Chapter 10: The light in the Dark
Part 1
-
"Power Missile!" Falcon declared and his metallic fist soared forward, impacting the side of the Prince Octopus as the pirate vessel soared along side. The attack struck the cannons , blowing their attacking power apart allowing their own Turbine ship to pull away as Gunrock cut the grappling hooks the pirates had fired as they attempted to raid.
The pirates however were not without their own trump card.
"Cannon Fodder!" Kraken, standing on the bow of his ship, shouted firing an elementally charged cannon ball. Unable to pull away in time the other Turbine ship was struck across the portside, spraying out pieces of splintered wood and metal.
"Sink their ship!" Puss declared from the Prince Octopus' deck, directing the pirates back to their stations. "Sink it!"
"Power Explosion!" The Englishman threw himself of the side of the ship and in mid air, the hidden compartments over his body opened up and dozens of missiles flew up into the air before they charged straight at the pirate ship. Explosions rang out across its bow, the shockwave knocking the Prince Octopus aside.
"That Light Stone is mine Englishman!" Kraken shouted back amongst swearing in Spanish. Holding up his cannon gun he fired several more rounds, two of which struck the rotating fans that kept the Turbine ship airborne.
From the crow's nest of the ship, a tall well built man with short blonde hair watched the battle with a distant expression on his face. His massive arms were folded in front of himself.
"Young Master, we're going down!" Apollus called over. Falcon glanced back over his shoulder to see their ship slowly falling, its bow tipping down towards the surface of the Mediterranean Sea.
Flying back, the Englishman soared underneath the hull of the vessel and pushed up against the side with the broken fan; the rocket on his back firing wildly as more and more strength to used to keep the ship from falling.
"Turbines full speed, furl the sails!!" Kraken declared back to his crew. "We'll win this race or bust!" The wing like sails were spread out either side and the fans underneath the pirate ship spun wildly, giving the Prince Octopus a burst of speed. It began to take the lead, pulling away from the other damaged ship as they began to near the Egyptian northern coastline. Falcon tried to keep the ship going at its fast pace to catch up but even he couldn't manage it.
"They're not getting a lead that easily." Gunrock announced, reaching into his poncho and withdrawing his Power Stone. "Power Fusion!" His body glowed gold for an instant before rock and earth solidified over him, increasing his height and mass. The added weight nearly tipped the ship down and Falcon was struggling underneath to keep it upright.
Holding up his left hand, Gunrock called a boulder into existence, forming it from the rock his body was made out of. Once it had reached sufficient size, the large Mexican heaved his back before throwing the ball with all his might. Like a cannon shot it flew through the air at tremendous speed.
Hearing the whistling sound it made while Kraken glanced back in time to see it crash into one of the fans underneath the Prince Octopus. The rotating metal blades blew apart at the impact and the entire pirate vessel lurched forward, the sails on the starboard side ripping. Both ships, despite Falcon's assistance, were loosing altitude and by the time they cleared the sandy desert coast it was clear they were in for a crash landing.
"Oh not again!" Apollus declared out, hanging onto a rail for dear life.
"I can't keep her up anymore!" Falcon said through gritted teeth. Flying out at the land second he narrowly avoided being crushed when the ship made a belly landing on the sand, sending up clouds of dust into the sky.
The crew and passengers had to hold on for dear life as the ship skidded alongside the sand dunes, parts of it breaking off as it went.
Still in Fusion form, Gunrock leapt from the bow and turned to face the oncoming vessel. Spreading out his large arms and bracing his large body, he grappling the huge mass. The impact forced him back but he dug his heals into the sand, refusing to budge and inch.
Eventually, the ship began to slow down until finally it came to a stop. Gunrock's hands had nearly crushed the bow and when he let go the wooden covering fell away.
Unable to hold it, he dismissed his transformed state and dropped down to the sand letting out a long sigh of relief.
Falcon dropped down beside him, his own transformation disappearing as he returned to normal.
"Nice work." He told the large Mexican man, patting him on the shoulder. Gunrock just made a loud grunting sound in reply. His gaze was fixed on the crows nest of the broken ship and the man standing there, looking down back at him.
Apollus and Julia were the first to disembark the ship. The old butler went first and then helped Julia down in a chivalrous gesture.
"Young Master, this adventure you've set yourself on is going to get you killed." He remarked. Falcon grinned and folded his hands behind his head.
"Most likely." He replied. "But it can kill me after we get the Light Stone."
"You'all were right on course when those pirates ambushed us." Julia stated. "We can't be far away from where that little'll ol' tomb is."
"Not to mention Kraken's own ship has been damaged as well." The old butler added.
"That won't slow him down very much." Falcon said with a note of dissatisfaction in his voice. "He's probably putting together some men to head there right now." The Englishman glanced back up towards the ship. "Captain, can you get this ship back in the air?"
The Turbine Ship's captain, a grisly old Italian man with a black beard leaned over the portside bow and swore at him.
"You have to be mad!" He said in amidst Italian curses. "She's been wrecked. I've lost both fans; she'll not fly for even god himself!" He continued on but they tuned him out as most of it was unpleasant words that hardly improved their situation.
There was a loud thud as Valgas, their new escort, somersaulted over the side of the ship and landed beside them. He had a short leather jacket draped across his wide shoulders. Gunrock was trying not to look at him.
"Is that is the case then we must proceed on foot." He told them.
"On foot?" Apollus replied with wide eyes behind his spectacles. "Through the Sahara desert?" The old butler looked aghast.
Falcon laughed and gave him a manly slap on the back.
"It won't be that bad, Apollus." He told him. "I got a good look at the terrain from the air. We're an hour's walk from the tomb entrance, even less if I use the Power Stone to fly."
"Well you're the only one who can fly with the stone." Julia reminded him looking cross. "That leaves the rest of us behind." Miss Whitepearl then grabbed onto his arm and refused to let go. "And you weren't planning on leavin' little ol' me behind were ya?"
Edward Falcon looked incredibly nervous.
Meanwhile about five miles away, the Prince Octopus had been fortunate to crash into a large sand dune. It had cushioned their landing and prevented large scale damage to the ship.
"Baton the hatches and furl the sails!" Kraken declared as the crew scrambled to keep the ship upright and fix some of the damage done on deck. Reaching into his coat pocket, the pirate king withdrew a bronze telescope. Extending it out, he brought it to his only good eye and gazed out across the long stretch of sands.
From here he could see the other ship. It had not fared very well at all. In fact its fans and sails had been torn to pieces. As an experienced sailor, Kraken knew it would never sail never mind fly again.
It would radio for help soon and Kraken did not like the idea of the authorities coming along while his own ship wasn't sky worthy.
"Work faster you lily livered parasites." He snapped back at the crew. "Or its latrine duty for the whole lot of you." Angrily the pirate king turned back to study the other ship.
He couldn't see the Englishman or his companions but he knew they would not take long in starting off towards the tomb.
"Octo, Pus!" He commanded, turning to face his two right hand men who snapped to attention instantly. "Get your louts together. As many of your broken idiots as you can." The pirate king turned back and studied the broken ship in more detail. Through the telescope he could just make out a collection of figures moving away from the tomb towards the east.
"Today is End Game!"
Ayame hung on for dear life as the carpet soured through the air. This method of transportation was, undeniably, much faster than conventional walking but since all she could do to keep herself from throwing up was concentrate on how many curse words she could mutter in Japanese.
"What is she saying?" Wang-Tang asked, glancing down to the side as she hung the carpet beside him, muttering into the fabric.
"You do not want to know." Ryoma replied. His eyes were cut and his arms folded inside his robes. The four of them, Wang-Tang, Ryoma, Rouge and Ayame was covering at an incredibly fast speed over the Caribbean Ocean towards the northern shores of Africa.
Rouge sat up front, her crystal ball in her lap and a hand above it with spread fingers. Her face had a far off look in it as if her attention was drawn somewhere else. The glass ball was emitting a short blue glow like a beacon and wherever the glow pointed the carpet would go.
"We are drawing close." She said without blinking. "The Englishman is near but so is the pirate…" Then her face contorted. "Valgas!"
Ryoma's eyes opened and Wang-Tang and Ayame looked up.
"Where?" The samurai asked with a hand on the hilt of Tosa Arashi. Wang-Tang and Ayame clambered over his shoulder to get a better look at the crystal ball.
"His is with the English man." Rouge replied now sounding a little panicked. "Your friend is leading our enemy directly to the Light Stone."
"If either Kraken or Valgas gets that stone…" Ryoma muttered with clenched teeth and wide eyes.
Rouge made a deep frown and the speed the carpet was travelling at increased. Ayame had to hold onto Wang-Tang to prevent being blown off, but surprisingly Wang-Tang did not mind.
-
Apollus had to tip his top hat just over his face to shield his eyes from the glare of the harsh desert sun. Using a tea towel he had taken from the ship as a shield for the back of his neck, he and the others set off into the desert.
"There is no way, not a chance in hell…" Gourmand started when they asked if he would come with them. "That I am looking after Gunrock's tykes for another moment longer, you do NOT leave without me!"
And that was that. The six little hell raisers Gunrock called children were left behind with the captain who was awaiting rescue from Egyptian authorities while they set out into the desert. Gourmand armed himself with a frying pan and a butcher's knife and followed.
"Something wrong?" Falcon asked, noting the melancholy look on the larger man's face. Gunrock blinked and coughed, trying to feign an expression of contentment.
"Agh, no I'm fine… its just little hotter than I expected." Falcon let out a long held up breath and undid his pilots scarf.
"That is an understatement." He replied, taking off his jacket as well and tying it around his waist, exposing his shirt. Julia took great pleasure in examining the well toned muscle through the fabric.
Valgas did not remove his own leather jacket. The heat did not seem to bother him. Once they were a good distance from the ship, he glanced up into the sky to see a bird following them. Strangely it was a Raven rather than a Vulture. Valgas managed a crocked smile.
"The first landmark we're looking for should be right over this next dune if I'm reading your map right, Young Master." Apollus stated; peering at the large half rolled up chart Falcon had handed him. Their company reached the top of the large hillock of sand and Falcon peered out down in the small valley amidst the desert sands. There was a small oasis there and a few travelling merchants had stopped to rest their camels.
What caught their eye were the partly concealed ruins at one side of the dune, a massive set of stone pillars and fallen archways with hieroglyphics engraved on them.
"This is it." Falcon remarked. "This is the tomb were Lord WhitePearl discovered the Dark Stone." The expedition had ended ages ago and the study of the tomb had ended but the remains of the archaeologist's camp were still there. There was even a collapsed tent sticking out of the sand nearby.
"Well using site as reference…." Apollus started, looking back down at the map. There were two points marked on it. One was marked point D and the other point L. Presently they were at point D. "If our leads are correct then the lost tomb we are looking for should be…" He pointed off towards the south. "That way." On the horizon stood the proud towering point of a large pyramid, the same one they had seen in the ancient projection below the Coliseum.
"That is the way alright." Falcon said with a large grin. "Come on, before Kraken gets going!" He started off down the side of the Dune towards the Pyramid.
"Wait." Valgas stated and Gunrock cringed involuntarily. Falcon stopped and glanced back. "We'll tire ourselves out crossing that stretch of desert sands on foot. "The large man then pointed back towards the Oasis. "I suggest we ask if there are some camels are for sale."
The merchants were at first reluctant to part with their camels but as soon as Valgas produced two large clothes purses of coins their reluctance seem to vanish in an instant. They spared four of them and Gourmand took the first, complaining about the affect the hot sands had on his delicate feet. Julia, Gunrock and Apollus took the remaining three, leaving Falcon and Valgas to walk.
"I don't need a camel anyway." The Englishman stated and reaffirmed that statement when Julia offered to give him a ride with her. "I can tolerate a bit of heat."
"While I praise your 'can-do' attitude, walking in this sun without protection or transportation is not wise." Valgas told him. "Best we not take chances."
Eventually Falcon was hoisted up alongside Julia while Valgas went behind Gunrock, who for some reason looked trepid.
"Mah, isn't this homely?" She asked, hugging him from behind. Edward Falcon managed a very deep frown.
The ride through the desert with the camels went at quite a slow pace but Falcon could not argue that it was definitely faster than going on foot. The oppressive heat grew so bad that it was a struggle to keep the sweet out of the eyes.
"As soon as we get home, Edward Falcon, ya'll going in tha' bath." Julia told him, then she managed an evil grin. "Not that I don't mind that manly smell of yours."
"You're laying it on a bit think there." Falcon remarked without looking back.
As they neared the pyramid, Falcon noted to his surprise that it was abandoned in the middle of a pile of sand dunes. Surly the British Museum would have wanted to excavate this area? Yet from the look of it the entire area had been abandoned and deserted since the days of ancient Egypt itself.
The locals must know the Pyramid was here, they had been able to see it from the original excavation sight.
"Alright, the notes say we're looking for a hidden entrance away from the pyramid." Apollus announced, flipping through the side book of notes Falcon had scribbled down from what he knew from various sources. The old butler started cross referencing it against the map.
"Probably buried somewhere under all this stuff." Gourmand muttered with a whining tone. They stopped nearby and left the Camel's near the base of the pyramid while they spread out to cover more ground.
"Don't go too far, Young Master." Apollus called out and Falcon waved back as he moved off down the side of a dune.
"He can go as far as he wants." Julia muttered, a hand held to her chin in thought with a dreamy expression on her face.
"Miss WhitePearl!" Apollus stated in astonishment. "Please remember that you are a woman of noble blood!" The young lady ignored him and continued watching Falcon as he got further away.
Gourmand simply sat himself down in the sands and refused to budge.
"There is no way I'm trudging round in that hot sand looking for something that's been buried for thousands of years." He remarked, putting his arms behind his head and relaxing in the shade of the pyramid.
"You'll get up, good sir, and do duty by your master." Apollus stated walking over to him with an umbrella in hand.
"This is the same master that's gotten us shot at, threatened with death and in the flaming wreckage of a falling Turbine ship… twice!" Gourmand reminded him. "If I didn't need the money I'd quit this job, its hazardous to one's health."
"You, good sir, have no…" Apollus began but he was cut off when a tremendous boom shook the ground and a pillar of sand was blown up from the ground from the far side of the pyramid. Falcon whirled around and stared up as the cloud of sand and ancient dust as it spread out into the sky.
Even though they were some distance away, Rouge and Ryoma spotted the massive towering cloud of dust and signalling it out, they spied the pyramid.
"That must be it." Wang-Tang said leaning over the side of the carpet. "Is Falcon there?" Rouge placed her hand directly on her crystal ball and gained a far off expression.
"Yes." She said eventually. "The pirate king and Valgas are there as well, they are nearing the tomb of the Light Stone."
"Then we're almost out of time." Ryoma began. "Can this carpet go any..." Before he'd finished Rouge's carpet sped up. Unprepared for it, Ayame was hurled from her place; catching the end of the fabric to prevent herself from being hurled out into the air.
"Kichigaijimata Kisama!!!" She cried out, holding on for dear life
Falcon didn't hesitate. He knew the sound of exploding gunpowder when he heard it. Rushing across the dunes as fast as he could he arrived at the top of a small rocky outcrop. Waiting for him there was Gunrock. The large Mexican noiselessly nodded to them before gesturing with a toss of his head down below. In the space beneath the outcrop as a ditch where the sands parted and facing the pyramid was a massive stone door. The hard sandstone covering it had been blown off by dynamite and the door itself had been smashed open, the fragments of it lying scattered around.
Two men in clear pirate get up were standing guard, both of them large men one armed with a cutlass sword and the other a blunderbuss.
"Damn, Kraken beat us to it!" Edward Falcon hissed, gripping the side of the rock. "We've got to get in there now before…" Before he could do anything, a swift agile shape leapt clear over both of them; doing an acrobatic flip of intense grace before landing in front of the two pirates.
Valgas towered over the two stunned men and before they could go for their weapons, each of his fists smacked into them; each receiving a stunning blow to the stomach. Then they went down with a swift crack to the back of the head, each of them collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"That man is good." Falcon remarked but Gunrock simply looked away.
"Come on, before they get too far ahead of us." Valgas called up. Falcon didn't need any more encouragement; he leapt over the edge and slid down through the sand as Valgas moved to enter the ancient doorway.
With his back to Falcon the Englishman didn't see Valgas' expression turn sadistic, his eyes turning red and his lips parting in a grin to show sharp teeth.
"Wait for us Young Master!" Apollus declared, running half falling down the side of the dune with Julia and Gourmand close behind him.
Rouge's carpet circled the air once before it began to descend, angling itself towards the pyramid. Unable to hang on anymore, Ayame was hurled from the carpet.
"Chikusho!!" She cried out. Wang-Tang glanced back and watcher her crash head first into a sand dune.
"Ayame!" He declared, sliding off the end after her. He didn't have far to fall and was running even before his feet touched the ground. Ayame was half buried in sand with her feet sticking out.
"Don't say a word." She muttered.
As the carpet landed, it rolled itself up and Rouge placed her crystal ball on top of it.
Ryoma glanced down at the sands and could see several sets of tracks leading around the pyramid. Two of those tracks had small feet while the others were much larger. One set he recognised as being made by the Englishman's boots.
"They were here not long ago." He stated.
"We missed them by only a few minutes." Rouge replied as Wang-Tang came over with Ayame in tow; the young girl shaking the sand out of her hair. "We must hurry."
-
With Valgas leading them down they entered the ancient tomb; an area which until within the last five minutes had been undisturbed for thousands of years. Kraken was only beating them by a couple of minutes but for all the good it would do them. If he so much as laid a hand on the light stone he would have power of unimaginable magnitude at his fingertips.
As they descended further and further into the darkness, Falcon had the strange sense for foreboding. The feeling that something was wrong. He had no idea exactly what that something was but the thought dogged him relentlessly. He had no doubt Kraken would be lying in wait for them, but somehow he knew that wasn't what was bothering him.
Without warning, there was a loud shunting sound as Valgas' foot pressed down on a hidden pressure trigger hidden amongst the stone floor.
The ancient booby trap activated and a section of wall opened up to their side. The floor titled violently up and Valgas was hurled down through the gap and into the small section beyond.
The wall slammed shut after him sealing him inside.
"Valgas!" Falcon cried out.
The Englishman pounded against the stone with his fist, trying to break it but the barrier remained in place. Falcon reached for his Power Stone.
"Never mind me." The muffled reply came from the far side. "I'll be fine, it's my own fault for getting stuck here, just get to that stone!"
"But.." Falcon started.
"There's no time. Kraken must be stopped, now go!"
Falcon knew he was right. This was a race they simply could not afford to lose.
"We'll be right back." He told him and raced off with the others in tow. They raced down the ancient stone corridor and were soon out of sight. As soon as they where, a trigger mechanism was pushed and the stone door swung open again.
Valgas calmly walked out, a large grin spread across his face from ear to ear.
Out of the darkness, a swift shape emerged; a pair of glowing eyes fixed directly on him.
"The players are all here General." A voice told him. "We are ready." Valgas chuckled.
"Then let the end game begin!"
The corridor ended suddenly and bursting out into a hexagon shaped chamber, Falcon confronted the pirate king who along with his two henchmen was studying the ancient murals on the walls. The chamber was completely made of sand stone with several entrances and exits leading to corridors that lead away. Murals ran across the walls, telling the now very familiar story of a three-way war between three powerful empires.
"This ends here Kraken!" Falcon declared. "This world wide race is over!" Whirling around, Kraken turned to face his adversary and already the Power Stone of Wood was tight in the grasp of his good hand.
"True words, landlubber. This is where it ends! This is where I bury you!" He shouted. He ran forward, swinging his claw over his shoulder; bringing it down at Falcon with all his might. Falcon slid tot the side avoiding the swing before retaliating with an upper cut that caught the pirate king across the chin and knocked him back several steps.
"That's it young master, show that scoundrel who's boss!" Apollus stated, thrusting a fist into the air.
"Left and a right!" Gourmand joined in.
Falcon and Kraken charged at each other again and just as their blows were about to connect, several shuriken flew out of the air and struck the ground between them in a warning shot; forcing the two of them to back off.
"Stop!" A voice declared and both the Englishman and the pirate king paused, both of them glancing to the side as several figures emerged into the chamber from a side door.
"Ryoma? Wang Tang? Ayame?" Falcon asked seeing them. Great! "Come on, we can finish Kraken here and now."
"Doing that would be pointless." The samurai stated as Wang-Tang and Rouge followed them out. "Kraken isn't the real threat here."
"Have you lost it?" The Englishman asked. "If he gets that light stone we're finished!"
"Falcon, you idiot. Don't you get it? You've been tricked." Ryoma started moving toward him.
"Don't call me an idiot, samurai!" The Englishman snapped angrily.
"He's right Falcon." Wang-Tang tried to tell him. "This quest is a trap."
"That's enough." Rouge started as she stepped forward. "We've been bickering amongst ourselves far too long and that is precisely what the enemy, the real enemy, has been counting on."
"What is all this dribble?" Kraken demanded impatiently, holding up the Wood Stone as if he intended to use
"Just let us shoot 'em boss." Octo started almost greedily reaching for the pistol at his side. "Then we can take their stones."
"Don't any of you understand that we've all been deceived?" Rouge demanded, her stone so sharp she stopped him in his tracks. Then she paused, eyes wide in stark realization.
Angrily she cursed in Arabic.
"What's wrong?" Ryoma asked looking over her shoulder.
"Falcon's not the only one to be deceived." She told him. "So have we." The samurai blinked in surprise.
"Don't any of you realise that we've all been manipulated into bringing the stones here? Collectively we've brought just about every Power Stone. Seven of the nine are in this room right now, and the light stone waits below."
"What nonsense are you babbling girl?" Kraken demanded. "I've no time for this. I came here to collect the light Stone and I have no intention of leaving without it."
"Are you so blinded by pride you can't even see when you've been lured into a trap?" Rouge asked sharply.
Before anyone else could argue, the stone door leading into the chamber behind Apollus slammed shut with a loud crashing sound. Falcon whirled around as one by one the exits slammed shut, leaving all of them trapped inside.
"What's going on?" Kraken demanded angrily, looking from right to left in alarm. Suddenly the floor beneath their feet started pulling away; retracting back into the walls to reveal a dark pit below. Unable to keep their footing, Octo and Puss were the first to fall followed by Apollus. Kraken toppled in next along with Gunrock, all of the others including Rouge falling in.
None of them had far to fall as they all ended up crashing into a stone floor of a chamber below.
Kraken slammed onto the ground with the air knocked out of him. Before he could get up Octo and Pus fell on top of him, quickly followed by Gunrock and Gourmand.
Ryoma grabbed Rouge by the wait and saved her from the fall as did Wang-Tang and Ayame.
Julia just used Falcon to break her fall.
From the darkness of the room below, someone clapped slowly.
"Bravo, my little Rouge. Beautiful and intelligent. Often I find those two traits don't go hand in hand." Falcon pulled his face out of the sand and glanced up at the figure standing half in and half out of the shadows. "I would like to thank you all personally for being so instrumental in my operations.
You have all brought you're stones right here and now the ultimate power is almost within my grasp."
"Valgas?" Falcon breathed in utter amazement as the figure moved closer. "You…" The larger man clicked his fingers and dozens of his agents stepped out of the shadows to completely surround them. All of them removed their sunglasses in one motion and behind them, their golden eyes were revealed. Their ears went pointed like and elf and their skin snow white.
"What the hell are they?" Gourmand asked staggering back to the top of the pile of sand.
"I'll show you." Ryoma remarked, stepping forward and unsheathing his sword. As soon as Tosa Asahi was revealed, its moonlight fell upon the agents who hissed in pain as their skin seemed to dissolve exposing the golden scales underneath.
"Good lord!" Apollus declared in horror.
These creatures were snake like with golden scales and slanted heads, forked tongues dancing out from between their lips. Tails hung out behind them, lashing back and forth angrily.
Ryoma held the sword forth towards Valgas but the large man did not turn into a lizard. His feature however did move to become far more demonic, his pupils turning red and his teeth turning jagged.
"Why isn't it working on him?" Ryoma asked as Valgas towered over him.
"He's not one of them." Rouge replied.
The reptiles moved forward, hissing angrily baring their fangs and claws but they would not get within clashing distance of that sword.
"Valgas?" Kraken asked in sudden astonishment. "Is that you? No… it can't be…"
"Why not?" Rouge began.
"Valgas was the name of the man who taught me everything I know about black magic." The pirate king replied. "He taught me the secrets of necromancy when I was just a child. But that was over two hundred years ago…"
Valgas tilted his head back and laughed. Falcon just stared at him with a stunned confused expression on his face, barely comprehending any of this.
"You've all playing your parts flawlessly. You've brought the stones here just as I anticipated you would. And now with the Light stone so close at hand, all nine stones are finally mine!"
"But we only brought seven here." Wang-Tang argued. "If you take the light stone that makes only eight. The Dark Stone is still missing." A thick sadistic grin ran across Valgas' face from ear to ear.
"Is that so?" He asked, reaching up and taking hold of the spherical jewel hanging from the golden chain around his neck. The reptile men around him bowed their heads low and backed off several paces.
Julia breathed in sharply, eyes widening in horror. She backed off and then ran to Falcon, grabbing his arm and refusing to let go.
"Keep it away! Keep it away from me!" She cried, gripping so hard she was almost tearing his jacket. Falcon only put a hand on her shoulder, keeping his eyes fixed forward as the jewel around Valgas' neck began to glow brightly.
Dust began to fall from the roof as the ground beneath their feet started to tremble, small stones bouncing up as down. The pupils in Valgas' eyes disappeared and his eyes went completely white.
Letting his head roll back, he laughed evilly out load and spread his arms; the red sphere in front of him hovering directly in front of his chest. With a sudden flash, the golden chain shattered and the man's entire body was surrounded by a think dark glow.
Cracks spread through the jewel then in a quick movement it broke apart and its hollow interior was exposed; the item within breaking free.
Julia glanced up and sighting the jet black stone, screamed and clung close to Falcon, burying her face in his jacket.
"The dark stone!" Ryoma declared; gripping his moonlight sword in both hands. Charging past the stunned Kraken, ready to bring the katana across Valgas' side. Before he could even move his sword, the dark stone slammed into Valgas' chest.
The darkness of the entire underground chamber seemed suddenly to become alive, sliding away from their places on the walls and swirling around Valgas' body; engulfing him completely in shadow. Ryoma was tossed back by some invisible force, thrown clear across the chamber before crashing into the wall with sinking into the stone.
Falcon just stood there with his mouth hung open and eyes wide in confusion.
Then the darkness started to dissipate, the new form of the resulting fusion was revealed bit by bit. A pair of blowing blood red eyes stared at them from out of the shadows.
"The game was fun while it lasted but this is where I draw our little performance to a close." A voice stated. It sounded like Valgas only warped as if it were speaking underwater.
As the new body straightened itself up, Falcon stared upon the new demonic armoured body with incredibly pumped up muscles and navy blue steel skin. Horns lanced out the forehead, curving up over the spiky blonde hair. Spikes of bone were jutting out from the shoulders and running down the back. The angled point of the dark stone was jutting out of the chest directly over the heart and glowing with an eerie red light.
"Now, here in the depths of the Tomb of Light, you face Darkness incarnate!"