Okage Densetsu - Lookit the Fancy Japanese
Chapter 21 - Pawns
Ari had wound his way downstairs, now covered in the black essence that oozed from Corona's wounds. It stung a bit with contact to his skin, but he ignored it entirely. He was slightly upset with the fact the rest of the party hadn't followed... Stepping out into the light, as if on cue, Stan shot upright.
"What'd I miss? Where are we? Who is THAT, Slave?"
"What's left of Corona..." He slowly lied her down on the cobblestone path, then backed up from the twitching figure, "I think she's turned inside out. Though... you should be able to drain some of that power."
"Huh? Inside out, you say?" Ari was surprised that Stan hadn't even mentioned power yet, and was more surprised when the Shadow King appeared to be looking her over. "Well, that IS a way to put it... this is what happens when the soul splits from the person before the body dies. It gets stuck inside and slowly grows like an infection until it pops out. They usually cause other weak souls to slip out on contact. Er... oh, right, the powers! Yes! I'll GLADLY take those back! Haha!"
The power was quickly absorbed by Stan, who, of course laughed. However, this caused the gel that made up Corona's figure change colors- she reformed into a tight ball when it changed, the gel becoming a clear, dark blue. Flecks of light could be seen inside her, circulating about like blood. She slowly rose up out of the ball, once again full figured. Her featureless face was looking straight at Ari, the light shining through her causing the flecks to display brilliant amounts of light. He stared, stunned, quietly speaking, "She looks like the night sky."
"Haha-huh?" Stan was again looking her over, "Heh, she just shed the 'dye' effect of MY magic power. I've heard every soul has a different color to it, so I suppose she winds up this dark blue."
"I was expecting pink..."
"Hah, no soul is fit to rules, no matter how one tries to conform it. Now... where is the rest of the rabble?"
"Rabble?"
Ari suddenly turned around to find the party coming through the doors, a faint grin appearing on his face.
"Grr, I speak of the fat one and she appears like a bad dream!"
"Aw, Grampa!" Rin squeezed to the front of the group, "Don't be mean!"
"Who's going to stop me, eh? You?"
"Silly Grampa! Being silly!"
"Grr..."
"...Well..." Ari sighed to himself, "Everything's back to normal. If you can call it that. No, wait, Corona is still a disembodied spirit. Not normal."
"Woah! The freaky Enigma King is like, totally cool!" Big Bull stared at her (he was keeping a safe distance JUST in case) "Now she totally looks like the night sky!"
"You noticed that too?" Ari looked at her- Corona was slowly shuffling off the path, heading for the grass, "Now where are you going?"
Her feet barely touched the grass when it started to curl and dry, causing her to step back onto the path slightly startled. The dead patch continued to spread, and when it reached a tree, the poor tall thing turned a bleached white, dried, dead leaves falling off like tears. Everyone watched helplessly as it spread to some of the flowers, causing them to wilt instantly. The process continued until Chantal, the so-called 'Endless Garden', was nothing but a dead and desolate ghost town.
"...Well..." Fayth stared at the dead scenery... "...That ends that. Oh... and I liked the tulips so much..."
"...To each thing must come an end, whether between enemy or friend..." Epros TRIED to make the situation a little better than it was for Fayth's sake, "Just... a little abrupt I'll admit to you... and if you liked them... later... I will plant you tulips anew!"
"You... you will?" Fayth looked about ready to burst into happy tears, "Nobody has ever planted me flowers before!"
"Pssht, flowers are worthless," Stan grumbled.
"What about... roses?" Rosalyn teasingly asked, hiding a smirk.
"They're all the same... except roses DO have those pleasant thorns that tear flesh... Hehe, like the evil queen of the flowers."
"Oh, I see."
Ari secretly pressed the 'stop' on his voice recorder, slightly amused he actually caught that little conversation. Stuffing it away while nobody was paying attention, he turned to Corona to find her heading off down the path, walking for the exit to the desert. "Hey, where are you going?"
She continued to head off slowly for the sandy expanse, silent.
"...Hmm," Kisling spoke up for the first time in awhile, "It appears to me that, though she is no longer her old self, she is following a path she had intended to take before. According to my theory she's merely the essence of herself... and is off looking for the true body that she was stripped of before becoming mindless."
"...Brilliant, doctor," Ari started off after her, "That means... Beloune?"
"Woah!" Big Bull came last, still wary of Corona's new form, "Like... she'll totally lead us so we can do some ass-kicking! Awesome!"
"Usually I say revenge is a bad thing..." Fayth sighed, "But in this case..."
"Woohoo!" Linda bounced about happily, springing about like a flea, "Let's go show him whatfor!"
Linda's happiness was short lived, for after they headed into the desert, she began swearing again. Everyone followed Corona who blindly trudged ahead through the burning sand, so intent on her path that she skipped using the bridges and trudged through the stream at both crossings. By the time they had gotten to the Gear Tower, anything living in the desert was quite dead thanks to Corona's soul-sucking ability. She led them straight into the thing, heading for one of the wires.
"What's she doing now?" Linda peeked out from behind Ari, "Messing with the powerwy-wowery?"
"I'm not sure... Hey, be careful with-"
Before he could finish, she had grasped one of the wires and ripped it from its insulation, then touched both ends- with a brilliant play of light, all the flecks of light in her body started glowing like fire, the tower suddenly firing up. The rest of the wires turned on, power flowing through them. The sound of something starting up on the top floor was heard- suddenly, she disappeared through the wire itself.
"Hey!" Ari could see her run up the clear tube- heading up the ladder, he found himself in a mad rush to keep up. Throwing himself up the next level, he followed Corona's wire, and found a trapdoor above- leaping up, he barely caught the edge and swung himself up, finding a room that was nothing but an odd portal and wires. He stared in fascination until someone called up behind him.
"Hey, can we come up anytime soon?" Rosalyn stared up.
"Uh... Ah!" He found the metal ladder tossed off to the side, then quickly put it down the hole, allowing everyone up into the cramped space. By now, enough power was circulating that the portal had started, an off-pink glow coming from it. Corona was nowhere in sight.
"Huh? What's all this?"
"A... AMAZING!" Kisling was thrilled. "A PORTAL! This should lead us to the opposite portal, where ever it is!"
"...great." Ari sighed. He didn't like portals anymore, and for good reason.
"Hrhr, now let us use it. Slave, if you disappear again, you know you can come back."
"...Right. Let me try it first guys, okay?"
Everyone nodded as he stepped into the portal- with an odd 'blip' he was suddenly pulled from the portal and found himself on one, centered on a column of earth. Blinking, he could see an odd town ahead, the entire thing perched on large columns of earth that shot up from seemingly nowhere. Backing up, he found himself back in the tower.
"How was it?"
"...High."
"High?" Rosalyn ventured in, and didn't return.
"Let's go!" Rin launched herself in, causing everyone else to follow. They found themselves all wedged on the column, staring at the odd town. "Wow! ... Something about this place is kinda... kinda..."
"...Off?" Kisling looked at the townspeople- they barely noticed they were there- "Artificial, perhaps?"
Everyone headed into town, looking about. The townspeople all looked as if they hadn't slept in weeks, all pale with dark circles under their eyes. Though they would glance at the party, they barely had the energy to say a word.
"...Uh..." Ari looked at one of the townspeople, "Hey. We're new. What is this place?"
"...Highland Valley..." The man spoke feebly, though he was young enough to be able to speak proudly, "Newcomers? (He mumbled something incoherent)-after dark."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't stay."
"..." Ari looked at everyone.
Fayth looked back at the newcomer, "Don't stay after dark? Why not?"
"'unno."
"...Hmm." Kisling looked the man over, "Dark circles under the eyes, pale complexion... Have you been sleeping well?"
He nodded.
"Hrm." The doctor scratched the side of his face, thinking, "But yet you seem drained of life- AH! Has a blue, transparent creature passed by?"
"...No..."
"Well... Corona didn't make it then," Ari sighed, "Is everyone else like this, sir?"
"Yes... we never get guests... we're excited..." The man yawned. "I crave iron."
Everyone blinked at this statement.
"...AH! He's anemic! ... Everyone is!" Kisling looked about, "...Extremely anemic!"
"Wouldn't it be spanky if there was a vampire in the neighborhood?" Linda giggled.
Everyone blinked at this statement.
"What?" The townsperson barely looked at her.
"No-thing! Hehe!"
Everyone slowly shuffled off, now freaked out.
"A vampire?" Stan was there by this time, "AH! Perhaps this is the next so-called Evil King! Good sleuthing, Linda!"
"Thanks, Coach!" Linda looked as if her heart was aflutter, "Oh, the praise!"
"...Vampires don't come out during the day... so..." Ari sighed, "We... should see if this place has an inn and try to wait for nightfall."
"Isn't that risky?" Fayth blinked timidly.
"...Well, just don't fall asleep." Ari laughed uneasily, then looked around. As if serendipity ruled this town, he found himself staring straight at an Inn. He lead everyone inside and registered all the rooms, not surprised by the comment made by the keeper: 'We never have guests...' "Alright... I got all the rooms, enough to about two a room. At least one of you MUST stay awake at all times, but I suppose a little rest for those not on watch duty is expected."
"Oh, oh, let me go with you!" Rin attached herself to Ari's arm, "And Grampa!"
"Uh... I guess."
Rosalyn looked at the remaining choices- "Linda..."
"Yay! It'll be like a sleepover! Whee!" She snatched a key and walked with Rosalyn to their room, happily bouncing in to claim a bed.
"Okay. That leaves... Kisling, Fayth, Big Bull and Epros?"
Fayth nodded, then took a key from Ari, heading for the third room, and everyone watched Epros follow behind her as fast as he could. She unlocked the door, then smiled, "See you all later!"
They blinked as the door snapped shut behind Epros. Shrugging off ill thoughts, Ari and Rin then looked at the last two.
"C'mon, Doc!" Big Bull grabbed a key, "Alright, who wants to sleep?"
"You can," He followed along, "I want to study!"
"But I want to body build, yeah! You sleep!"
"No, go ahead! Haha!"
"...That'll work." Ari sighed, then looked at Rin, smiling a bit, "You, me, and Grampa, eh?"
"NOT YOU TOO, SLAVE!"
"Hehe! Oh! Lemme unlock the door!"
"Alright!" Ari picked her up, then handed her the key, walking to the door. He leaned forward to allow her to unlock it, but helped a little to turn it in the lock. She then opened the door and the both headed in. "Here we are! Princess Rin's room!"
"Yay!" She was gone from his arms in a blink, suddenly bouncing on the bed, "Yay! Springy!"
"Hey now, don't you dare fall!" Ari pulled the door shut, "You don't want Doctor Kisling to have to preform surgery or something, do you?"
She was instantly on the bed, silent, like a good girl, sitting.
"...I'll have to remember that one."
"We'll have fun, still!" Rin giggled, "Sleepover!"
The day seemed to linger forever. Ari found himself sitting at the end of the bed, staring at the wall, but he had a Rin who fell asleep beside him, softly stroking the back of her head. He was mostly thinking of how everything here was so stale and artificial, like some dollhouse, then compared that with everywhere else he had been. Yes, it had all been quite the same... but the people he met, most of them were so unpredictable it was hard to believe they were classified. It just meant, he figured, that Beloune was creative in assigning characters. But his mind then drifted to Corona... she had sent him through Strawberry Heaven to finally realize his soul... perhaps that was the only step between being classified and not. With a sigh, he finally put his mind on his main concern: Marlene. What would become of her after he was gone? Would she hate everybody for destroying that man, for even though he was twisted, he WAS her father. All these thoughts were enough to keep him awake, though rather unfocused, all the while keeping Rin close for a little slice of comfort.
Finally, the sun had set, and Ari realized it only when an urgent knocking came on the door. Slightly surprised, he picked up Rin (who was still quite asleep, Sampson held close) then walked to the door and managed to open the door, face to face with Epros. "Uh, h-"
"She's gone!" He panted.
"...What?"
"GONE!"
"Fayth is- oh my god- didn't you stay awake?"
Epros looked on the verge of tears, "For one moment, I looked away!"
"Dammit... Well, don't explode!" Ari could tell he was extremely upset since he had forgotten to rhyme, "Let's get everyone together, come on! We'll go look right away!"
Ari quickly knocked on everyone's door, causing them to pop out, the hero quickly explaining what had happened. Like a true family, everyone suddenly looked utterly pissed and were armed to the teeth, ready to find whoever took her and tear them a new one. The party marched out into the night, the full moon shining above with the stars. The first thing they noticed was the fact an odd shadow was cast over town.
"...Corona?" Ari backed up a bit, then looked up- At the highest point of town, the girl was standing, her blue perfectly blending with the night sky. She was gazing up at the moon and stars as if she was trying to find her path to them. "Huh. Well, she made it-"
"And the grass isn't dead." Rosalyn looked around.
"...Odd. Well, Corona will take care of herself- did anybody notice anything that could help us?"
"Nopeity nope!" Linda looked about, "EEK!"
"What?"
She pointed at a stain on one of the houses- it was dark red, barely dry.
"...Well of COURSE..." Stan shot up, staring that way, "Vampire haunting? That means-"
"Vampire pukey!" Linda giggled.
"Stop that! That means blood spatter. Hmph."
Corona suddenly oozed off the top pillar, then reformed near the head of the party. She made an odd gesture with her hand, kind of reaching it out at the party. She then began walking backwards, crouching over, holding her hand out as if trying to lead a child. Ari, watching, suddenly hurried over and took her cool hand.
"Come on, she knows where to go!" He was tugged along quickly, the rest of the party following behind the two, "Thanks, Corona!"
She silently led the crew to a small house, the only with the lights on. The door was locked- she suddenly and forcefully attached herself, gel-form, to the door, then sunk around behind it. Everyone watched as the door began to tremor violently, the screws from the hinges flying out with some force. The door fell out entirely, the mass of gel reforming into Corona, who headed inside quietly.
Everyone walked in, finding the place somehow having turned into a grand ballroom entrance. Candles provided lights in wall holders, tapestries covering the stone walls. Sweeping staircases led to the second floor, the doors to the lower area shut so tightly it seemed they were part of the wall.
"...Woah... Talk about using the most of your space... this place is bigger than the house is!" Ari stared, then shouted up, "HEY! Anybody here!"
A door swung open on one of the balconies, where everyone was instantly staring. They watched as two figures- a tall, tuxedo-wearing man and a young woman- Fayth- in a beautiful red ballgown headed out to the balcony above the sweeping stairs. Fayth stared down, a lack of spark in her dull eyes. Her skin was as pale as it used to be before she was restored. Her lips, clearly dressed in red lipstick, wound up as an off-purple.
"Ah, you mortals have come, welcome!"
"Fayth!" Epros yelled, moving to the head of the party, "What have you done to her, you fiend, you beast?"
"Simply caused her soul to cease! Hah, I've been expecting all of you." The man took a drink from a goblet, staring down, "A mindless bride is just what I needed. Thank you!"
"Well, you won't be around long enough to enjoy the honeymoon, you freak!" Rosalyn whipped out her sword, "Come down and face us like a man!"
"I cannot... You see..." He took Fayth's hand and slowly headed down the stairs with her, "I am classified... I am not a man, no, I am an Evil King. I can only dream of becoming Great Evil King. This town is merely classified as the 'Unassuming Village'. Each and every one of the inhabitants are merely pawns, all classified as victims and my powersource. You all... you all will be classified back into rights... we did it with these Chantalians, do you see?"
"...You..." Ari stared in disbelief, "Everyone here is from Chantal?"
"I killed most of them off in the first week. The ones you see now, all sixteen of them are the only ones left."
"YOU... YOU BASTARD!" Ari now had his blade at the ready, though he was trembling in rage, and ALSO had the still asleep Rin in his other arm.
"Ah, don't yell at me," He took another drink, "I didn't classify anything. Now I must destroy all of you... and the world can go back to the way its suppose to b-"
This stuck a chord with Corona, it seemed, whose 'blood' started racing in her body. The area in her chest where her heart should have been was twitching uncontrollably, as if circulating the speedy flecks. There was a sudden wailing sound as her entire figure shot up, forming what could have been described as jaws- splashing down over the Evil King, completely untouching Fayth, Corona engulfed the man. As her body started constricting, the sounds of bones snapping could be heard, black essence rolling onto the floor.
"Woah!" Stan quickly started gathering the essence as it came out, "Amazing... so brutal! HAHA! And this... this is the last of my powers, yes," He was, of course, smirking devilishly, even more so when none of the black essence was left in the now-crushed Evil King, "AND NOW... WITH MY POWERS RESTORED..."
Everyone stared.
"..."
"Uh..." Ari blinked.
"...No... this cannot be..."
"...You didn't change forms." Rosalyn stared at him. "Heh. Maybe you're a dud after all."
"Why?" He almost started crying, "Why is this? I've worked so hard to get this far, but yet... yet... GRR!"
"Fayth, my sweet!" Epros was, by now, beside her- she had collapsed, but of course he caught her, "My dear, my little treat... are you well? Speak to me now!"
"..." She blinked, still pale, "It's cold..."
"Fear not, thou shalt be cared for, my poor little dear, the one I adore..."
"Holy crap!" Linda giggled, "Who hired Malt Tizney?"
"Oh, let them be, Linda." Rosalyn rolled her eyes, "It happens when one gets extremely attached to another."
"Ugh..." Ari looked at Corona, who had somehow compressed the Evil King into just another, black speck that now circulated with the rest of them. She began heading up the staircase, ever silent, "...Guys, Corona's still on a mission."
"Then let us follow!" Kisling was writing notes, of course, "She has already proved a source of new data! She seems to still be on her preset path- come on, guys! For the love of science and the world itself!"
"Yeah! Woohoo!" Big Bull headed off first, for once, "Wait for us, Sister Corona!"
Linda and Rosalyn followed next, leaving Ari, Rin, Epros, and Fayth. The hero himself put his sword away and shifted the very-asleep Rin into a more comfortable position, surprised she had slept through that all. He then gazed at the other two, "...You guys need to stay behind?"
"I must come..." Fayth tried to right herself, but had to have some assistance from Epros, "I must... for the world..."
"Alright, but you take it easy. Epros, you're in charge of taking care of her." Ari winked, "We'll be waiting for you guys, okay?"
They both nodded as Ari headed up the stairs, Rin held closely. He walked through the open door Corona had forced off the wall, finding himself walking up a staircase that led into faint light. Now it seemed to be morning- rising through the staircase, he found himself behind the entire village. There were more huge columns of earth, all linked by ladders. Ahead, he could see the party following Corona- he quickly headed across the rope bridge, trying to keep it from swinging too much.
"...huh?" Rin opened her heavy eyes, "Where...?"
"We're following Corona again," He moved Rin up a bit, getting a better hold of her, "Don't worry, everyone is okay. You can go back to sleep if you like, I'll wake you up if anything happens."
She yawned, then clung onto his shirt before closing her eyes again.
The trip across the 'Highland Plains' was an odd one, the fear of falling had to be suppressed the entire way. It had bizarre, out-wordly curves to it, some of the earth swept up into odd curls that overshadowed the team. Ari had caught up to them after a little hiking, the entire party following the ever-moving Corona.
They walked across the last bridge, staring at the huge island ahead. There was a massive, stone building perched on it, covered in vines. The path to it was interrupted by trees, suggesting the building was EXTREMELY old. When the astonished group got close, Rosalyn had noticed a vine-covered sign and cleared it off.
"What's it say?" Linda looked over, "Keep out?"
"No... 'World Library- Classification and Eradication Centre'."
Everyone stared, stunned.
This was the path to the end, perhaps the end to everything they had known before.
