot out several pink energy balls. "Form of Dragons!"
The Clown Zombies stopped in their tracks as the orbs got closer and closer to them. They let out another chuckle as they each reached into their pockets and pulled out a pocketknife. "Seven Tools of Bandit!" They all laughed as they all threw the knives at the orbs. In an instant, the attack was neutralized.
"I see you got him doing that trick now." YQ said.
"So what?" Picard said.
"Nothing." YQ said as he jamp into the sky. "Try out these knives. These Thousand Knives!" YQ pointed his staff at one of the Clowns and fired his attack. Exactly one thousand knives rained down on the Zombie, and destroyed it.
"Widespread Ruin!" Ameph yelled as a Zombie was caught in the middle of and explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal the Zombie safe and sound with another pocketknife in his hand. "Looks like Trap Spells aren't going to work on these guys."
"Damn right they aren't." Picard said as he slashed a clown down the middle.
"Dark Magic Attack!" Keja yelled as he nailed a Clown in the face with his standard attack.
"How many are left?" YQ asked.
"Eight." Ameph said as she bashed one in the head.
"Kill three more and I take it from there." YQ said.
"Got it." Keja said as he darted at another.
"Dragonic Attack!" Picard yelled as he threw punch and wisped up a dragon shaped wind and incinerated another Clown.
"Nightmare Steel Cage!" Keja yelled as he encased a Clown in the cage. "Dark Magic Attack!" He yelled as he hit the Clown with a blast that caused it and the cage to explode.
"Take this!" Ameph yelled as she delivered an earth shattering shot to the top of the head of the sixth Clown, thus crushing it.
"Alright, gamblin' time!" YQ yelled as he tossed a coin into the air. "Come on tails!" He yelled as the coin came down and landed in his hand. Tails. "Alright Clock! Do your stuff!"
"Time Warp!" Clock yelled as he locked the five remaining Clowns in his infinite void of time.
"There. All finished." YQ said as he took a deep breath. "Shall we continue?" He said as Clock climbed on his shoulder and he jumped into the light. The light lifted him into the castle's confines were he waited for the others.
"Lets go." Picard said as he entered the castle next.
"All for it." Ameph said as she followed.
Keja paused for a minute and looked at his surrounded by his surroundings. They seemed familiar in some way. He quickly came back to reality and entered the light, unaware of what awaited him. In the dark.
Keja, Picard, and Ameph followed the mysterious YQ down the path to the Wasteland. YQ wasn't interested in getting Ameph's mother back. He was just determined to find Dominus. This fact was very strange to Keja. That picture he saw on the table was of YQ and his family. YQ was no doubt the one on the far left of the picture. Happiness seemed to fill his young face. But the YQ that walked before him now seemed to be a dark and flustered man.
"So whats your name kid?" YQ asked.
"Keja." Keja answered instantly.
"Prince of Yami?" YQ asked.
"Actually I'm technically king." Keja answered with a glum voice.
"Really?" YQ said. "That why your after your brother?"
"In a way, yes." Keja answered.
"Well. You won't have to worry about him." YQ said. "Once I get my hands on him."
"Why are you after him?" Keja asked.
"Trust me dude, you don't want to ask." Picard said.
"Good call Picard." YQ said as they continued down the trail.
They walked through most of the night and eventually made it to the border of the Luminous Spark and Wasteland before daybreak. The soil was different in Wasteland than the soil in Luminous Spark. While the soil in Luminous Spark was normal, the Wasteland's soil was scorched and mostly ash. The group could see several pointed towers in the distance, no doubt belonging to the Castle of Dark Illusions.
"So that's it huh?" Ameph asked.
"Just the outside. Its whats inside that you should be worried about. If you are at all." Picard said.
"I'm not." Ameph replied.
"Well you should be." YQ said. "If that's where your mother is, I wouldn't be surprised if she was dead already."
"Shut it you!" Ameph yelled.
"YQ." Picard said. "What are we going to do once we are in the center room? I mean, if we did the spell then we could-."
"Don't even think about it!" YQ interrupted. "That is one of the last things I'm going to do with you!"
"Fine. Don't get so damn upset about it." Picard said.
They reached the Castle at dawn. Except, it didn't seem like dawn. It was more like night. The huge structure hovered over the shattered ruins of what appeared to be a town. YQ lead Keja and the others into the center of the town to a large dried up fountain.
"So how do we get in?" Ameph asked.
"Like this." YQ said as he pulled out a large key with an opal engraved into the handle. "Clock."
"Yes master YQ." Clock said as he spun around YQ's head.
"As usual, you're the only one who can reach the hole." YQ said handing the Time Wizard the Illusions Key. "Turn it for us."
"Yes master YQ." Clock said as he hovered to the top of the fountain and placed the key into a large stone that the fountain was holding. He turned the key with ease and a large rumbling followed.
"Prepare yourselves." YQ said.
"For what?" Keja asked.
"Zombies." YQ replied as a bright light illuminated from the bottom of the castle. "That's our entrance. We just have to get past the guards."
"What guards?" Ameph asked.
Her question was suddenly followed by the ground sprouting several arms. The arms were accompanied by their owners, which crawled their way out of the cold scorched ground.
"Those guards." Picard answered.
"Clown Zombies?" Keja said. "I've seen better."
"Get a grip on the reality of this place kid." YQ said. "As long as that Castle floats, their strength is doubled."
"Great." Ameph said.
The Clown Zombies let out a chilling chuckle before charging the four.
"DNA Surgery!" Keja yelled as he shot out several pink energy balls. "Form of Dragons!"
The Clown Zombies stopped in their tracks as the orbs got closer and closer to them. They let out another chuckle as they each reached into their pockets and pulled out a pocketknife. "Seven Tools of Bandit!" They all laughed as they all threw the knives at the orbs. In an instant, the attack was neutralized.
"I see you got him doing that trick now." YQ said.
"So what?" Picard said.
"Nothing." YQ said as he jamp into the sky. "Try out these knives. These Thousand Knives!" YQ pointed his staff at one of the Clowns and fired his attack. Exactly one thousand knives rained down on the Zombie, and destroyed it.
"Widespread Ruin!" Ameph yelled as a Zombie was caught in the middle of and explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal the Zombie safe and sound with another pocketknife in his hand. "Looks like Trap Spells aren't going to work on these guys."
"Damn right they aren't." Picard said as he slashed a clown down the middle.
"Dark Magic Attack!" Keja yelled as he nailed a Clown in the face with his standard attack.
"How many are left?" YQ asked.
"Eight." Ameph said as she bashed one in the head.
"Kill three more and I take it from there." YQ said.
"Got it." Keja said as he darted at another.
"Dragonic Attack!" Picard yelled as he threw punch and wisped up a dragon shaped wind and incinerated another Clown.
"Nightmare Steel Cage!" Keja yelled as he encased a Clown in the cage. "Dark Magic Attack!" He yelled as he hit the Clown with a blast that caused it and the cage to explode.
"Take this!" Ameph yelled as she delivered an earth shattering shot to the top of the head of the sixth Clown, thus crushing it.
"Alright, gamblin' time!" YQ yelled as he tossed a coin into the air. "Come on tails!" He yelled as the coin came down and landed in his hand. Tails. "Alright Clock! Do your stuff!"
"Time Warp!" Clock yelled as he locked the five remaining Clowns in his infinite void of time.
"There. All finished." YQ said as he took a deep breath. "Shall we continue?" He said as Clock climbed on his shoulder and he jumped into the light. The light lifted him into the castle's confines were he waited for the others.
"Lets go." Picard said as he entered the castle next.
"All for it." Ameph said as she followed.
Keja paused for a minute and looked at his surrounded by his surroundings. They seemed familiar in some way. He quickly came back to reality and entered the light, unaware of what awaited him. In the dark.