Chrono Corruption

Act 1: The Frozen Flame

Chapter 3: Reclamation

Ty yawned loudly, and he awoke with a groggy disposition. He sat up in bed and stretched. "Ugh, how boring! This trip to Porre is taking forever!" he moaned. He then thought of something he had been neglecting. "Hmm, y'know I haven't seen Tomo for a couple of days now. I wonder what she's up to? If I'm not a prisoner anymore then neither are the Levines. If that's true then Tomo should have come to annoy me by now. Well then Captain, I guess I'm gonna take a nice private tour of your ship!" he thought.

It was night outside, and the sea was restless with a storm. Ty silently stepped out of his cabin and the tight hallways were lit dimly with whale oil lanterns. The floor was covered with a suave red carpet with copper-colored trimmings. Ty smirked as the carpet muffled the sounds of his footsteps. Ty passed many doors and found many sleeping Dragoons. They slept through the rumbling thunder quite well. "No Tomo just yet, I wonder where she is?" he thought curiously. "I think I'll look for her down below. I'll avoid the bridge; I don't want Viper to think I'm up to something," his thoughts continued.

Ty found some stairs to the Lower Deck. He came across the first door and peered through a small rectangular peephole. Inside, were more sleeping Dragoons. There was nothing of interest and the door was locked anyway, so he decided to keep moving. He walked silently to the back of the Lower deck to find a door that led to the Tween Deck. This deck was mostly empty space but held varying cargo. Ty searched the cargo curiously and found a strange barrel. He thought he heard a noise inside and gave it a knock. The barrel curiously responded, "No answer, it's just a barrel," he heard. Ty repeated this with four more knocks until it responded again, "Whaddaya want, already?! I said I'm just a barrel! Tch..., Fine! Just take this, man! HERE!" said the voice as it tossed out some extra supplies. Ty took them and simply tip-toed away trying not to think about what just happened.

The other side of the Tween Deck revealed a mess hall where the Dragoons ate. However, it was closed for the night and very quiet. Ty gave it a quick look around nevertheless. He found some crackers and helped himself to a quick bite. After doing so, he thought calmly to himself, "Hmm, no Tomo here in the kitchen, that might be bad...," he worried. Then suddenly, he heard a rattle of a cage. He quickly turned and swallowed the crackers he was munching on. He saw that the noise came from a small cage with a large orange frog inside.

The frog opened its mouth and spoke words, "Out, I want out ribbit!" it said.

Ty withdrew in surprise, "What the-! It talks!" he said in shock. Ty leaned in to get a closer look and then tapped the cage. "Viper's got some messed up cargo on this ship!"

"My Boss would be very upset if I were eaten!" the frog claimed.

"Um… okay, here you go…," Ty said as he unlocked the cage.

"Thank you, ribbit! I am so outta here" the frog said as it escaped through a hole in the wall.

Ty left the kitchen and by extension the mess hall altogether. He made his way to the Gun Deck below where all the munitions were located. Dragoons littered this deck, some on patrol, and some sleeping on the job. Being the sly fox that he was, he pick-pocketed the sleepers and silently avoided patrolling troops. He made sure to quickly leave the Gun Deck and enter the Hold down below.

The Hold was dark and offered little more than storage. Ty searched the storage, finding loot to take with him. Ty chuckled with a thought, "Well, Viper said I could have anything I wanted!"

As Ty finished his looting, he saw a light come from an open door at the end of the Hold. He quietly made his way towards it. It looked inconspicuous, but he approached anyway and peeked through the crack. He expected the Bilge, but he was wrong. This door led to a small room with a single chair at the center and the walls were filled with extra goods and cargo. Ty snuck in and found something on the ground in front of the chair. He knelt down to pick up fleshy seed casings. He inspected them, "Quadffid Seed casings?" he said quietly. "Why would Viper have these? They look partly chewed up, I wonder if someone spat them out? That would be very bad if someone ingested these," he finished.

As Ty raised his head he was greeted by the same cloaked figure from before. Trying to ignore the jump scare, Ty clasped the casings in his hands and spoke, "Oh, sorry was this your room?" Ty asked frantically.

The cloaked man responded, "You could say that. Did you get curious or bored, maybe?" he chuckled.

"You could say that...," Ty retorted humorously.

"You seem to be looking for someone. Perhaps I can help?" the man asked.

"Where are the Levines? I haven't seen them for a while," Ty asked casually.

"Ah, your boss and his daughter. Toma was placed on his ship and his daughter wanted to be with him. The ship was being sailed to Porre for confiscation. You're getting it back right?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's where we're headed," Ty replied.

"Then I wouldn't worry, you'll meet them as soon as you get to Porre," the cloaked man informed. "Now, you wouldn't want Viper to catch you snooping around. It would be wise to head back to your cabin now."

"Now that you mention it, I am getting a little queasy from the storm," Ty said blinking his eyes hard.

"Not to worry I won't say a thing to Viper about what you were doing, but I have one question I forgot to ask earlier," the man stated.

"What's that?" Ty asked.

"You seem to have a very interesting artifact around your neck as did your friend," he started with keen interest. "Would you mind telling me where you got it from?"

"Oh, this?" Ty said pointing out his Cloud Key. "It's... it's a family heirloom, been in the family for generations. I have no idea where it comes from. I found it in a box of stuff my family kept stored away for years."

"Ah, I see...," the man said.

"Well then, I'll let myself out," Ty said uneasily. "I'm gonna go back to bed...," he said leaving. The man merely chuckled lowly as a response.

*Later*

Ty sat at his bedside with the Quadffid Seed casings in the palm of his hand. "I should make a quick antidote for these before we reach Porre. I have a bad feeling something bad is coming our way," Ty thought seriously.

*The Nation of Porre*

Viper's ship pulled into the Porrean Harbor and the Dragoons disembarked, hoping for some R&R. Ty was released along with the Lords siblings and they set foot in Porre Harbor. Ty was feeling a tad green from the trip and Posh gently patted his back to help him feel better. Her brother simply snubbed the situation. The weather was gloomy and headed into nighttime. Posh leaned into Ty, "Shall we retire to the Inn for the evening? A good night's rest will make you feel as good as new Mister Drayguard."

"I suppose, maybe Tomo and her dad are there as well," Ty said in agreement.

Ty and his party stopped at the Inn and approached the clerk, "Hello, how can I help you? If you wish to stay the night, the fee is 100 gold a night," said the clerk.

"Sure, that's fine," Ty agreed as he handed over the money. "By the way, have you seen a rather robust-looking man and his quirky daughter come in?"

"That is the poorest description ever!" Gosh criticized. "Please excuse him miss, what he means is, did the famous Toma Levine XIII and his wildflower daughter come to stay here?"

The clerk responded, "Oh, the famous Toma? No, I'm sorry. He isn't here tonight, but if he arrives I'll make sure to let you know!"

The party still seemed bummed out as they made their way to the room. Ty landed on the soft bed with a 'thud'. He flipped his boots off with his feet and simply pondered. Posh wandered over, "Not to worry Mister Drayguard, I'm sure they are fine. They are probably eating their fill at the best restaurant in town and will be here shortly. Lets get some rest. You still seem a tad pale," she said with concern.

"Toma can do as he pleases he is our boss after all," Gosh said grumpily as his sister turned to him. "Let us simply turn in for the night. We can find Toma and the others in the morning. Porre has always had nicely decorated Inns, so we're in a good room. I'm exhausted from playing prisoner to Viper!" he finished as he removed his shoes and jumped into bed.

"I suppose you're right...," Posh agreed as she turned to Ty. She noticed he had already drifted off to sleep. She smiled gently, "Poor thing, he's been through much these past couple of days. Well, it's time to sleep, good night Mister Drayguard."

*Later that Night*

Ty snuck from the Inn and outside he went without a peep. As he began to leave the Inn and walk down the street, Posh and Gosh snuck out just in time to catch him. He cringed, "And here I thought you didn't hear me," Ty said glumly.

"We didn't... erm... I was... awake when you rose from your slumber," Posh said, her movements fidgety.

Gosh approached from the other side, "I could not sleep as well, the Levines not returning is one thing, but I fear Porre may find the Frozen Flame aboard our ship. I feel that we should go back to our ship and see if my lovely Tomo and the Flame are present!"

Ty smiled, "Now your talking, let's go!" he said as he trotted off towards the harbor. "Well, I feel better now, now to find Tomo and her dad. Those Quadffid Seeds are giving me a bad feeling. Viper claimed the Levines were on our vessel. I just hope they are alright!"

As the party took an unintentional tour of Porre, they quickly realized how militarized the country's capital was. Soldiers scouted the cobblestone streets looking for miscreants. Even though the peace was kept, a strange feeling of oppression was upon Porre. The party quietly made their way down the roads to reach the Porrean Harbor in hopes of finding a secure way around without being noticed. The moonlight shined brightly over the waters as the party edged closer. Crickets and waves could be heard alongside the murmuring of Gosh, who found what they were doing to be revolting. Gosh stepped in front of Ty, stopping him, "This is degrading! I am a distinguished wealthy gentleman! I cannot lower myself to the level of a common criminal! Posh let us go to the guardsmen. If we explain the situation I'm sure everything will be understood. It is our ship after all!" he said quietly.

Ty stretched his arms behind his head and stared off into the distance with an uncaring expression, "Fine, suits me just as well. Do what you want and while you guys distract the security I'll sneak in and find the others."

Gosh gave Ty a silent but cross glare, "Come sister, we have little time to spare!"

Stuttering, Posh fumbled unable to decide for herself, "B-but…, I…," she said as she stamped her foot down. "Ty, I believe going to the authorities would be best, don't you think?"

Ty sighed as his body went limp. "Alright, we'll try your guys' way first, but if that doesn't work then we do things my way!" he finished with a grin.

"Deal, I will show you how to be a real gentleman!" Gosh said confidently.

Gosh and Posh approached the entrance to the harbor which was guarded by two of the bronzed mechanical dolls that Viper had on his ship.

Ty kept his distance while Gosh cleared his throat, "Ahem, we are Gosh and Posh Lords from the Explorer Corps of Choras! We understand you have a few of our co-workers visiting here that are aboard our vessel. To be frank, we have come to reunite with them and return to Choras!"

"GA-PI-GA-PI-PI!" steamed the mechanical doll as it threw its large arms into the air irately.

Gosh backed off immediately in a frightened manner. "Gah, I'm sorry, no need to be so angry!"

Posh gave her brother a long disdainful gaze as if to call him pathetic while Ty simply grinned slyly. Ty approached Gosh, "See, now will you do things my way?"

Gosh ground his teeth in frustration, but finally relented. "Fine, if it will… allow me to see my wonderful Tomo again… we will do things your… way…," he gulped as he swallowed his pride.

Ty grinned widely, "See that wasn't so bad was it?" he gloated. "Come on, let's go find a good spot to sneak in!"

*Later*

With Ty in the lead, the party trekked through a rocky wooded area that overlooked the eastern side of the harbor. "Hmm, I think this spot is our best bet. I haven't seen anyone move down here since we started looking," Ty deduced as he gazed into the harbor discreetly from behind a tree.

Posh grew nervous, "Er-erm, yes, just as long as we avoid the searchlights!" she stammered.

"That is an awfully long walk across that shipyard…," Gosh sighed.

"Nah, the guys working the spotlights don't seem like they're really paying much attention," Ty noticed. "Come on, let's move!"

With that, the siblings followed Ty closely as they dashed quickly and quietly across the shipyard. Luckily, the infiltration went smoothly as they reached their vessel. Each member of the party took cover behind a stack of crates to catch their breath. "Oh, that was rough!" Gosh complained. "I almost tripped over a coil of rope!"

"Try running in elevated heels! I thought I was going to twist my ankle!" Posh followed.

"Will you two quit complaining! You're going to alert the guards!" Ty warned sternly.

As the party regrouped behind the safety of the crates, Ty noticed the plank leading to their ship was unguarded. The party moved like shadows as they boarded the ship. The Main Deck was void of life except for a searchlight up in the crow's nest. It moved in a figure-eight pattern. "Hmm, looks like the coast is clear, this is where the real fun begins!" Ty whispered as the party quietly snuck into the ship's side door from its Promenade Deck.

The party entered the Tween Deck and noticed all the extra cargo was violently disturbed. Posh gasped, "Who has done this?!"

"Damn that Viper, he had his men do this I'll bet!" Gosh said in anger.

"Wait, didn't we leave the Flame at the Bridge?" Ty remembered. "If so, then why tear apart our cargo looking for it? This damage implies someone was desperate to find something in particular. If the Flame were it, then their search would have ended at the Bridge."

"Do you think it was hidden by the other co-workers or perhaps Toma himself?" Posh theorized.

"That must be it!" Gosh agreed. "I was told Toma and my Tomo were placed on this ship as they came to Porre. So they had to have hidden it before Viper's men noticed it!"

"Let's make sure, the Bridge is just up ahead," Ty said with caution.

The party ran to the Bridge and noticed it was still missing the windows but was swept up a bit. The Frozen Flame and its container were missing. "It looks like someone did take it!" Posh said with eyes widened.

"Yes, and the damage outside proves that someone is trying to look for it!" Gosh claimed. "We must see if it's still here on the ship!"

"That, and the Levines too!" Ty added.

Leaving the Bridge and going through the back of the Tween Deck, they entered the Entertainment Deck. The Entertainment Deck was in shambles. Doors were ajar or just completely ripped from their hinges and the luxuries were all destroyed. "My word..., they destroyed our entertainment room looking for the Flame...!" Posh gasped in shock.

"Shh, quiet!" Ty shushed as he heard a noise. Sure enough, a shadowy figure could be seen at the end of the room, but its identity could not be discerned before it vanished.

"Someone's here with us...," Gosh shivered, his hand on his rapier handle.

"Well, let's introduce ourselves...," Ty said as the party pressed forward.

As the party continued to search the Entertainment Deck, they eventually made their way down below into the Lower Deck, which housed all the cabins of the Explorer Corps employees. They felt as though they were being watched the whole way. Whoever had their eyes on them didn't do a very good job of making sure they weren't noticed. Footsteps could be heard behind them, but the owner vanished as soon as they looked in their direction. Small items could be heard hitting the floor at times, as well as scratching on various surfaces. "Ty, I believe we are being culled into a trap," Gosh said with unease. The party entered a four-way intersection.

"I 'know' we are..., wait, here we go!" Ty said as three figures surrounded the party. They looked identical to each other. They wore white muscle shirts and tan baggy pants held up by a yellow cloth belt.

"Biggs, Wedge, Piette, where have you three been and…, what the hell has…, become of you?" Posh said as she realized the strange change that has overcome her co-workers. The three co-workers had gained sickly deep blue skin and red fiery hair and black eyes with blood-red irises.

"Quadffid poison, they are afflicted with it!" Ty claimed as he drew his weapon. "Posh, Gosh, cover me for a second, I need to apply the antidote to my daggers!"

"Right!" they responded in unison. However, before Posh and Gosh knew it, Biggs and Wedge leaped on top of them with ferocity. While Posh and Gosh were pinned to the ground by their zombified co-workers, Ty was tackled by Piette and he dropped the jar of antidote and it rolled behind a broken door.

The party struggled against their demonized co-worker's brute strength. "We have to be sure… not to kill them!" Ty said as he shoved Piette off of him. Ty reached behind the door and grabbed his antidote and quickly took a cotton swab and dipped it into the slick oily solution. He then wiped the solution onto the blades of his daggers and managed to place the antidote away before once again being thrown to the ground by Piette.

Posh screamed, "Agh, Ty I could use some assistance, Wedge is touching me in a place I did not permit him to!"

"You heard her you, oaf! Help her!" Gosh said angrily as he continued to struggle with Biggs.

"Patience is a virtue!" Ty said calmly, but with growing frustration as he struggled to raise his dagger to Piette's arm. With luck, Ty overcame Piette's strength as he sunk his dagger's blade into his arm. After a few moments, Piette began to cough as the regular flesh color began returning to him along with eye color and hair color. Ty then threw Piette off him and into the door, causing its complete collapse. Biggs threw Gosh to the ground and he stood angered. His prideful demeanor changed to one of wrath. Ty threw him the cotton swab with the antidote. "Gosh, swipe your rapier with that and give Wedge a non-lethal cut! It'll cure him!" he said as he went to help Posh.

Gosh grunted hesitantly, "Fine, as I see no other way…," he said as he caught the cotton swab. He swiped it across the Mithril blade and the dim light of the vault reflected brilliantly off of it. "Please forgive me Biggs, but I have no other choice but to slap you as Sir Cyrus would!" he announced as his muscles tightened and his senses increased. Biggs leaped like a beast towards Gosh and Gosh retaliated with a super-fast dash. When the attack connected, Gosh's Mithril Rapier had pierced Biggs's right shoulder. Just like Piette, Biggs began to revert to normal as he clutched his shoulder.

"Agh, Ty help!" shouted a distressed Posh as Wedge used her as a human shield.

"Bad move, Wedge!" Ty claimed strongly as he used a technique of his own. Ty's body surged with power and he moved so fast he appeared behind Wedge as if he came from the shadows. "How do you like my 'Ghostly Strike' technique!" he shouted as he cut Wedge alongside his back. Like his two other peers, Wedge quickly began to revert to normal.

After finally reverting back to their normal selves, Biggs, Wedge, and Piette were patched up and they thanked the party greatly while bowing and scraping. Gosh approached them worriedly, "That's enough you three! Now, where is my lovely Tomo?!"

Wedge responded, "She's down in the Hold!"

"We have no idea what they have done to her though, but if it's anything like us, I'm sure it's horrid!" Biggs added fearfully.

"Please, you have to help her!" Piette pleaded.

"Just who exactly did this?" Ty asked curiously. "Was it... a man in a cloak?" he asked in suspicion.

"Yeah, but... how did you guess that?" Biggs said bewildered.

"Just a hunch...," Ty said as the others gave a look of confusion.

"Well anyway, I'm just glad you were able to reverse the effects!" Piette said now calming down.

"Now that you guys are cured, let's go get Tomo," Ty said sternly.

Everyone agreed as the triplets guided them through the rest of the ravaged Lower Deck and finally made it to the staircase that led to the Hold. They faced the door that led into the Hold. This deck stored not only cargo but the treasures and artifacts the team had found throughout their journeys. They entered the room. It was the first section and the place was nearly cleaned out. There was nothing in this room now, but broken crates, a single mysterious blue treasure box with gold accents, and an ornate pot.

The party made their way to the chest, curious as they had never seen it before. "I wonder what's inside…, this could be bad," he said to no one in particular. As Ty knelt down to touch the chest a smoke cloud erupted and two entities came forth. The two entities were spiritual beings that possessed treasure chests. One was a large treasure chest with burly striped arms and legs while the other was smaller with very thin lanky arms and legs. Their voices spoke in unison, "Heh, heh, heh, we're the Boxer Boys! We want to play a game with you! Make a choice, hit one of us. If you choose right we'll give you a special treasure! Choose wrong and we'll rough you up!"

"What should we do?" Posh asked, hoping for an answer.

"What else, we let Drayguard decide!" Gosh began. "I hear you've encountered these monsters numerous times and were always successful."

Ty took a long gaze at both monsters and without warning, he kicked over the large one. Posh and Gosh grew anxious as the Big Boxer got to its feet. It dashed up to Ty and then stopped suddenly. It opened and revealed a small burlap sack that the monster handed over to him. With that, Ty took the goods and the Boxer Boys vanished into thin air, "Nice job, until next time!" the Boxer Boys said in unison.

"Oh, thank goodness," Posh sighed with relief.

"What did the monster give you?" Gosh asked curiously.

"Looks like some extra equipment, let's see; we have a Power Glove and a pair of Knee Pads, nice," Ty said as he stored it safely away.

"Well, even you have to make yourself useful sometimes!" Gosh said haughtily.

"Wonderful work Mister Drayguard! I knew you could do it!" Posh said as she stared on with admiration.

The party regrouped and decided to inspect the ornate pot, wondering why it was left behind. Upon touching it, it too came to life. "Crud, a Potty?!" Ty said as he drew his daggers. Posh and Gosh did the same, but as they did, the monster acted strangely. Two leather bands that acted like arms grabbed Ty's feet and dragged him before the pot. "Whoa, what's it doing?" Ty shouted as he tried to shake the monster's hold. The lid opened and a puff of red smoke revealed a very obese female Genie with tan skin, three horns, and long maroon hair that was tied back in a long ponytail emerged. Her big belly jiggled as did her bust when she made even the slightest movements. Instead of attacking, however she seemed amorous towards Ty. Ty was astonished, "I didn't know Genie came in a female variety!"

The Genie had a deep voice as she blew Ty a kiss, "My, hello there handsome!" she moaned coyly. "Why don't join me inside my Potty here for some real entertainment!"

Ty, ever polite, responded nervously, "Well now…, I'm not offended by larger women! Nevertheless, I am… in the middle of something important!"

"Aw, now, now, don't be that way!" Genie said with a sultry tone. "I've been alone with Potty here for sooo long and I really could use the company!"

Posh reacted in pure jealousy as she slammed the unaware Genie with her Mithril Rod, causing the monster to become unconscious. Potty drew back its master with comical fright as it vanished back into the spirit realm. Posh scoffed, "You should really be more careful Mister Drayguard. You are more desirable than you realize, even to filth like that Genie!" she ended with a pouting face.

Gosh ran his hand through his hair, "Well now sister, let's not be quick to judge! That Genie was perfect for our friend here!" he said with arrogance.

Biggs, Wedge, and Piette comically recoiled from Posh. "She's scary when she's mad!" Piette said in distress as the other two agreed.

Ty rose to his feet blushing heavily, "Let's just keep going..."

The party proceeded to the water-tight door and Ty placed his ear to the large metal door. Female groans could be heard coming from within. Ty drew his daggers and without turning to face them, he spoke to the rest of the party. "Gosh, Posh, take Biggs, Wedge, and Piette and get off the ship. I think I'll take it from here…"

They were distressed, "Ty no, you need us to help you!" Posh said sternly.

"Yes, and 'I' shall be the one to rescue my fair Tomo!" Gosh followed.

"Look, Biggs and the others are scuffed up pretty badly and still need to be treated for additional toxins," Ty explained. "Whatever I'll find in there at this point is something only I can handle…, I have the antidote. Return to the Inn and wait for me there. This won't take long, I promise."

"But it is only right for the 'prince' to save his 'princess'!" Gosh continued urgently.

"Look Gosh, if you care about Tomo at all then I don't want you to see her if she has, 'become a monster'," Ty stated. "If she is poisoned by Quadffid Seeds then she may be in worse condition than those three."

Posh was unable to say anything as her brother relented, "Do you think it could be that bad?!" Gosh said as he gritted his teeth. "Fine then, have it your way, come on everyone let's let the bilge rat have his moment in the spotlight!"

As the party left Ty alone, Posh shouted back, "Please be careful Mister Drayguard! Just..., please...," she stammered in worry.

Ty chuckled as they left him alone, "That woman..., I wonder why she's so fixated on me... Oh well, gotta do this!" he said as he opened the water-tight door. He found this next section of the Hold to also be completely cleaned out. All the treasures they had gathered were stolen. Ty sighed in disgust as he noticed someone struggling in a chair at the end of the dimly lit Hold. As Ty approached, he was stopped in the middle of the room by a puff of smoke that revealed a familiar yet mysterious person. The cloaked man Ty met on Viper's ship. "Hey, just who are you anyway?" Ty started, quickly growing irritated.

The man smirked underneath his hood, "Not something you need to know boy," he said with an angry tone. "Tell me, treasure hunter, you found the fabled 'Frozen Flame' did you not?" he said as he taunted Ty.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" Ty responded in defiance.

"Really now?" the man laughed boastfully as he revealed the flame in its dormant state in his hand.

Ty's eyes widened with nervousness, "Hey, give that back!"

"This artifact is far greater than your puny mind could understand!" the man continued. "You could not conceive of its power! Just as the ancients in the time of Antiquity couldn't! I'll tell you what! If you entertain me enough I may give you back your treasures!" he said as he held a strange jingle bell in his other hand.

"That jingle bell..., a Green Tinkler!" Ty said in nervous awe.

The man rang the bell and the person behind him reacted with pain. "Let's see how well you hold up against your fat friend!" he said wickedly.

"Wait what..., fat?" Ty said in confusion.

"You two play nice now!" the man said as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

The person broke through their bindings and was consumed with a dark aura as they began to grow enormously in height and weight. "Tomo…, oh no…, I should not have said she would one day become a monster…," Ty lamented as he recalled his words to her on the Weather Deck. Tomo's body deformed as she grew to around nine feet tall and her body fat kept pouring on like rising bread dough. Her skin turned the same sickly blue color that the others had and her hair and eyes were also the same as the others. When the transformation ended, Tomo was massive. She was almost as wide as she was tall. All the excess body fat made her slow and she took up a lot of room. She was given a new giant hammer that she carried easily with one arm. She glared at Ty with a monstrous expression Ty had never seen before. She did not seem to recognize him at all.

The man's voice echoed through the Hold, "Meet 'Hell Tomo'! Be careful now, she'll gobble you up!" he laughed hysterically.

"Damn you!" Ty shouted as he quickly dodged Tomo's hammer strike. Ty dodged hammer swing after hammer swing. Due to all Tomo's access girth, she was ridiculously slow but very powerful. "I have to be sure not to get hit, getting hit is very bad," he said aloud as he continued to dodge. Tomo then took a really big swing and Ty jumped to her left. Her strike missed and the hammer went through the floor and got stuck in the hull. As she tried to pull the hammer out Ty swung at her massive thighs giving her some superficial cuts that were stricken with the antidote. She managed to pull her hammer out but made a hole in the hull causing a water spout to start flooding the room. "Oh, crud, I'd better end this quick or we'll be at the bottom of the harbor in no time!" Ty said with urgency.

Ty managed to keep this pattern with her for a little while but then began to notice something strange. "Why isn't the antidote working?" he mused as Tomo stomped around while getting a better grip on her hammer. Tomo began to stare Ty down as she tapped her belly with her hammer and then she began to wildly slam her hammer in unpredictable ways as she dashed randomly around the room. Water splashed around the room along with her massive movements. Ty worked hard to make sure to avoid her, but her jiggling body made it hard for him to read her movements properly. He then realized something, "That's it, it's her body fat! That's why the antidote isn't working right away her fat is just soaking it all up! I need to give her a heavier dose of it!" he said aloud. This revelation came at a price, however as Tomo was able to catch him off guard and swat him away like a fly. Ty felt the side of the hammer collide with his torso and he spat up blood into the flooding room as he felt some bones in his ribs become bruised.

Tomo laughed heartily as Ty wearily got to his feet, holding his midsection. He then took the jar of antidote from his rucksack, "Got to make this count, can't take another hit like that!" he said as he ran towards her. She laid her hammer down and Ty used all his strength to dodge the hammer, climb the hammer and leap up to Tomo. He stood on her chest, "Open wide, it's time for your medicine!" he said sarcastically as he shoved the jar into her open mouth. The entirety of the antidote was swallowed by her gaping maw and Ty was thrown to the ground. Unlike the others, the antidote took a while, but it was having an effect. Tomo still tried to attack Ty, albeit wearily as her body began to shrink very slowly.

Tomo then did something that Ty was familiar with. She held out her index finger and her Crystal Hourglass gleamed with light. She then pointed her hand towards Ty. Ty knew what would happen to him if the beam connected, but with his, injury he was not capable of going anywhere. Then, Ty shut his eyes as the beam of light enveloped him. However, nothing happened and even Tomo was surprised that nothing came of it.

Ty opened his eyes to find that his body was still intact, he chuckled, "Did you forget Tomo? You said this Gastromorph skill of yours didn't work on humans!" he grinned weakly. With that, Tomo transformed again. The form she took though was not the form Ty was expecting. Tomo was back to her original skin color, eye color, hair color, and height, but she was still overweight. Her blubbery body was shaped like a pear. She sat on the ground trying to regain her senses. Ty approached her. "Tomo…, is that really you?"

Like a small child, the plump rosy-cheeked woman rubbed her eyes as if waking up from a nap. She then rubbed her tummy and yawned. "What happened, why do I feel so beat…, I…," she said as she suddenly came to and realized where she was and what became of her. "Ahh, no wait!" she said as she got a good look at her own body. "This…, this was not something you were ever supposed to see!" she said frustrated as she splashed in the water.

"What…, I don't understand?" Ty said puzzled.

"This is…, my normal self…," she began with embarrassment. "This is what I truly look like…, it's the other technique I developed alongside Gastromorph... It's called 'Lipomorph', and I can compress my, 'excess' with it... so to speak... I deserve it for being so gluttonous. So go ahead and laugh if you want...," she said with shame.

"Tomo, I don't want to laugh at you," Ty said weakly. "I don't think I could if I wanted to…,"

Tomo gave Ty a slightly brighter expression, "You mean, you don't think I'm… disgusting?"

"No, why would I think that? I'm just glad you're alright!" he said happily.

"So does that mean I'm still your biggest rival?!" Tomo asked eagerly.

"In more ways than one…," Ty chuckled. "Ah, it hurts to laugh…"

"Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh!" Tomo scolded as she pouted.

"Just playing with you Tomo, um, so how about we get out of this death trap!" Ty suggested with urgency.

"Um, yeah let's do that!" Tomo agreed as she realized the water had already reached their knees.

As they headed towards the door, Tomo stopped and turned to Ty with tears of joy in her eyes, "One more thing, brace yourself, this might hurt a little!" she said as she gave Ty an enormous squishy hug. "Thank you…, for seeing me as I truly am and not thinking less of me!" she finished as Ty weakly returned the hug and suppressed his pain.

She released him, "Oww, my back and ribs…, you're welcome Tomo…," Ty said with a cough.

The strange cloaked figure appeared again and stopped them before they could reach the door. "I must say, how touching. That was interesting, but there is no longer any need for your existence I'm afraid...," he said. "I have a world to conquer, so if you'll excuse me I have important things to do!" he said as he awoke the Frozen Flame. The Hold became engulfed in a spiraling blue light.

"Ty, what's happening?!" Tomo shouted as she covered her head and chest with her arms.

"I don't know, but it can't be good!" Ty responded.

Tomo grabbed Ty in fear as the two felt themselves lift into the air. Tomo managed to keep hold of Ty as they were enveloped by a spiraling light. They then felt as though they were sucked into some kind of hole and were falling down into a kind of darkness they had never known. The horizon was black and it separated a blue waving 'sky' that mirrored itself on the other side of the black horizon. They drew closer to the black horizon until it consumed them and they fell into a strange place. They fell unconscious in this strange place as they impacted a hard surface. There they lay, outside of anyone's reach.

*End of Chapter*