It was just about to hit daybreak on the horizon of Shine Meadow. A pack of
Moblins had stopped to take a break for the night. It was a bit of a cloudy
night. The moon wasn't out. But somebody else was.
"This was the easiest mission ever." One of the Moblins said. "I don't get why Stalkwell stayed behind."
"He probably wanted to take a swing at that Savage Sandstorm guy." Another replied.
"Well what the hell is taking him so damn long?" The first one asked. "Jameson should be able to take anyone down in a matter of minutes with what he's packin'."
"What is he packing anyways?" Another one asked from behind the first. "I've never seen what weapons he has."
"Well I'll tell ya." The first Moblin answered.
But before the Moblin could finish answering, he froze. He didn't move at all. In a matter of seconds his entire body became dead weight and he fell to the ground. His head then rolled off his shoulders and into the fire pit.
"What the hell!?" A Moblin yelled as they all grabbed their weapons.
"What happened?" Another asked.
"I happened." A man said from behind as he jabbed another Moblin through the chest.
"Y-You." One of the Moblins stuttered as he dropped his weapon and began to back up.
"Who?" Another Moblin asked.
"Da-Da-Daruka! Daruka the Moblin Slayer!" The Moblin stuttered as he began to run from the campsite.
"Not so fast ugly!" Daruka yelled as he jamp over the group of Moblins and threw an object at the running Moblin.
The rod-shaped object hit the Moblin in the back of the head and it fell to the ground. The Moblin struggled to get to his feet. Daruka turned around to the rest of the Moblins and winked. In that instant the Moblin who was struggling to get up, blew up. The object Daruka had thrown at the creature was a stick of Nitromite, a highly explosive substance.
"Now." Daruka said as he unsheathed a single-edged sword from around his waist and smiled. "Anyone else want to run?"
"I think this is the end of the road for us fellas." A Moblin said as Daruka began to walk towards them.
"Correct." Daruka said. "Now die!"
Daruka threw a hard horizontal slash that sent a shockwave to the horde of Moblins. The shockwave was powerful enough to cut each one in half. They all fell to the ground in pieces as Daruka sheathed up his sword. He looked out to the east as the sun cracked over the hills.
Daruka looked at the rising sun. "A rising red sun. Shining down, on Nohansen Lake." He said. "Looks like a lead."
Daruka sped off toward the Lake Shore Village as the sun continued to rise.
Meanwhile, Diamond stumbled up the trail to the Underground Palace. The previous night turned into a celebration for not only Ferris and Sarah's engagement, but also for Diamond's help in getting rid of Sirus and his men.
Diamond had gotten a tad bit drunk at the party and he spent the rest of the night sleeping in a chair. After saying goodbye to everyone back at the castle, Diamond headed toward the trail that led to Elsewhere and the Underground Palace.
The hung-over swordsman stumbled past a large sign that told the direction of the nearby cities and sites. The sign said 'Elsewhere' and had an arrow pointing northwest and also said 'Rest Area 100 feet'.
Diamond walked that hundred feet and saw the same old man as before.
"Oh. It's you." The old man said. "Find your way swordsman?"
"Yeah. I found it alright." Diamond answered as he leaned on a nearby tree.
"Well then, need anything else from me?" The old man asked.
"No thanks. I'm good." Diamond said as he walked into the clearing with the three large doors on his left. "See ya later."
"Well alright then. Have a nice day." The old man said as Diamond unsheathed his Elemental Sword and pulled the Silver Moon from his pocket.
Diamond put the stone in the claw at the end of the handle and the blade began to glow a bright white. He then walked over to the first door.
"Show me the light of the moon huh?" Diamond said as he touched the door with the tip of his glowing sword. "There ya go."
A flash of light went down the center of the door and the door began to part. The door fully opened in moments and revealed a stairwell that led down.
"Oh." The old man awed from across the clearing. "Now how'd he do that?"
"Alright." Diamond said before shaking his head. "Get it together. Can't let one little hang over stop you. I still gotta get back to town in two days, or my mom is gonna throw a fit."
Diamond walked down the stairwell and used his glowing sword as a light. At the bottom of the stairwell he came to a door. The door had an inscription on it.
"Speak the truth?" Diamond said. "What? How the hell am I supposed to speak the truth if I don't know what I'm telling the truth about?"
"Because you need to tell the truth about something you've lied about in the past." The old man said as he walked down the stairwell.
"What are you doing down here?" Diamond asked.
"I thought you could use a hand. And I have nothing else to do." The old man answered.
"Listen. I thank you for wanting to help, but I have to do this by myself." Diamond said. "It's too dangerous down here for you."
"I know. But I know a thing or two. I can take care of myself." The old man replied. "And you can call me Forge."
"Well Forge. I hope you can take care of yourself." Diamond said. "Because I can't fight whatever the hell is down there and protect you at the same time."
"Oh don't worry. I won't be a bother." Forge said.
"Now. How does this door work again?" Diamond asked.
"Well have you ever lied in your entire life?" Forge asked.
"Yeah. Everybody has." Diamond answered.
"Well. Pick a lie that you've told in the past and tell the truth about it." Forge said. "Only then the door will open. Speak the truth."
"Ok." Diamond said and thought for a second. "Okay, I was the one who threw the tumbleweed at Jack."
In an instant the door raised up from the ground. A short passage way was revealed in doing so.
"See. I know what I'm doing." Forge said as he walked into the hallway.
"Hey wait up!" Diamond yelled as he ran toward Forge, who was standing in front of another door that had another inscription. This time however, it had a handprint in the middle of it. "So what does this one say?"
"It says 'Pummel the Present'." Forge said. "Looks like you put your hand in the indent there.
"Ok." Diamond said as he placed his hand in the imprint of the door.
Diamonds hand began to tense up. He tried to pull away from the door but couldn't. The handprint began to shine a purplish glow. The door then released Diamond and rose to the ceiling. Diamond took a step back as the door finished opening.
"So. Shall we see what's in here then?" Forge said as he walked into a large room.
"Ok." Diamond answered and followed.
They walked into a large circular room with several torches illuminating the structure. In the center of the room was a dark glowing orb.
"What is that?" Diamond asked.
"It looks like a shadow creature." Forge answered.
"Ye who is called Diamond. Step forth." A low toned voice said.
"Ok." Diamond slowly said as he began to come closer to the shadow.
"You are on a very important quest, are you not?" The voice asked.
"I am." Diamond answered.
"Well. In order to continue, you must now fight the Present." The voice said. "Tell me Diamond, who is the most recent enemy you have faced in your travels?"
"He goes by the name of Sirus. He's a Desert Assassin." Diamond answered.
"Then you must now face, the shadow of Sirus." The voice said. "If you defeat the opponent given to you, you will be given the prize that is lodged in the ceiling of this room."
Diamond looked up to the ceiling to see a golden key sticking out of the ceiling. "Alright. Let's go then." Diamond looked back down to the shadow to see that it had taken the form of Sirus.
"Sounds good to me." Shadow Sirus said as he unsheathed his sword.
"Alright. This will be practice for when I face the real Sirus." Diamond said as he unsheathed his normal sword and stared at the shadow.
"We'll see boy." Shadow Sirus said as he took off like a lightning bolt.
"Oh my is he fast." Forge said as he looked on.
"Now. Where'd you go?" Diamond asked as he replaced the Silver Moon with the Blade's Pearl and his Elemental Sword began to glow light blue.
"Time to die boy!" Shadow Sirus yelled as he reappeared above Diamond with both hands on his sword, which was readied for a hard downward slash.
"Not today!" Diamond yelled back as he blocked the strike with his normal sword and went for a stab with his Elemental Sword.
Diamond missed the stab and Shadow Sirus took a few steps back and came at Diamond again. This time he threw a series of horizontal slashes. Diamond blocked every one of them and began to throw some slashes of his own. He knocked Shadow Sirus back a few more steps and then took a few steps back himself. The two now stood about ten feet away from each other.
"Now you die!" Shadow Sirus yelled as he reared back his right fist and began to charge up an attack.
"What the? A Devastator Punch?" Diamond asked.
"Not quite." Shadow Sirus said. "Eruptor Punch!"
Shadow Sirus threw his punch and unleashed his attack. The large orb that illuminated from his hand split up five ways and each came towards Diamond.
"Watch out there." Forge calmly said.
"I know." Diamond replied as he jamp over the blasts and toward Shadow Sirus.
Diamond began to spin around in a circular fashion with his swords pointing outward. His normal sword began to glow a bright glow as he came down toward Shadow Sirus.
"Cosmic Slash!" Diamond yelled as he threw his normal sword down on Shadow Sirus in a wicked fast motion. "Time to go!" He yelled as he stabbed Shadow Sirus in his chest with the Elemental Sword. "Blade Gun!" He yelled as he fired a shot from his Blade Gun, which shattered the Shadow.
Diamond sheathed his swords and caught his breath.
"Now that you have beaten the first of the three shadows, you are worthy of the prize." The voice said as the key fell from the ceiling and Diamond caught it before it hit the ground. "Behold, The Falcon Key. Now. I will speak with you again. If you come back."
Diamond let out a sigh as he looked at the white light that appeared in the center of the room.
"Well then. Can't be stuck down here all day no can we?" Forge said as he stepped into the light and teleported.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Diamond said as he followed the old man through the light.
"This was the easiest mission ever." One of the Moblins said. "I don't get why Stalkwell stayed behind."
"He probably wanted to take a swing at that Savage Sandstorm guy." Another replied.
"Well what the hell is taking him so damn long?" The first one asked. "Jameson should be able to take anyone down in a matter of minutes with what he's packin'."
"What is he packing anyways?" Another one asked from behind the first. "I've never seen what weapons he has."
"Well I'll tell ya." The first Moblin answered.
But before the Moblin could finish answering, he froze. He didn't move at all. In a matter of seconds his entire body became dead weight and he fell to the ground. His head then rolled off his shoulders and into the fire pit.
"What the hell!?" A Moblin yelled as they all grabbed their weapons.
"What happened?" Another asked.
"I happened." A man said from behind as he jabbed another Moblin through the chest.
"Y-You." One of the Moblins stuttered as he dropped his weapon and began to back up.
"Who?" Another Moblin asked.
"Da-Da-Daruka! Daruka the Moblin Slayer!" The Moblin stuttered as he began to run from the campsite.
"Not so fast ugly!" Daruka yelled as he jamp over the group of Moblins and threw an object at the running Moblin.
The rod-shaped object hit the Moblin in the back of the head and it fell to the ground. The Moblin struggled to get to his feet. Daruka turned around to the rest of the Moblins and winked. In that instant the Moblin who was struggling to get up, blew up. The object Daruka had thrown at the creature was a stick of Nitromite, a highly explosive substance.
"Now." Daruka said as he unsheathed a single-edged sword from around his waist and smiled. "Anyone else want to run?"
"I think this is the end of the road for us fellas." A Moblin said as Daruka began to walk towards them.
"Correct." Daruka said. "Now die!"
Daruka threw a hard horizontal slash that sent a shockwave to the horde of Moblins. The shockwave was powerful enough to cut each one in half. They all fell to the ground in pieces as Daruka sheathed up his sword. He looked out to the east as the sun cracked over the hills.
Daruka looked at the rising sun. "A rising red sun. Shining down, on Nohansen Lake." He said. "Looks like a lead."
Daruka sped off toward the Lake Shore Village as the sun continued to rise.
Meanwhile, Diamond stumbled up the trail to the Underground Palace. The previous night turned into a celebration for not only Ferris and Sarah's engagement, but also for Diamond's help in getting rid of Sirus and his men.
Diamond had gotten a tad bit drunk at the party and he spent the rest of the night sleeping in a chair. After saying goodbye to everyone back at the castle, Diamond headed toward the trail that led to Elsewhere and the Underground Palace.
The hung-over swordsman stumbled past a large sign that told the direction of the nearby cities and sites. The sign said 'Elsewhere' and had an arrow pointing northwest and also said 'Rest Area 100 feet'.
Diamond walked that hundred feet and saw the same old man as before.
"Oh. It's you." The old man said. "Find your way swordsman?"
"Yeah. I found it alright." Diamond answered as he leaned on a nearby tree.
"Well then, need anything else from me?" The old man asked.
"No thanks. I'm good." Diamond said as he walked into the clearing with the three large doors on his left. "See ya later."
"Well alright then. Have a nice day." The old man said as Diamond unsheathed his Elemental Sword and pulled the Silver Moon from his pocket.
Diamond put the stone in the claw at the end of the handle and the blade began to glow a bright white. He then walked over to the first door.
"Show me the light of the moon huh?" Diamond said as he touched the door with the tip of his glowing sword. "There ya go."
A flash of light went down the center of the door and the door began to part. The door fully opened in moments and revealed a stairwell that led down.
"Oh." The old man awed from across the clearing. "Now how'd he do that?"
"Alright." Diamond said before shaking his head. "Get it together. Can't let one little hang over stop you. I still gotta get back to town in two days, or my mom is gonna throw a fit."
Diamond walked down the stairwell and used his glowing sword as a light. At the bottom of the stairwell he came to a door. The door had an inscription on it.
"Speak the truth?" Diamond said. "What? How the hell am I supposed to speak the truth if I don't know what I'm telling the truth about?"
"Because you need to tell the truth about something you've lied about in the past." The old man said as he walked down the stairwell.
"What are you doing down here?" Diamond asked.
"I thought you could use a hand. And I have nothing else to do." The old man answered.
"Listen. I thank you for wanting to help, but I have to do this by myself." Diamond said. "It's too dangerous down here for you."
"I know. But I know a thing or two. I can take care of myself." The old man replied. "And you can call me Forge."
"Well Forge. I hope you can take care of yourself." Diamond said. "Because I can't fight whatever the hell is down there and protect you at the same time."
"Oh don't worry. I won't be a bother." Forge said.
"Now. How does this door work again?" Diamond asked.
"Well have you ever lied in your entire life?" Forge asked.
"Yeah. Everybody has." Diamond answered.
"Well. Pick a lie that you've told in the past and tell the truth about it." Forge said. "Only then the door will open. Speak the truth."
"Ok." Diamond said and thought for a second. "Okay, I was the one who threw the tumbleweed at Jack."
In an instant the door raised up from the ground. A short passage way was revealed in doing so.
"See. I know what I'm doing." Forge said as he walked into the hallway.
"Hey wait up!" Diamond yelled as he ran toward Forge, who was standing in front of another door that had another inscription. This time however, it had a handprint in the middle of it. "So what does this one say?"
"It says 'Pummel the Present'." Forge said. "Looks like you put your hand in the indent there.
"Ok." Diamond said as he placed his hand in the imprint of the door.
Diamonds hand began to tense up. He tried to pull away from the door but couldn't. The handprint began to shine a purplish glow. The door then released Diamond and rose to the ceiling. Diamond took a step back as the door finished opening.
"So. Shall we see what's in here then?" Forge said as he walked into a large room.
"Ok." Diamond answered and followed.
They walked into a large circular room with several torches illuminating the structure. In the center of the room was a dark glowing orb.
"What is that?" Diamond asked.
"It looks like a shadow creature." Forge answered.
"Ye who is called Diamond. Step forth." A low toned voice said.
"Ok." Diamond slowly said as he began to come closer to the shadow.
"You are on a very important quest, are you not?" The voice asked.
"I am." Diamond answered.
"Well. In order to continue, you must now fight the Present." The voice said. "Tell me Diamond, who is the most recent enemy you have faced in your travels?"
"He goes by the name of Sirus. He's a Desert Assassin." Diamond answered.
"Then you must now face, the shadow of Sirus." The voice said. "If you defeat the opponent given to you, you will be given the prize that is lodged in the ceiling of this room."
Diamond looked up to the ceiling to see a golden key sticking out of the ceiling. "Alright. Let's go then." Diamond looked back down to the shadow to see that it had taken the form of Sirus.
"Sounds good to me." Shadow Sirus said as he unsheathed his sword.
"Alright. This will be practice for when I face the real Sirus." Diamond said as he unsheathed his normal sword and stared at the shadow.
"We'll see boy." Shadow Sirus said as he took off like a lightning bolt.
"Oh my is he fast." Forge said as he looked on.
"Now. Where'd you go?" Diamond asked as he replaced the Silver Moon with the Blade's Pearl and his Elemental Sword began to glow light blue.
"Time to die boy!" Shadow Sirus yelled as he reappeared above Diamond with both hands on his sword, which was readied for a hard downward slash.
"Not today!" Diamond yelled back as he blocked the strike with his normal sword and went for a stab with his Elemental Sword.
Diamond missed the stab and Shadow Sirus took a few steps back and came at Diamond again. This time he threw a series of horizontal slashes. Diamond blocked every one of them and began to throw some slashes of his own. He knocked Shadow Sirus back a few more steps and then took a few steps back himself. The two now stood about ten feet away from each other.
"Now you die!" Shadow Sirus yelled as he reared back his right fist and began to charge up an attack.
"What the? A Devastator Punch?" Diamond asked.
"Not quite." Shadow Sirus said. "Eruptor Punch!"
Shadow Sirus threw his punch and unleashed his attack. The large orb that illuminated from his hand split up five ways and each came towards Diamond.
"Watch out there." Forge calmly said.
"I know." Diamond replied as he jamp over the blasts and toward Shadow Sirus.
Diamond began to spin around in a circular fashion with his swords pointing outward. His normal sword began to glow a bright glow as he came down toward Shadow Sirus.
"Cosmic Slash!" Diamond yelled as he threw his normal sword down on Shadow Sirus in a wicked fast motion. "Time to go!" He yelled as he stabbed Shadow Sirus in his chest with the Elemental Sword. "Blade Gun!" He yelled as he fired a shot from his Blade Gun, which shattered the Shadow.
Diamond sheathed his swords and caught his breath.
"Now that you have beaten the first of the three shadows, you are worthy of the prize." The voice said as the key fell from the ceiling and Diamond caught it before it hit the ground. "Behold, The Falcon Key. Now. I will speak with you again. If you come back."
Diamond let out a sigh as he looked at the white light that appeared in the center of the room.
"Well then. Can't be stuck down here all day no can we?" Forge said as he stepped into the light and teleported.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Diamond said as he followed the old man through the light.