Author's Note: Okay, I know I usually do this at the end of the chapter, but please bear with me a moment. A guest reviewer who called themselves 'Wiskjdueusjdj' pointed out how Sword and Blade have been referred to as knaves and how they looked up the definition of the word and was upset. However, Wiskjdueusjdj, you only read one definition of the word. 'Knave' has multiple meanings. It can mean a scoundrel or an untrustworthy man, but it also has many other meanings.
Knave can mean a servant, a henchman, a soldier on a card, or even a squire. Knave can also be a term of endearment, or the term for a younger boy, henceforth the meaning of 'my gentle knaves'. I asked my English teacher about this, and he teaches England literature and Middle English. He did confirm that this was true.
I really am sorry if there was any misunderstanding, and I am glad that you were defending Sword and Blade's honor Wiskjdueusjdj. But whenever they were referred to as knaves, I meant it in the context of calling them 'his boys'. They aren't full knights since they never were properly knighted by the GSA, so that's why they are never referred to as 'sir' or 'knight'. Meta Knight, though he did become high in command, still did not have the power to knight them. So that's why they are still referred to as knaves.
So Wiskjdueusjdj, I hope this clears up the misunderstanding. I'm sorry if that upset you. Meta Knight does hold high respect and faith in Sword and Blade. Him calling them his knaves, his boys, is his own small way of showing that he does indeed care about them much much more than he lets on. I'm really sorry I wasn't too clear on that.
Another thing before I get onto the story. I have received numerous amounts of reviews or messages asking about a Smash Bros. arc and whether or not I'll be doing it. Okay, first of all, I wasn't really planning to at first because though I do own Smash Bros. and have played it and several other Nintendo games (I am a nerd/geek after all), I am not completely familiar with some of the characters like Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, and Metal Gear Solid (I do like Marth though. Something about him is very interesting to me. Maybe because he looks so soft faced?)
Two, I have thought of making a spin off, but this would be after a certain character is introduced in The After Story to be a part of it. I have put some thought into it, so maybe it's a possibility. I don't know. I will have to think deeply on it. But there's something that really really needs to happen first in The After Story until I can. But I've been getting so so many messages and questions about it, so instead of answering them individually, I'll just post it here for convenience.
Okay, I'm finished. Leer Justice has stepped off her cleaning substance box. You may read my mediocre story that for some reason has over 23,000 views now. Leer Justice out.
"I'm sooo hungry!" Sword complained to his brother.
"Sword, not now. I'm trying to focus on the map."
"Look and see if there's a diner nearby." The green knight prodded him.
Blade sighed, deciding it would be best to ignore his companion. Ah, the joys of being the mature sibling.
After a few moments of much needed silence, the green knight gasped loudly.
"Oh…my…" Sword said in awe, pointing in some direction.
"Sword, what is it no-" Blade dropped the map in shock. "I-It can't be…"
Meta Knight turned to the direction the green knight was pointing, he too was at a loss for words.
In that direction stood a small shack, a local restaurant on the edge of Dreamland's border. However, that wasn't what interested the small group of three knights. No, it was who was in front of the restaurant.
A small man stood at the door, sweeping the porch. He wore a pair of sunglasses and looked quite human. Only his feet and height gave away the fact that this man wasn't human.
"…Is that…Customer Service?" Sword uttered, gob smacked.
It couldn't be anyone else but the once employee of Holy Nightmare Enterprises. However, instead of his snappy suit, he wore a plain uniform for an employee.
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The three knights wordlessly approached the disdainfully sweeping short man. He looked up from his task and grimaced.
"Ugh, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse…" He muttered.
"Well, look who it is. Say, didn't you die or something?" Sword asked.
"I only wish…" Customer Service grumbled. "What do you want?"
"…How are you still alive?" Blade asked.
"There was an escape pod on the ship. I crashed on a foreign planet, and I spent time as a space hobo for a while in disguise. I hopped from space ship to space ship. I ended up here, working a dead end job for mediocre pay."
"How the mighty have fallen." Sword chuckled.
"So…I suppose you've come to gloat." The man grimaced. "You won. Nightmare is dead and gone. And I'm…nothing. Nothing but some Fryboy…"
"If you are expecting sympathy from us, prepare yourself for a long wait." Meta Knight remarked.
"Not even a little, hmm? Just as well, you have no reason to. I suppose I didn't feel any sympathy for my actions before…until karma came in the form of a grease trap and a spatula…" He replied with a wistful expression.
"You know, I suppose that many would be interested in the fact that you are alive…" The red-haired knave said.
"…I'll give you a free breakfast if that fact stays between us."
-
Chris the Janitor felt his eyes open, but he still couldn't see anything. Everything was black.
"I've become blind!" The janitor panicked. "Or I've become trapped in a realm of eternal darkness! …Or maybe I'm just in a really dark closet."
The orange Waddle Dee tried to move, however his body wouldn't cooperate with his wishes.
"Apparently I have also become crippled…how will I mop the floors?…How will I dance with my mop? No wait…I can move my feet. And…I'm sitting on something…"
The janitor soon realized that he wasn't blind or in a realm of eternal darkness…he was blindfolded. Chris had been restrained to a chair with thick ropes. He struggled with little success.
"Come out you coward! …Or cowards! When His Majesty finds that the windows were not washed, he will be most upset!" Chris yelled.
The Waddle Dee's blindfold was removed. He soon found his location…he was in a closet inside the castle…
Chris the Janitor was thoroughly confused.
"Welcome…Chris the Janitor…we know that you know something we want to know…" A voice said from behind him.
"…Pardon? Wait a minute…are you a mob boss? No…you sound too stupid…" Chris pondered.
"I am not stupid! I'm a genius! And I have awesome hair too!"
A green puff with a red mohawk stood in front of the restrained janitor. Chris sweat dropped.
(Leer Justice: For added hilarity, please play the song 'Crime Time 2' from this point on. You will not be able to keep a straight face. I tried.)
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"Oh…it's you…guy…" The Waddle Dee's voice faltered. "Sooo…how about you let me go, and I won't report you. I have windows to wash."
"Forget your windows!" Falspar boomed dramatically. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Chris the Janitor. You tell me what I want to know, and everything will go smoothly."
"What do you want with this handsome janitor?!" Chris cried out.
"I wanna know about The Broken Village." Falspar grinned.
"…That information is confidential."
"Aha! So you admit it!" The green puff pointed at the bewildered janitor.
"…Admit what? I've admitted nothing."
"Exactly!" The red haired soldier nodded with a smirk.
"…Is this going to make sense anytime soon?" Chris asked, utterly confused for the hundredth time in the past ten minutes.
"Ah…but you see…you aren't admitting anything because…" Falspar pounded the table in the small closet with his fists. "You're a spy!"
"…" Chris was done trying to figure out this green puff. The Waddle Dee concluded that the red haired knight was simply an idiot.
"No response? No denial?! Surely it must be true!"
"…How did you survive the war again?" Chris asked.
"Because I was too awesome…" Falspar smirked. "You can gaze at my incredibleness later. Now, I want answers."
"You'll never make me talk! NEVEEER!" The Waddle Dee cried in protest.
"Oh, but I can…" A grin that was meant to be frightening formed on Falspar's face, only it came off as more cheesy that threatening.
The green puff pulled out a lamp and placed it over the orange Waddle Dee. The restrained janitor winced at the bright light.
"Where's The Broken Village?"
"I can't tell you. That's classified- OW!" Chris yelped when his cheek was pinched by a gloved hand.
"Tell me where The Broken Village is."
"I really need to wash the windows! OW!"
"After you tell me what I need to know you can wash your precious windows!"
"I can't tell you! There are things there that weren't meant for mortal eyes! OW!"
"We can do this all night if you want." Falspar smirked. "Where's The Broken Village?!"
"I can't tell you! I won't tell you! NEVERRR!" Chris cried out in protest.
"This is one stubborn robot…" Falspar sighed.
"…WHAAAT?! You think I'm a ROBOT?!"
"I don't think, I know." The green puff tried to pull off a serious expression…but failed.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" The janitor was flabbergasted.
"Chris the Janitor, you like techno music, do you not?"
"Of course, yeah! Has a great electronic beat and-"
"AHA!" Falspar pointed dramatically. "That is undeniable proof that you are indeed…a robot!"
"…Who wrote this junk?" The janitor would have been frowning if he had a mouth.
"Look…" Chris sighed. "It's been a real…special…experience, but I need to go do my job. I can't tell you anything, so-OW! Would you stop doing that?!"
"Not until I get answers, Chris!" Falspar pinched his cheek again.
"I told you that I ca-OW! Leer Justice, please save me!"
-
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"Ah, that was the most satisfying breakfast I've ever had." Sword sighed in bliss.
"The fact that it was courtesy of our past enemy made it even more justified." Blade agreed.
"It seems karma has come to make him pay for his past dues." Meta Knight said. "He seemed miserable."
"And justly so!" Sword cheered. "It's cosmic payback for being Nightmare's right hand."
"But…shouldn't we tell someone that Customer Service survived? He was presumed dead, after all." Blade asked.
"No, it isn't necessary." The blue knight answered. "He is no longer a threat by himself. Under Nightmare's hand, he was a powerful foe. Now he has no one to serve…except for the restaurant's manager of course."
Meta Knight couldn't lie. The fact that Customer Service, their longtime enemy, had become the slave of fast food made the Star Warrior feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. It was truly a grand sensation.
"I suppose that's true…" Blade mused.
"And maybe we can keep blackmailing him for free food…" Sword rubbed his hands together.
"Tempting, but we have other matters to attend to at the moment." Meta Knight interjected. "We are traveling to Dyna Blade's nest on Candy Mountain. There, I will ask her to battle with me."
"But…why so?" Sword asked nervously.
"…Sir Arthur once told me that sometimes the best way for an instructor to learn is to observe the student. I will retrace Kirby's steps, and only then will I have a better understanding of how to find myself."
"So…we're learning from Kirby…" The red haired knight thought aloud. "Although I am confused, I suppose it will make more sense in time."
"Where to now, milord?" Sword asked.
"We laid down to rest in Peanut Plains, so our next destination is Mallow Castle." The blue puff answered.
"Mallow Castle? I've heard of it…but we've never been there before." Blade said with interest. "Isn't the castle abandoned for some reason?"
"Yeah, it's true." Sword nodded. "It's been abandoned for years. Now I've heard that criminals go there often for whatever reason. The Mallow Castle's turned into a shady place for seedy characters."
"But…what could have caused a flourishing castle to become abandoned? Especially one so close to other villages? Certainly something must have happened." Blade theorized.
"It certainly is curious." His brother agreed. "Sir Meta Knight, perhaps you might know something about-Sir Meta Knight?"
The blue knight had returned to his realm of thought once more, his knaves' voices being drowned out. Though his feet were moving, he paid no attention to where he was being taken. Memories were resurfacing, and Meta Knight had no way of holding them back.
-
A voyage to Floria, that was their mission.
Sir Arthur had divided the members of Sector H into smaller groups to cover more ground. Nonsurat and Yamikage, Falspar and Dragato (much to the former's dismay).
And Meta Knight had been paired with Garlude and Jecra.
Meta Knight had nothing against Garlude, but Jecra was far too upbeat for his tastes. The man seemed determined to get the blue knight to be 'buddies' with him. Only the blonde really had no sense of personal space or respect of privacy.
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"So, how do you know Sir Arthur? Where did you live before joining the GSA? Do you have any siblings? A girlfriend? What's your favorite food? Do you like freeform jazz?"
The blonde was asking a string of questions that were completely unrelated to the task at hand. They were assigned to aid the people of Floria, not to suddenly host talk shows with each other. Jecra was very persistent, and didn't seem to take the hint when Meta Knight remained silent after each question.
They were setting up camp at the moment near the village they were supposed to aid. This gave the blonde plenty of time to harass the blue Star Warrior.
"Come on! Give me something to work with!" The fighter leaned closer to the much shorter puff. "Aaah!"
Garlude had grabbed the man's pointy ear and jerked him back. "Jecra, leave him alone. I can understand if you're trying to make Sir Meta Knight feel welcome, but goodness man, give him some space!"
"Ow ow ow! You said you were going to stop doing that!" Jecra complained childishly.
"I said nothing." Garlude chuckled. "Sir Meta Knight, speak whenever you feel comfortable enough."
Meta Knight simply nodded in her direction, then turned away from the two.
"Ow…my ear still hurts…" The blonde rubbed his ear. "They were just simple questions…"
"You know how you don't like it when I pull your ear?"
"Yeah, how could I not know?!" The fighter still rubbed his ear with a visible frown on his lips.
"Well, that's probably what he feels like." The purple skinned woman explained. "Sometimes it's okay to be quiet. It's actually quite refreshing."
"But…he just seems so lonely…" The blonde sighed. "I think he wants to say something, but he doesn't want to at the same time…you get what I'm trying to say, right?"
"Jecra, have some patience." Garlude said, but in an understanding tone.
"Mmm…" The blonde pouted.
Their camp was set after much work, and night had soon fell on the village. Neither of the three felt tired, but they knew rest would be needed. Two would sleep while one stood guard for a while, then they would switch. That was the plan for their watch. Only fate had different intentions.
The three warriors were returning to their camp after getting more familiar with the surrounding area, when suddenly a cold wind swept through. The leaves on the trees around them had turned shades or red, brown, and orange. The leaves fell to the ground gently, dancing downward in the evening air.
"What the…?" Jecra said, utterly baffled. "Wasn't it just summer moments ago?"
Then as quickly as fall came, it suddenly transitioned into summer once again, the leaves on the ground suddenly floated back into the air as if someone had reversed the process. The trees were now a deep shade of green, and the air returned to it's warm temperature.
"Oh my…how is this even possible?" Garlude said with awe.
Meta Knight was inwardly just as shocked. A planet that could apparently rapidly change seasons was unheard of until now. Did Sir Arthur know about the planet's constantly fluctuating season changes? Perhaps not, certainly their leader would have told them something so important.
"There's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to endure the weather changes." Garlude said after the shock faded away.
"You mean ignore it?" Jecra bit the side of his glove in his anxiety. "But what if a huge tornado comes through because of the crazy weather? …Or a hurricane?! Or a huge thunderstorm?! Volcanoes erupting…earthquakes…sinkholes…a giant hailstorm?!"
The man suddenly paused from his rambling, his eyes grew wide. "Or…all of them happening at the same time?!"
"Jecra, I highly doubt it." Garlude smirked. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'll keep watch first so you can rest. It sounds like you need it."
"But it could happen!" The man argued.
Garlude chuckled at the blonde, but her laughter died down quickly when she turned to their tent.
Their campsite was in ruins.
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The tent was torn to shreds, their food was strode about the ground half eaten, and their crate of supplies was crushed into bits.
The perpetrator was lying in the remains of their tent gnawing on a bone from the meat in their supplies. It was a large quadruped creature that resembled a large fiendish armadillo. It's claws were long and yellow with sharp points, and it's hide was thick. It's long tail flicked back and forth in an almost taunting manner.
It was a Demon Beast.
It's red eyes turned towards the three soldiers, licking it's lips with it's long tongue. As it stood up the three drew their weapons and prepared to battle the beast. With a terrifying screech, it jumped towards them with it's claws raised.
Jecra charged towards the beast, his golden sword in hand swung across it's side. The attack had little effect, as it's thick hide protected it from damage. The armadillo-like creature flicked it's large tail at the blonde, sending him crashing into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Meta Knight blocked the Demon Beast's clawed attacks with his sword. With the beast distracted by the blue knight, it gave Garlude an opening. She jumped into the air, then stabbed it's tail with her blade.
The armadillo creature let out a wail, standing on it's hind feet. It suddenly rolled into a ball, then with incredible speed rolled away from the trio opposite of the village. It was too fast for them to follow the beast.
"It's getting away! We need to follow it!" Jecra stood up, feeling pain from the impact moments earlier in his back.
"Jecra, we can't chase after that thing! It's too fast. We'll have to wait for it to come back or lure it in later and finish it off." Garlude crossed her arms.
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"At the very least, we have wounded it somewhat significantly." Meta Knight spoke. "Lady Garlude, you were excellent to have pinpointed the Demon Beast's vulnerable spot with such ease."
The woman looked taken aback, then smiled. "Thank you, Sir Meta Knight. You were able to hold it off long enough so I could get to it's tail. You deserve some credit too."
"But the Demon Beast is still roaming somewhere freely. We must stay on high alert until it's no longer a threat."
Garlude sighed. "Our camp is a mess though. We have nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, and there's a dangerous creature nearby that's already angered. Our first mission is turning more eventful than I thought."
"Well look at it this way, Garlude." Jecra grinned. "At least it's not raini-"
A clap of thunder interrupted the man's sentence. The trio began to feel water droplets on their skin.
Garlude narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me, what were you going to say?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Jecra replied quickly.
Suddenly, a female Chilly appeared before them. "Excuse me…are you three GSA soldiers?"
"Yes ma'am, we are." Garlude answered.
"Goodness, is this your campsite? What happened?"
"Demon Beast, ma'am." Jecra replied.
The Chilly immediately tensed. "There's…one…here? Come with me. It's raining, and I heard thunder. I run the inn in the village. You can tell me about the beast on the way there."
The trio began to give more details on the Demon Beast they encountered as they reached the inn. The Chilly gave a small gasp.
"It would certainly be hard to miss something so monstrous here. We haven't ever dealt with a Demon Beast before. No one on Floria has…but, you are here to help us, yes?"
"That's correct ma'am!" The blonde smiled. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know what this crazy weather is about, right?"
The Chilly shook her head. "No…this has only happened in the past year. There's no explanation for it that I can provide…because of it, we have enough difficulties even without a monster shambling around."
"I promise you, we'll do everything we can to defeat the Demon Beast." Garlude reassured.
"Thank you…thank you so much." The Chilly breathed a sigh of relief. "Until that time arrives, please rest here for the night. There's no telling how long this storm will last, especially with the unpredictable weather changes lately."
"Let us know if anyone sees it again. We'll get up and take care of it." Jecra said before entering his room.
Garlude entered her own room while Jecra and Meta Knight took the other spare room. The blue knight knew that he needed rest, but his body wouldn't comply with his wishes. Knowing that he would soon fight that beast…
"Hey…" Jecra whispered from the bed on the opposite side of the room. "You can't sleep either?"
"No."
"I just can't rest until I know that thing can't hurt anyone…it's still out there somewhere, and we were lucky we came out unscathed…"
"Jecra, you do realize that we will be fighting several more Demon Beasts in the future. Hordes in fact." Meta Knight pointed out.
"Yeah…I know…but it's not me I'm worried about." Jecra's frown was still visible to the blue knight even in the dark from across the room. "I'm worried about the people here…they can't defend themselves against that…thing."
"That is why we are here. To protect the people who cannot protect themselves. That is our purpose as soldiers of the Galaxy Soldier Army." The blue Star Warrior answered.
"Right…but…I hope we can defeat it in time. Before anyone is seriously hurt. …Goodnight." The blonde turned over towards the wall, the anxiety gnawing at his mind.
Meta Knight could understand the feeling. Every few minutes, he would look out the room's window in search of red eyes in the night. It was bound to come for the village. Demon Beasts were mostly wired to target places with civilians, after all. Waiting for the beast's inevitable arrival was nervewracking.
But they couldn't fail this mission. Sir Arthur was counting on them. These people were depending on them. Perhaps Arthur knew about the Demon Beast here and sent them to prepare themselves for future attacks?
"No. Sir Arthur would have informed us. Something else must have known we would arrive on Floria at this time." Meta Knight confirmed.
Not that the knowledge of this made it any better. What sort of situation were the others in? Were Falspar and Dragato dealing with their own Demon Beast, as well as Nonsurat and Yamikage? This kept his mind up as well. They were still his sector members, after all.
The blue Star Warrior wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, Jecra and Garlude wouldn't be either. They wouldn't have too long of a wait for the Demon Beast to arrive.
Because the growl of the beast was heard outside of the building.
Author's Note: So, quite a bit this chapter. Customer Service is alive but has become a slave of the fast food industry. Yes, he will be significant later. Especially after this arc. Also, Chris the Janitor wasn't in real danger...maybe. Depends on how safe one would feel about being the hostage of an idiot. When Sir Arthur said to get information, I don't think this was what he had in mind. Falspar baby, no...
Also, Sector H's first mission. They start off a little small, but all legends begin somewhere. Besides, I think anyone that could fight a giant armadillo monster deserves some praise. And this is their first Demon Beast. Imagine the ones I might cook up later ,mhmm.
So, Leer Justice has spoken enough. The next chapter should be written soon, since I think I know which direction I'm going in, maybe.
Leer Justice, out.