The inside of the abandoned castle had little lighting, but the sounds of bats echoed throughout the hallowed hallways. There were piles of rubble, the ceiling having collapsed in at certain points. The stars had risen, and they provided a scant light for Klyde and James to navigate through the decaying castle. James shook his head as he climbed over another chunk of ceiling.

"I dunno, Klyde. I don't think this Garland guy is here. Is there anywhere else he could have taken this princess?"

Klyde grunted as he dropped to the ground. "Well, the bridge north collapsed in a couple of months ago, so he isn't escaping that way. This is the only spot on the island except for Corneria, and he isn't there."

James shrugged, swatting away a bat as he stepped into a small chamber to the side. His eyes went wide, and he motioned for Klyde to come over. Klyde peeked his head into the room, and tied to a chair was the beautiful princess Sara. She had flowing brown hair, with crystalline blue eyes. Even with the black rings of stress and sleep deprivation under them, they still had a definite sense of beauty to them. "Score…" Klyde whispered as he crept into the room. James stood watch at the door as Klyde untied the princess. He motioned for silence to the princess as he pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"I'm here to save you, Princess…" he mouthed as he finished undoing the ropes. He waved his hand, motioning for her to follow them out. James led the way, and they headed toward the exit of the decrepit castle. The way out was quite uneventful, except that the closer they came to the entrance; the louder the bats began to screech. Klyde turned around, and standing in a doorway was a looming figure, clad in black armor, with a flowing blood red cape. His head was concealed by a monstrous helmet, horns protruding from either side, creating an image of a devil in Klyde's head.

"Garland!"

Garland brought his hand to the sword hanging from his hip. "So, you are the pawns of King Corneria?"

Klyde nodded. "We prefer the term hired help, but pawns will do, in the circumstances." He put his hand on Princess Sara's arm and lightly nudged her, motioning for her to flee to the door. She turned around and ran in a panicked burst, but before her captor could react, Klyde stepped in-between the dark knight and his prey.

Garland drew his sword, and even with the little light available, it seemed as if the air around the sword grew blacker. The blade was a dull purple, and it's aura sent a chill down James' spine. "A fighter and a black belt? That is the best that foolish king could send against me? This will be easier than I thought!"

Garland dashed forward, bringing his sword above his head. Klyde barely had time to dodge as the dark knight brought his evil blade down where the fighter had been standing. Klyde came up from his roll, his Aeolus already out and ready. Before he could do anything, James rushed at the dark knight, attempting to engage him toe to toe.

"No! You aren't gonna be able to stop him!"

Garland brought his sword around, nearly catching James in the face. James ducked to the side, and came up with both fists ready.

"Repeating fist!" he yelled, throwing out his fists at such a speed that Klyde couldn't even see them. Even with his armor, Garland still apparently felt the blows, stumbling backwards as he clutched at his damaged ribs.

"Damn you, boy!" He threw out his free hand, and a small glow surrounded it. "Fire!" he yelled as he summoned magical power, causing flames to erupt under the feet of the young black belt. The force of the explosion sent James into a nearby wall, knocking him unconscious on impact. Garland advanced on his fallen adversary, but was cut off as Klyde attacked his exposed back. Klyde's wild slash failed to do any damage against the dark knight, but that wasn't the point. He'll crush that stupid kid in one shot! I have to lead him away!

Klyde scooped a rock off of the ground, tested it's weight for a second, and then launched it at Garland's big helmet. "Hey, idiot! That big sword just for show?"

Garland pointed the sword at Klyde, and shifted his feet into position for a thrusting attack. "See for yourself, you impudent fool!" In the second it took for Klyde to blink, Garland covered the distance between the two of them. Klyde just barely managed to pull his Aeolus up in time to block the attack. There was a brief skirmish of sword clashes, and Klyde realized he was no match for the dark knight in terms of sword fighting alone. Instead of parrying his next slash, Klyde rolled under it, concentrating his power and letting the Aeolus take over from there. A strung burst of wind exploded under Garland, taking him off of his feet. There was a heavy crash as he smashed into the ground, his armor dented in some spots from the thick stone floor. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, and from behind the helmet, there came a hearty chuckle.

"A fighter who can cast Aero? How… peculiar…."

Klyde pulled the Aeolus in front of him and smiled. "Like you're one to talk. I thought dark knights couldn't use black magic…"

"Hah. I have evolved far beyond any mere dark knight. My powers are incomprehensible to you, little fighter! This is how it is done! Aero!" he yelled as he thrust his hand forward. Klyde had a split second where he could taste a difference in the air before it picked up speed, lifting him off the ground. His flailing head smacked into the wall behind him, and he crashed into the ground, slumping up against the corner. Garland stood over his prone figure, brining his dark sword up, preparing to finish off his foe.

With an excruciating amount of effort, Klyde pulled up his Aeolus in a ridiculous attempt to defend himself. Garland went to deliver the final blow, when the Aeolus suddenly began to glow. The blue shine came from the base of the sword, where a small gem was imbedded. Garland stopped, almost as if hypnotized by the phenomena.

"It's almost… too easy…" he murmured before Klyde gathered the strength to thrust his sword hand upward, bringing the Aeolus up, piercing Garland's armor. He tried to take in a sharp breath, but found it wasn't going to happen. He slumped over the sword.

The weight of the dark knight was too much to bear, so Klyde let his sword fall to the side, Garland's lifeless body rolling to the floor. The fighter took a moment to pull himself together, shaking his head and slowly standing up. He retrieved his sword, looked down at the prone form of Garland, and kicked it in the ribs. Seemingly satisfied, he walked over to James and lightly nudged him with his foot. James groaned for a few moments, and then slowly sat up.

"What happened?"

Klyde grinned. "I had that guy up against the wall, man! He was begging me for his life, and he promised to be my loyal servant and stuff. In the end I killed him, though. You shoulda seen it, too! I did this awesome flip, and there were these flashing lights, and…"

James shook his head. "None of that happened, did it?"

"No." Klyde said without missing a beat. "Now, c'mon, let's go catch up with our damsel in distress." Klyde waggled his eyebrows as he nudged James in the ribs. "Not a bad catch, huh?"

James rolled his eyes as the two of them left the ancient castle in search of more pleasant scenery.