Once upon a time, there was a massive kingdom spread beneath the ocean. There, marine creatures of all kinds lived together with the mermaids and mermen, their hybrid counterparts. The emperor of the sea bore seven sons, and among them was the most handsome in the entire world…
Yononoka Namero was participating in this pre-chapter story as the handsome merman with an evergreen fishtail. He was watching a beautiful sunrise from a coral-covered rock, his face calm, content, and sad. The flashing sunlight and his body contours made him appear somewhat sexy to the eye.
"Wait a f—king minute! Why is Namero in the pre-chapter act!? He can't act! And why is he the mermaid!? Isn't the mermaid supposed to be female!?" Heppokomaru interrupted by screaming from the bottom, appearing in chibi form.
"Two answers," Hatenkou stated calmly, appearing in the same fashion. "First, he hasn't done so yet, while you have. Second, we want to make things interesting by making the mermaid male."
Heppokomaru twitched violently, both from the answers and a realization. "Wait…so that means…"
"Oh, shut the hell up you crybaby!" Hatenkou pulled Heppokomaru back down and watched what happened.
The young merman prince, Namero, was not only the most stunning merman, but he was also a valiant warrior…
"Pfft. Yeah right." Heppokomaru spat in his mind.
"…but he longed for more. The other relatives of the merpeople, the humans, had always caught his attention. He had the sea to himself, and now he wanted to see the land above. One night, as he and his brothers were gazing at the stars and the people on their island homes, a ship passed by. Curious, Namero snuck away to get a closer look.
"Oh, no…" Heppokomaru wallowed in despair, knowing what was coming next.
Namero peeked through the port side of the ship, catching glimpses of the people passing on it. It seemed to be a celebration of some kind, centering around one person. Namero wondered who…
"Please don't let it be her, please don't let it be her, please, by God, the Spirits, even by the Almighty One, don't let it be her…"
It was then that Namero blushed, feeling instant, warm emotion, a human trait. He saw the most beautiful girl (Beauty) on the ship's port, dancing to the heavenly string music. She was adorned in a stunning light blue gown, with beautiful overlapping ruffles at the torso and transparent chiffon surrounding it. On her hands she bore golden bracelets.
"Oh…"
From the moment he saw her, Namero knew he was in love (much to Heppokomaru's dismay). Suddenly, a storm hit the ship, making it split apart and sink. The princess was torn away from the ship, beginning to drown. Using his wits, Namero sped after her and caught her in time. He began to take her to the surface and onto land, where he laid her onto the sand. She had been knocked out, but was thankfully alive.
"Ah, please wake up…" Namero pleaded as he gently shook her body. His fishtail came in contact with her human legs. At that moment, the princess' eyes fluttered open…
"Oh, thank god!"
Instead of Beauty awakening to Namero, however, Tokoro Tennosuke had somehow become the princess! Namero's eyes bulged, he screamed, and he hopped on his merman tail and headed for the hills.
"…thank you?" The ugly princess Tennosuke's eyes went wide.
"READY FOR A CRAZY ADVENTURE, BITCHES!?" Bo-bobo charged in a massive army tank and shot Tennosuke to death.
"…why me…"
Chapter 4
Trials of the Valkyries
(Part 4: Confessions of a cold wizard and a lychee-flavored loser…!)
"You ready for this!?" Bo-bobo shouted, toting a stereo to launch an expected choice of background music. Heppokomaru shot it with his gun before the music could play.
"Meanie! I stole that from my old neighbor! It means a lot to me!" Bo-bobo sobbed, punching Heppokomaru in the face. Blood dribbled down the boy's chin, and he two pouted and became wide-eyed.
"Wierdo…" Beauty sighed.
Tennosuke summoned a purple aura, noting the evil that swirled in his heart, and began to make his backside quiver. His gelatinous body created three dragons that hissed and roared. Fulguralis sucked his thumb in fear.
"Holy schnikies…" Serviceman clutched his crossbow tight.
"Purupuru Shinken Ougi: Triporu Duragon! Try and fight this back, Sir Bo-bobo!" Tennosuke forced his dragons to charge (unintentionally dragging his own body with them), striking Bo-bobo and Heppokomaru with tremendous force.
"Bo-bobo!" Beauty shouted. She angrily faced the gelatinous tokoroten, charging at him like a madwoman.
"Take this! Tsukkomi Kick!" Beauty angrily kicked Tennosuke in the chin, making him spit up blood and lose a tooth. He fell to the ground and twitched, crying out in his head.
"Wah…tsukkomis are scary…oh, wait, I can regenerate…"
Tennosuke regenerated the bruise Beauty's kick gave him. He hissed, his aura becoming bigger and much more sinister. Beauty sweatdropped, knowing that she was in for something bad…
"DIE YOU!" Tennosuke screamed/wailed. He picked up Beauty over his head and threw her into the men's restroom. She screamed as she crash-landed into one of the disgusting urinals, which was covered with grime.
"Ewww…someone get me out of here!" Beauty wailed, blood spewing out of her head.
"YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN A MEN'S BATHROOM! YOU PERVERT!" Don Patch tossed several bricks at Beauty's head, nearly making her pass out.
"Oww…"
Heppokomaru, coming to, found a bleeding Beauty stuck in one of the urinals. His hatred of her snapped for a mere second.
"Ah…"
He then shook his head and charged his own energy for one of his own shinken attacks. Tennosuke was nearly overcome with the stench of flatulence. Suzu took the second to halt him in his path.
"Telekenesis!" (1)
The blonde's eyes widened as a flash of purple-blue light caused Tennosuke to freeze in his path. He screamed, panicking in his head at the thought of being frozen in place.
"Kyaaa! My arthritis hit sixty years early!" Tennosuke cried.
"That's the least of your worries! Kakusei Onara Shinken Ougi: Satsuki!"
Heppokomaru released a violent arrow of his signature black flatulence on the poor tokoroten. The epic blast was loud enough to cover the enemy's scream. Within seconds, Tennosuke was severely deformed, hacking up blood.
"Guh…"
"And for some extra measure! SERVICE!" Serviceman landed square on Tennosuke's already-severed face and flashed his goods tenfold. Tennosuke's head literally exploded. Heppokomaru and Suzu screamed, eyes bulging.
"Wow…that was scary…" Suzu squeaked.
"I ought to find some pepper spray after this…to hold him off…" Heppokomaru nearly passed out.
Tennosuke's headless body fell splat onto the floor. His body quivered and twitched. Slowly but surely, his head grew back, not without damage. He slowly hoisted his body up, coughing chunks of tokoroten and a purplish substance that resembled blood. He staggered up, utterly humiliated.
"I w-won't…lose…"
Bo-bobo gave his emotionless gaze toward his opponent. Tennosuke could do nothing but glare back. Slowly, the knight walked toward the gelatinous being and pulled out a pair of chopsticks. He plucked a piece of the general's head off and ate it generously.
"Mmn…" Saliva dripped down Bo-bobo's chin as he absorbed the jelly's flavor. Tennosuke's eyes bugged, as did everyone else's.
"Bo-bobo, what are you doing!?" Hatenkou shouted while he was massaging Don Patch's putrid feet.
"Press harder at the balm of my foot, Hatenkou." Don Patch sipped on a daiquiri.
"Yes, Oyabin!"
Bo-bobo took another bite after swallowing the piece he had eaten. He chewed, drooled, and savored the same piece, and repeated several more times. Tennosuke's eyes remained bugged, but at the same time, he was relishing the moment.
"No one has ever eaten me before…this moment…it's better than orgasm…it's better than love…it's better than women…ohhh, I'm so happy, I could die!"
Line-style tears rolled down Tennosuke's face. Bo-bobo took his last bite and swallowed it. Tennosuke faced the other man, ready for assessment.
"That was the most disgusting tokoroten I have ever eaten in all my 28 years of existence." Bo-bobo was flat and blunt as usual. Tennosuke screamed bloody murder and nearly fainted.
"H-how bad d-d-did I taste?" Tennosuke whimpered.
Bo-bobo paused for a moment, recollecting the flavors he tasted. Everyone else speculated what he was about to say (sort of).
"You taste like lychee."
Absolute silence.
"I taste like…lychee? As in the fruit?" Tennosuke asked, an image of a lychee fruit appearing in his mind.
"Yep."
Tennosuke was baffled. Much to everyone's shock, he took a piece of his own head and ate it. He took in the flavor, the texture, and the gelatinous feel. His jaw dropped to the floor.
"I…I do taste like lychee…"
"Yes you do. Now hand over the High Spirit."
Tennosuke was too shocked for words. He bowed his head and dropped to the floor. If a man of Bo-bobo's status hated him so, he was better off dead. He waved his arm and made a snapping sound (finger snapping), and something beneath the platform he stood on shattered. Within seconds, a small light emerged from the platform.
"Oh, geez…Aerealis is going to be anal when Sir Bo-bobo frees him…" Ignis sighed, rubbing his face.
"We're doomed…" Aqua moaned.
"Oh, well…it's for the best, right?" Fulguralis was less skeptical.
"Why don't you share a bathroom with him, Fugi!?" Ignis nearly snapped. Fuguralis whimpered.
The light had finally burst and rematerialized into a card. The stain-glass like picture of Aerealis (Tenbobo/Bojiggler) was emblazed on the front. The fourth High Spirit was finally free.
"Finally, another chapter of our quest is complete." Bo-bobo was firm, and his companions agreed. Don Patch simply picked his nose and ignored what he said.
"Bo…bobo…" Beauty coughed, struggling over. Her head was throbbing from the brick Don Patch threw at her head, thus she stumbled several times over. Bo-bobo caught her and carefully placed her on the ground, next to Heppokomaru. He was tempted to drop his grudge against her and pick her up, but didn't. He was still trying to absorb the insults he took.
"But…it wouldn't hurt to be nice…"
"Hey…you alright?" Heppokomaru asked as gently as he could.
"Nnh…" Beauty couldn't respond.
"Ah…I'll stay out of your way, then…"
Bo-bobo walked forward and reached for the floating card. He was about to touch it when Tennosuke interrupted him.
"W-wait!"
Bo-bobo turned around, stern. "What is it?"
Tennosuke's eyes became wide as he began to plead. "Please, leave the High Spirit with me! Wizard Softon will kill me if you free it! His plans are already going downhill!"
Everyone was blank-faced for a second. Then they laughed hysterically. Tennosuke felt like a complete moron.
"Please, I'm serious! I…I…I'll tell you something important if you keep the High Spirit with me!"
Bo-bobo stopped laughing, actually taking Tennosuke into consideration. "What will you tell us?"
"Bo-bobo-san, you're going along with it!?" Heppokomaru exclaimed.
"Only as long as the information he has is of any worth to us."
Tennosuke exhaled in relief. He went through his mind on what to spill. For him, he would rather have the spirit with him than anything else.
"What information do you have for us?" Bo-bobo asked.
Tennosuke cleared his throat. He had found a piece of information to tell.
"You might've known rumors in your lifetime about Princess Patches."
"We know plenty," Bo-bobo said flatly.
"So…this means that you know about the old rumor that he isn't the real princess."
Everyone was held back for a moment.
"We…have heard this before." Bo-bobo notioned toward Torpedo Girl, who had regained consciousness.
"Really? Well then…" Tennosuke turned away and kicked the ground.
"What do you have to tell us!?" Torpedo girl barked.
"Oh…it's nothing really."
"DON'T PUSH US!" Torpedo Girl whacked Tennosuke's head with an asparagus cooker.
"Easy, Torpedo Girl. Just tell us what you have to say." Bo-bobo took the lead. The High Spirits all shivered.
"Alright, very well. Wizard Softon…and I…have collected absolute, A-game proof that Patches is not the real princess. He never was. He never will be. The rumor is true."
Everyone gasped. Loud. Silence and shock struck the room.
"W…what? So…this means…we have no blood heir on the throne!?" Suzu gasped.
"I knew it…I knew it was true…" Torpedo Girl murmured to herself.
"I…can't believe it…" Heppokomaru covered his mouth.
"If Patches isn't the real princess…then who is!?" Beauty exclaimed.
The High Spirits were just as shaken as everyone else, and they had every reason to be.
"Hey…Ignis…that rumor isn't true…is it?" Aqua tugged on her partner's tunic. He said nothing. He remained reserved and silent the entire time, as if he knew something.
"Only the real heir of the throne of Don can wield 'it'…the Holy Golden Chalice! That is the power they possess! To wield one of the Seven Sacred Chalices...the Golden is one of the strongest…" Fulguralis released a lot of information from his lips in one whisper. Aqua kicked him in the stomach, shutting him up.
"I'm going to reveal a good deal of information, so listen up!" Tennosuke barked, serious. "These are no lies! They are true! Hear me out and don't pull any of your 'Hajike' powers on me!"
"Alright. Spill."
Tennosuke cleared his throat. "Princess Patches' real name is Don Pacchi, a Hajikelist. His origins, to my knowledge, are conspicuous and unclear. But what is known is that he cannot and is not the princess of the Don Kingdom for several specific and well-enforced reasons."
Bo-bobo recorded notes in Beauty's tattle log. "Okay. Keep going."
"There are seven mystic items in this world called the Chalices, whose powers are great, second only to the Delphinus Crystal. During Ashura's history, a select group of seven people used the Chalices to fight for the sake of the Old World. Unfortunately, although many had been saved, the opponent of the seven fighters reversed the power of the Chalices against them, ultimately bringing chaos, destruction, the whole nine yards."
Bo-bobo kept on recording. "Yes, I see."
"The seven warriors that fought had risen from hardship and created these Chalices to fulfill their own purposes. They also became great rulers of kingdoms, provinces, empires alike…and the first queen of the Don Kingdom was no exception."
Everyone was absorbed by Tennosuke's information. Heppokomaru, in his "battle otaku (2)" state, also began to take notes.
"The first queen of the Don Kingdom was the holder of the "Holy Golden Chalice," which was one of the strongest of the Chalices. Its powers, however, are the most unknown due to erased history records. As more descendants came, the heir of the throne was decided on three factors: a birthmark identical to the first queen's, the ability to wield the Chalice, and, to a lesser extent, magical powers that can invoke and activate greater beings or functional objects. Looks are also somewhat of a factor. As you can tell…Don Pacchi falls into none of these categories."
The High Spirits were especially awestruck. Tennosuke was smarter than he had seemed. All three were severely intimidated.
"To make up for the warriors' losses, nine other valiant warriors, all assistants to the other seven, had found the Delphinus Crystal-the strongest form of matter in this world-and bound the powers of it into them, becoming deities of Ashura in order to protect it. Like the Blue Planet light years away, this world was once built by the hands of the people, but now it is the complete opposite." Tennosuke briefly glanced at the High Spirits. "The Chalices were, since then, sealed away, and would not be used unless the planet itself was in absolute danger."
"Hmm…"
"Wizard Softon has observed the world below ever since he lifted the castle into the sky, and has known that castle officials want to find the Holy Golden Chalice and wield it against him. Sadly, none of them can use it, and they don't know why they can't. Today's royals are completely clueless on the heritage of the kingdom's heirs. Only a sparse few know the complete truth, to my knowledge."
"Heirs of the kingdom are chosen for the three reasons I have just mentioned. Basis among age, gender, or disability are completely irrelevant. Whoever has the three traits, whether it is the oldest sister with unnatural beauty or the youngest son afflicted with a mental disease, is the heir. Family members cannot wield the Chalice, but they can sense it and feel its power, have similar birthmarks, and powers almost as strong."
"To conclude, Softon has the proof he researched on to single out Don Pacchi from the royal line. He and his highest henchmen know who the real princess is." Tennosuke scratched the back of his head.
"And…if you leave the High Spirit with me, I'll gladly tell you who she is…"
Tennosuke had concluded his historical explanation. Everyone was washed over, lost for words. Never had anyone heard a history of the kingdom this rich.
"Oh, my…" Beauty gasped.
"Hold on a minute. You say you want to keep the High Spirit for the sake of Softon's plans. What are they?" Bo-bobo asked sternly.
"I already told you what I promised! You needn't know Softon's plans. Now do you want me to tell you who the real princess is or not!?"
"That will not be necessary."
A haunting voice echoed in the room. Everyone gasped. The party, Tennosuke, and the remaining Valkyries that stayed glanced, searching for the voice's source. They found nothing.
"Who just spoke?" Beauty asked, frightened.
"It is I…"
Suddenly, a television screen appeared overhead, next to Tennosuke. It blinked on, creating the image of a man with a poop-shaped head-the wizard himself.
Bo-bobo broke out in a sweat. Everyone else glanced over.
"It's you…" Bo-bobo stuttered.
Softon spoke through the communicator with a small, haughty laugh. "Yes…I am Softon, Wizard of Darkness…"
The impact struck like a shattering shockwave. Their antagonist, their opponent, the great wizard, gazed before them.
"It's him…" Heppokomaru gasped.
"Softon…the dark wizard…" Beauty echoed.
"Oh…oh my…" Torpedo Girl fainted again.
"Wow…what a turn-a-round…" Suzu sighed.
"To think…" Hatenkou stopped his thoughts there, not daring to speak.
"I…think I just peed myself…" Serviceman whimpered.
Don Patch exploded in a million pieces. No questions asked.
Tennosuke cringed, afraid. He didn't know what to say. Was Softon watching him the entire time?
"H-h-hello, Softon-sama! A-about that…" he sweated bullets.
Softon glared at him before screaming. "SILENCE! I ought to have your voice box removed after what you just said! Honestly! Can you get any more gullible!? Why did you tell them anyway!?"
Tennosuke was still afraid, but pulled out his bravery. "I…I didn't want to give away the High Spirit…you need him, and the others, right?"
"That's correct."
"So…I figured a little history of the kingdom would do…I still have the spirit imprisoned!" Tennosuke pointed at the floating card bearing Aerealis.
"Really? What history did you tell them?"
"A...about the Chalices, and the heir hood, and the princess…"
It was then that Softon grew angry. A vein popped from his head. "The…princess? Yes, about that…do you remember the day you swore loyalty to me that you were to keep everything I told you absolutely secret?"
"Um…sort of?"
The veins in Softon's head exploded. "AND BY TELLING THEM, YOU HAVE PROVEN TO BE, BY FAR, THE WORST F—KING HENCHMAN IN THE HISTORY OF FOREVER! YOU SUCK! I'm officially disowning you, Tokoro Tennosuke!" With that, the wizard pulled out a certificate bearing Tennosuke's rank and shred it to bits. Tennosuke screamed like a girl, horrified.
"Until my grand scheme is complete, no one will know who the real princess is…" Softon turned away and bit his thumb. Beauty slowly got up and slid over to the monitor, questioning.
"Um…wizard…"
Softon glanced from the corner of his eye. For a fraction of a second, his entire body froze in place. His demeanor remained unaffected, however.
"What is it?"
"Why do you know who the real princess is? And what is this plan of yours!? I know it's a bit cliché to ask such a thing, but…"
"…but what?"
"…when I heard your voice…it…"
Beauty drifted off into space. She couldn't find the words she wanted to say.
"…well?"
"…never mind." Beauty slumped back to the floor. Heppokomaru was curious on what she had to say.
"Beauty?" Bo-bobo was also curious.
"It's nothing." Beauty rubbed her bruised, bloody eye. Bo-bobo let it go.
"Softon…"
"Ahh, Sir Bo-bobo. We haven't spoken since our little tussle several months back. I doubt now that a mere minnow can defeat you, right? I hope…"
"Uhh…" snot dribbled from Bo-bobo's nose. For good measure, Don Patch threw a minnow he found in a fish tank at Bo-bobo's ribs. The knight was out like a light and fainted, bleeding.
"A MINNOW!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Heppokomaru's eyes bugged again.
"Ugh, this is even more disappointing than the time I stuffed poop in the pep rally's tuba player in college…"
Bo-bobo got back up and wiped his lip. "Softon! Listen to me! These plans…what are they? I've been going after you now in order to save this kingdom, to get our revered High Spirits back where they belong…why do this!? I don't even understand why I'm chasing after you!"
Softon's expression softened slightly, much to everyone's surprise. "It's true…you don't know why I want you dead so badly…you and most of your party…"
"Nnh…"
"This plan of mine…is for the better of the planet."
Everyone, including the High Spirits, gasped.
"What did you say, you pig!?" Heppokomaru shouted.
"You're a pig yourself, you know." Heppokomaru hissed at the insult.
"For a long time now, I questioned…why…why do certain people exist and carry out certain fates to benefit others…when those others are complete strangers or hate them themselves?"
A puzzling expression on everyone's faces. Softon sounded awfully passive.
"These High Spirits…why must they have become deities? Why not leave the planet the way it was before? Why must they be chained as your precious safety nets when they have their own former lives behind them?"
The three freed High Spirits were taken back. Never before has their own occupation been questioned so highly. Fulguralis twitched, remembering his own human past, namely the airplane crash. It was a burdensome, but a fine time. Aqua and Ignis, in contrast, remembered their own happy lives and recalled their human feelings…
"Ignis…" Aqua began once again. "I…"
"…oh…" Ignis squinted his eyes shut, remembering the pain of the day their godly tasks began.
"Ah…"
Softon continued. "I had given myself the mission to find a way to convert the way the world once was…to let the inhabitants, not any higher beings, shape it. It is right to me, and it is right to me because of something horrible that happened in my past…an important someone of mine has a burden to carry. Even if that person is fated to carry it, I want to be by their side, always, and help them whenever they need it."
Words were lost for everyone, even Torpedo Girl.
"Sir Bo-bobo…there is someone in your life who carries a tough burden on their shoulders. You're close to them. You're even related to them…"
"Excuse me!?" Bo-bobo was donned in a frilly pink tutu for no given reason.
"This relative of yours has offered their service to me. For my sake, for my plan's sake, and for their sake…I must eliminate you, and those who are close to you."
"Oh my…god…" Bo-bobo's head spun. One of his older siblings was on Softon's side…but who?
"…that's it. That's all I have to say. If you want to further unravel my plans, go ahead. You may find the truth soon enough. But be wary that my plans can save not just this kingdom, but this world…"
"You are lying!" Heppokomaru spat again.
"I am not. Trust me. And I am not lying that I also have a secret weapon that will wipe you all out…"
Softon pulled a button out of nowhere and pushed it. A clicking noise ignited, and, materializing from black matter came several boxes, labeled with each member's name. The label stamped on top spelled in Japanese "worst fears".
"Princess Patches has hand selected each of your worst fears in those boxes…open them if you dare…"
Everyone gulped, but at the same time, they were giggling on the inside. Could the (fake) princess really choose their fears?
"He wouldn't, right?" Bo-bobo whispered to himself as he opened the box in front of him. He gazed inside and saw a piece of fresh white bread inside. He said nothing for a moment…
"Haha…afraid?"
Bo-bobo performed the complete opposite. He burst out, in his tutu again, in all smiles. He screamed in joy as he consumed the white bread in one bite. He licked his lips in satisfaction. "Yummy! White bread is my favorite!"
"What!?"
Everyone else, minus Beauty, Heppokomaru, and Hatenkou, opened their boxes. They squealed in delight as they found each of their favorite things inside.
"It's not the moon! Yes!" don Patch held up a dried clay sculpture labeled "not the moon."
Torpedo Girl found an array of bloody, decapitated body parts, much to her delight. Beauty nearly vomited.
There were more enhancements for Serviceman. His grin became wider than ever from taking them.
Suzu was cuddling a kitten she found in her box next to her cheek. She cooed and giggled at the cute ball of fur.
"Ah…they…like these things!?"
Softon remembered that part in time he asked the princess on who hated what. Considering that he was close to Sir Bo-bobo, he was utterly tricked.
"SHIT."
"Why don't we have boxes?" Heppokomaru asked oddly, raising an eyebrow. Softon immediately noticed Heppokomaru nearby and twitched violently.
"Wait…you're not dead!? I swore I killed you back there, in the forest…"
"Nope. I'm still alive."
"Dammit!"
"And why do neither Beauty or Hatenkou have boxes?" Heppokomaru asked. Softon didn't respond.
"Hey, jackpot!" Suzu shouted, grabbing Namero's box of sweets. She and Don Patch began wolfing them down, with Bo-bobo dancing around them playing a ukulele.
Softon cleared his throat, ending the current subject. "Well, I suppose my job here is done. Tennosuke is a homeless bum again and the rest of you have some pieces of my plan in your heads. I've decided…"
Softon glanced at each party member once, burning their faces into his mind.
"…I will allow you to take in this next High Spirit…a token of reward for your troubles. This spirit is inattentive anyway."
"You can say that again…" Fulguralis sighed.
"Sir Bo-bobo and party! Do not think that this is over…I won't allow the other five spirits to fall into your hands…you will not interfere with my plans…and I'll kill you…all of you…"
With that, the television monitor vanished. An air of awkward silence filled the room.
"Well…Sir Bo-bobo, free the High Spirit. I have nothing against you now. You won." Tennosuke drooped his head down and sat. His life had gone down the toilet once again.
"…thank you." Bo-bobo's firm attitude was as mysterious as Softon's plans. He walked toward the card and touched it, making it spin in circles multiple times. It glowed and glowed, emitting sparkles, and the High Spirit Aerealis rematerialized into life. He fluttered above and below, flashing his multi-shaded blue robe. His face was innocent and bishonen-like, making his smile even more demure.
"Oh, my hero!" He cried, tears bursting from his eyes. The three other High Spirits sighed. They were in for it…
"Aerealis, High Spirit of Wind…I'm so glad I-" Bo-bobo began.
"I HATE YOU PEOPLE!" Aerealis shrieked, shooting Bo-bobo in the head with a bazooka. Bo-bobo's head bled crazily, and everyone else freaked out.
"I DON'T LIKE HEROES! THEY'RE SO F—KING BITCHY!" Aerealis jacked himself up for another round of shots.
"Ah…what the hell?" Beauty cringed.
"Yes…this is his true nature…and we hate him for it…" Fulguralis gawked. Aerealis immediately became happy again and hug-choked his fellow spirits to death with a smile.
"Ahh, weird…" Heppokomaru sighed.
Celebration was awkward, and although it started slow, it slowly began to emerge. However, nearby, two figures lurked in the darkness, and they planned to wreck that moment of bliss…
End of Chapter!
-X-
Overcoming the overzealous Valkyries and their pathetic leader, Tokoro Tennosuke, Sir Bo-bobo has freed the fourth High Spirit, the moody Aerealis. But what this chapter had in store for the party was not a massive battle, but a question of the minds. The wizard Softon has left even more mysteries to solve. He claims that Ashura can only be saved by him…but from what?
Ultimately, Princess Patches, or rather Don Pacchi, is not the real heir of the kingdom at all…how will that affect the party's performance?
What is to become of Count Namero?
Who is waiting in the shadows at this moment?
The fate of their kingdom depends on the paths they take…
-X-
-Ah, another chapter complete, and another sidequest coming up! The purpose of Chapter 4 was to set the basis for Softon's plans, and they don't sound completely negative, do they? I am really trying not to be inconsistent, but I have a hard time remembering things…anyone can point those out, if you like. Oh, and don't worry…Tennosuke will join the party!
-I will have another late update next week for three reasons:
-1. I am leaving for a field trip to Washington D.C over the weekend.
-2. That computer bug that is set to strike in two days is real, so I don't want to take any chances.
-3. I am trying to revive another story.
-Now, there is a new enemy lurking in the shadows…who could it be? Read on and find out!
FOOTNOTES
-(1). In the fifth volume of Shinsetsu Bo7, Suzu performed a telekinesis attack on several Hair-men Hunters to allow Giga and Battleship (who teamed up) to strike them.
MOOOOOOOOO…