Anya POV:
Once we reached the giant stone, Marumaro performed the dance and, after doing it successfully, the stone magically opened up on both sides, allowing us access to the Gul Mountains. "Nice job, Marumaro! Now let's get back to Talta Village," I said as we then proceeded into the mountains and into a cave that I saw had numerous crystals as well as some trees that emitted a magical glowing sap on them. And after we proceeded into the caves, I noticed that someone else was here. Someone that looked quite strange.
He had a mask on him that looked like a gas mask, he was about the same size as Marumaro, had on a green outfit with a backpack on his back, and he had hands that were obviously robotic, what with them being mechanical clamp-shaped claws. "Oh? What have we here? Hah! Why if it isn't the owner of the Mystic Mermaid! How are you doing, madame?" the man smiled at me. And once I heard his voice, I gasped audibly.
"Oh. My. God. Is that really you, Toripo?! What are you doing all the way out here, old coot?" I smiled at him.
"I was actually trying to find the Aurora Ruins, but I seem to have gotten a bit sidetracked by the gorgeous glowing sap in these caves. Do you wish to purchase anything? I have fine and rare items as always for valued customers," Toripo smirked as he opened his bag and showed off a lot of fine items and jewelry, me immediately being entranced by a particular necklace on his person.
"I'd like that necklace, please. How many medals does it cost?" I asked.
"It is worth 100 medals for this fine necklace. It is actually handcrafted since ancient times and has the essence of the Ancients resting within it," Toripo said, me smiling at that as I could sense the magic inside of this necklace. It was awesome.
"Deal," I smiled as I gave him the medals and he gave me the necklace, me putting it on and feeling more powerful already.
"And can I offer anything to your young allies? I sense that they too have abilities similar to yours," Toripo smiled at my friends.
"How much for that belt?" Kluke asked when she saw a black belt of power that I gasped at.
"This belt here? It is extremely valuable to those with shadow properties like us. It will allow your shadow to get double experience from facing off against monsters! It is worth 150 medals," Toripo smiled.
"Would you like for me to purchase it for you if you don't have enough, Kluke?" I asked her.
"Actually, we have 200 medals in total. I've been saving them up for a collection, but I guess I can give them up for this belt," Kluke smiled as she handed over 150 medals and Toripo then gave her the black belt, her putting it on over her sash and smiling.
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Kluke smiled.
"And how much for that ring?" Jiro asked.
"This ring is worth 25 medals. This ring is said to have been worn by the King of the Ancients long ago. Apparently he also has a shadow of such incredible power, it actually eats away at his sanity and his health... I believe that his shadow was said to be the Chimera shadow, one of the most powerful in history," Toripo said, me gasping at that.
"Give him 50 medals for that one, then. That's just got to be Nene's ring," I said, Jiro nodding at that and giving him double the price for the ring.
"You know of the original owner of this ring, you say?" Toripo asked me.
"Know him? He kidnapped me and converted me into a robot! And then he kept me locked up in his flying airship for 10 years!" I said to him.
"So that's where you disappeared to... I was wondering why I hadn't seen you in so long... and why that has happened to Noluta," Toripo said, my heart jumping when he said that.
"What happened to Noluta, Toripo? Please, tell me," I said to him.
"From what I saw, nearly the entire city and its denizens... have been frozen in place with an ancient ice machine in their temple. I tried to take it out myself to save them, but the monster guarding it is too powerful," Toripo said, my eyes welling up with tears when I heard that.
"My home... everyone is frozen in ice... Nene... you will pay for this... I will make you pay, Nene," I growled lowly and angrily as I had to punch something. Anything. I looked at a nearby crystal and rushed it, smashing my fist into it with enough force to crack and shatter a part of it off.
"Don't worry, Anya. We'll get to Noluta to save everyone at some point. We just have to find a way there," Shu said.
"Okay... did they at least look peaceful?" I asked Toripo.
"They did, and none of them have aged a day in that ice," Toripo said. I couldn't help but sniffle at that.
"At least I know that they aren't suffering," I sighed as I then looked at my friends. "Let's go to Talta Village. Until we meet again, Toripo," I smiled at him.
"Good luck in your endeavors, I'm off to find the Aurora Ruins!" Toripo smiled as he then left the opposite direction, our group proceeding deeper and deeper into the Gul Mountains.
Shu POV:
Once we got through the Gul Mountains, we overlooked the valley and we gawked at how we saw Talta Village in the distance. "We've made it... we've been gone for so long. I hope that everyone is alright," Kluke said with concern.
"Let's get there and see," Anya said as we went forward and, after defeating a few enemies in the form of Snakefaces and Mountain Crabs, we walked into the entrance to Talta Village... and we were devastated by what we saw. The place was absolutely in shambles, almost all the houses at ground level were annihilated, and even the houses above ground were strewn with stray bits of wood and dust all over the place.
"Oh my god... what has happened here?... This is all caused by that thing you called the Land Shark?" Anya gasped in shock. I didn't answer her. I instead rushed forward with Jiro following.
"Grandpaaaa!" I exclaimed with tears streaming down my face.
"Mother! Father! Where are you?!" Jiro exclaimed in fear as we rushed forward and through the village, us gasping as we felt the ground start to quiver underneath us.
"W-What's going on?!" Maro asked from behind us.
"Guys! It's coming! Prepare to attack!" Kluke exclaimed, me and Jiro gasping as the giant dorsal fin we all remembered jutted out of the sands and tried to rush us. But before it could smash into us, we all gasped as someone got in the way and grabbed hold of it. It was Anya!
"Sand Shark Mech! I command you to rise and show your true form!" Anya exclaimed as she used her sheer strength to lift out the giant dorsal fin and we all gasped as the whole of the Land Shark rose from the ground and looked at us face-to-face. And just like before when we rode it up to Nene's ship, it was completely mechanical underneath!
"Time to do some open-head surgery!" Anya exclaimed as she then used her fist and, defying all laws of physics, punched a hole straight through the top of the mech, the Land Shark actually producing sparks as she then summoned her shadow to wreck apart whatever was inside of it. After only at most a minute, the Land shark suddenly stopped moving. It fell onto the ground and stayed above the sand, completely incapacitated. "It is done... this Land Shark wasn't the only one Nene owns though. He has others, but they are not on his flying airship. They are in some of his bases of operations in this world," Anya explained as she jumped off the top of the Land Shark and we were about to say something before we heard something from one of the houses.
"Help!" said the voice of a man that we knew from Talta Village! It was the owner of the Inn and he was trapped under a stray set of junk nearby!
"Don't worry, we'll help you out," I said as I rushed up to him and Jiro and Kluke did the same, all of us letting out our shadows and using them to lift up the debris that covered the Innkeeper.
"Oogh... what the... Jiro? Kluke? Shu?... Where'd you get those fancy shadows?" he asked when he saw our shadows.
"We'd love to tell you, but we need to know where everyone is at," Kluke said.
"I believe that Fushira left a note for you three in his workshop. I would've left as well, but I got trapped under some rubble just out of the Land Shark's reach. Everyone else managed to escape, though... but I never expected that the Land Shark, this whole time, was a giant robot ship," the Innkeeper admitted.
"We were stunned when we saw it reveal itself as well," Jiro said.
"Let's go to this Fushira's workshop. If he left a note about the village, then we should inspect it... but what about you, mister Innkeeper? What will you do?" Anya asked.
"Before I got trapped under this rubble, Fushira told me to stay behind to keep an eye out for you guys. Boy will he be pleased to hear that you and your friends destroyed the Land Shark," the Innkeeper smiled.
"It wasn't us. It was all Anya," I admitted. Anya smiled at that, but retained her serious composure.
"Let's see what Fushira had to say," Anya said as I then led her to where my grandpa's workshop was at.