Author's Notes: I know it's been a while. However, I finally got this chapter done, after a bit of writing and re-writing the story for a little bit. I have no idea where I got inspired for this one. Still, I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 33: Field-de-Rolf
Rolf stood still, a bit baffled about how his father managed to perform such a high jump.
"Move your rhubarb!" his father shouted.
Rolf nodded, temporarily throwing his questions aside. He approached the tree, and grabbed a couple of lower branches. He jumped and swung on the branch, throwing himself up to the top of the bridge between the evergreens.
"Har har har har…" the Shepard laughed. He took his cane and spun it about in the air. It created a whirlwind of air, blowing loose leaves off the trees.
"What is this…?" Rolf asked.
His father continued to intensify his movements. The cane continued to spin faster, until it became a blurred, rotating fan. The fog that surrounded them began to get sucked into the wind, making a clearly recognizable whirlpool of air and debris.
"What is-"
"Shepard's Gale!"
Rolf gasped as the newly formed twister rushed at him. Rolf took his Puni-bag, and wrapped it around a branch for support. The oncoming wind that hit him lifted him off his feet. Rolf screamed as he wove in the air like a flag, supported only by the bag.
Seconds later, Rolf landed on his feet again, with the twister raging past him and into the forest beyond.
"…wh-what was that, father?"
His father paid no attention. He leapt into the air, with his cane held behind him, prepared to swing a powerful blow right on his son's head.
Rolf gasped and rolled forward, in time of avoid being hit by the cane.
The blue-haired boy jumped back up. Now he was behind his father, with his back turned at his son. Rolf seized the opportunity to prepare a blow of his own, aimed at his father's back.
"Rolf apologizes, father."
Rolf took his bag and swung mightily forth. However, the blow was blocked fiercely by his father's cane.
"There can be no emotion in battle." his father said.
Rolf back-flipped twice from his father as he attempted to counter with swipes from his cane.
His father then jumped backwards.
"Are you mad?" Rolf asked.
His father held the cane diagonally, with his right palm holding onto the top and his left fist clenching the bottom, for a few seconds. He then held it up into the air.
"Rolf is fast enough to evade my attacks." his father said. "Let us add a twist."
His father took his cane, and struck it against the ground.
"Shepard's Tears."
Small droplets of rain fell from the heavens above them. It quickly turned to a downpour upon them.
"…how in the world…?" Rolf was completely amazed.
His father rushed ahead once again, preparing a thrust forwards.
Rolf dodged once again, jumping backwards. However, this time, his feet slipped on the wet wood. Rolf lost his balance, and fell backwards. He abandoned his Puni-Bag and let it fall down, in exchange for grabbing a nearby branch.
His father watched from above as Rolf hung helplessly, now unarmed.
Rolf looked back up at his father, who replied by simply shaking his head.
An express bus cruised it's way down the road. The plains were a simple, if somewhat uneventful place. It wasn't too crowded on board the bus, save for a few travelers.
"Ok, this is how it's gonna go." Kevin said. He looked to Luigi, and his new traveling companion Terrance. They sat in the back of the bus, their traveling gear sitting beside them in their seats.
"Yeah?" Terrance asked.
"I called around last night." Kevin said. "So, we're going to go to New York City. There's gonna be a ship that goes around South America. It leaves in 4 days."
"Ok." Luigi said. "Then what?"
"We board it, dork!" Kevin exclaimed. He took out a brochure.
"Look, here's the dock we're going to find." he said, pointing to a picture in the brochure.
Terrance and Luigi's eyes both widened.
"No way!" Luigi shouted. "We're going on that?!"
He pointed to a large cruise ship, towering over the dock that it was in.
"The SS Majesty to sail it's maiden voyage to Southampton England-" Terrance read slowly
Kevin growled. "No! Not that boat!" He pointed to a smaller, less luxurious boat. "That one!"
Terrance and Luigi both frowned. "The SS Rusty?" they both asked in distaste.
"I know it's not pretty…" Kevin said. "…k, it's ugly. But if we want to find, Nazz, then that's the way to do it."
"Hey, I'm in this just for Mac." Terrance said. "As soon as I find him, I'm going back home."
"Fine, don't care about the world." Luigi said.
"That's right." Terrance said. "I got to worry about nothing by my little bro and the long explanation to my mom when this whole thing is done."
Kevin and Luigi stared for a couple of minutes.
"Hey, you got a problem?" Terrance asked, holding up his fist.
Kevin and Luigi simply turned away from Terrance.
Luigi took the pamphlet from Kevin, who starred out of his window, when he came to realize their conversation was over. The plains were very quiet around that time. The shadow of the express bus danced on the street, parallel to them. The sun was slowly rising into the air. Kevin yawned as he saw the sun. It was still a bit early to be up and awake for him. He fixed his cap, turned around in his seat, and took a look at Terrance.
"Hey, do you have a phone?"
"Get your own phone." Terrance said.
"I did, but I left it behind at my house when I went to go find Nazz." Kevin noted.
"Ha ha ha, that was smart." Terrance laughed stupidly.
"Give me your phone!"
Terrance wordlessly got up from his seat, and reached into an overhead compartment. A couple of seconds later, he handed Kevin his phone.
"Make it fast." Terrance said. "I don't have too many minutes."
Kevin sneered at Terrance, and faced forward again.
"Nazz hasn't answered her phone. Double D's phone ran out of power. Let's try Rolf." Kevin said, dialing his number.
Rolf's hair hung down against his face as the rain continued to beat on him.
"…Rolf, your lack of skill in dueling makes me sick." his father said.
Riiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiing!
Rolf's father rose an eyebrow.
The boy's eyes widened.
"Who in Nana's name is contacting me at a crucial time like this?" Rolf thought.
"Have I not already told you not to let your guard down!?" his father shouted, jumping at Rolf again with his cane.
Rolf ducked and jumped as his father flew overhead. He quickly grabbed an overhead branch. He used it to spin, easily due to the rain, and jumped on another wooden platform out of view of the dueling bridge.
"Hm…" his father sighed. "You will not stay hidden for long, Rolfie-boy."
Meanwhile, his son landed on the ground, quickly concealing himself in a bush, that rested against the walls of the cemetery gates. He quickly answered the phone in a rage.
"WHAT?!" he whispered.
"Rolf? Rolf, is that you?" Kevin asked.
"Kevin?" Rolf asked. "What could you possibly need at a time like this?"
"I need to know." Kevin said. "Did you find Nazz yet?!"
"No, Rolf knows nothing of the Nazz-girl." Rolf stated. "Rolf was, er, how-you-say… knocked out by someone, and Rolf woke up in my old country."
"What?" Kevin asked. "Oh great, now you're separated too?"
"Listen Rolf, this is not the best time. I'm in a fight right now." Rolf said.
"Against who?" Kevin asked.
"The Shepard." Rolf said coldly.
"Shepard's Current!"
Rolf watched helplessly as his phone exploded. A strong electrical surge from the tree struck the machine, causing it to break apart. Rolf, luckily uninjured, stared as the fragments of his cell phone scattered across the mud-ridden ground.
He looked back up to the top of the tree, to see his father, standing proudly and menacingly atop the tree. He held his cane, still pointed at Rolf. A couple of sparks flew off the cane as he stood silently, thunder echoing in the distance.
"If Rolf does not wish to battle, then leave right now." his father said. "Leave this village now. Return to America."
Rolf growled in anger. "Rest assured father. All of my distractions are now unimportant. I shall battle to the end."
"Good, Rolf-Boy." the Shepard said. "You have just learned one important lesson. But will that be enough to defeat myself?"
"We shall soon see, father." Rolf said.
His father leapt from the tree-top, landing remarkably safe on the muddy ground almost 3 floors below.
"For the real-part of this battle, we shall duel elsewhere. A place you have never fully explored in all your life." his father said. He gestured at Rolf. "Drop your weapon."
"Rolf's what? How do we fight without the battle-weapons of honor?"
"Where we are going, we don't need weapons. Just bring your will." he said.
"Where are we going?' asked his confused son.
His father took his cane, and thrust it forth. It stopped just in time, so that it only tapped Rolf's forehead.
"Field-de-Rolf."
Rolf suddenly froze. As if by magic, his eyes were forced shut. He grabbed his head and screamed. There was a strong, piercing headache, one that caused him to fall down on his knees. He felt the ground's wet surface as he landed, though it was much less then he expected. Rolf was slowly losing all of his senses, his screams turned to moans. Finally, he ceased thrashing and fell into complete collapsed state.
Rolf's father watched the entire time. He nodded, and sat down beside him.
"Rolf is on his way to his field. It's time to follow him."
Sarah moaned quietly in her sleep. It was a miracle that she had even fallen asleep in the first place, since the bed was so remarkably hardened. The room was small and very simple. Next to the bed were lamps, with a mysterious portrait of a white whisp in front of a darkened atmosphere. There was but one window, facing opposite of the bed. A light rain battered on the glass, otherwise leaving the room in a relaxing silence.
"Sarah!!"
Sarah had a quick vision in her mind. There was a familiar boy, with blue hair. He clearly looked soaked and battle-tired. He reached one of his arms feebly to Sarah.
"Assistance!"
Sarah also got quick-flashes of familiar faces in her mind. She saw a glimpse of Peach's Castle under siege, a small-looking pirate ship sailing the Atlantic, an evil witch in a girl's body roaming the streets, the cityscape of Brooklyn, and a familiar green-clad teenager with his shadow-imp companion resting on a rooftop.
Sarah screamed and shot upwards in her bed. She grasped her heart with one hand and supported her sitting position in another. After her scream of terror, she panted heavily.
The lights in the hallway turned on, as visibly shown by light that flowed through the crack in the door.
"I told her that room was haunted." she could hear the manager say behind the door. There was a couple of knocks. "Miss? Miss, are you ok?"
Sarah sighed in relief. "…uh, yes, I am. Just a nightmare."
She could hear the manager laugh. "Ok, just please, calm down. Good night, miss."
She waited for the light in the hallway to shut off. She could hear the manager walking away from the room.
"Yeah, same to you, pal." Sarah retorted.
She laid back down and starred at the ceiling.
"Geez, what have I been eating recently?" she thought, when she recalled her dream. "Pirates and guys in green and castles and cities and Rolf and… Nazz."
She went quiet. "All this time, I've missed out what's happened here."
There was a quiet tap at her window. She ignored the noise and yawned.
"Back to bed for me." Sarah moaned, turning herself in her bed to lay sideways.
There was yet another tapping noise. This time, she got agitated. She got back up and peered out of the window.
She was greeted by a pair of glowing perfectly circular yellow eyes. There was a silhouette of cube-shaped head, connected to a perfectly rectangle torso and mechanic arms. This figure stood directly out of her window.
"WHAT THE-" she shouted.
However, the figure went into action. It's claws whirred, and grabbed onto the windowsill, raising it up quickly. The robot-like figure then proceeded to vault through the window and into her room. It reached for and grabbed Sarah, picking her right out of her bed.
"She's safe." the robot said in a distant voice, through a speaker-like mouth.
Sarah gasped, then growled. She let forth a punch, and directed it right at the figure's face. She could hear glass crunch as she did, landing a blow right at one of it's yellow, mechanical eyes.
She landed down on the ground. Sarah looked at her fist and winced. She was in a bit of pain, having just punched solid metal.
The robot looked somewhat phased, though. She took her chance and ran towards the open window. She vaulted through the window, and landed on solid, grassy earth beneath her. She looked backwards to see the robot. It was now starring at her, though it's left eye was no longer glowing yellow, having a cracked-glass lens.
Sarah turned around and proceeded to run from the Inn.
"Don't run, Sarah!" the robot shouted at her.
She ignored the intruder's call and proceeded further down London's streets. Fearing the pursuer more then the automobiles, she rushed into traffic, causing some cars to swerve out of the way as she ran past.
"We have lights for a reason!!" one of the drivers shouted at her as she ran away from the streets and deeper into the city.
Sarah looked back again. The robot's presence was gone now, though she still felt inclined to run, as fast possible.
"Forget all this stupidity! I'm going strait for the airport!!"
With that, Sarah continued to run, now in the direction of he closest airport.
"OOOH WOW, SO COOL!" Luffy exclaimed.
Double D looked up as a 747 passenger aircraft flew overhead. There was a distinct hum of the engines that temporarily drowned out the sounds of the sea.
"Yeah, that's an airplane!" Bloo said. "We use them to fly around the world in hours."
"Hours?!" Luffy shouted. "So cool!!"
Luffy pointed at Nami. "Nami, we should get an airplane for home!"
"Yeah, sure." Nami said, uninterested as she tended to the orange-tree garden in the back of the ship.
Double D placed their world-map on the deck. "Hm… ok, we are getting close to United Kingdom now. We should see the island by nightfall tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Bloo asked. "Why is this trip taking so looooong?"
"Gee, I dunno." Mac said sarcastically.
"I'm sure it will go by quickly." Vivian said, standing nearby Bloo and Mac.
"I guess…" they both said quietly.
Double D sighed, however. He was not too certain how things would go in England. He had never even been there before, so he was at a complete loss of what kind of adventure he was going to expect.
Rolf moaned quietly, and then slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in a field. A clear, quiet, grassy field. Not a bird sounded, nor did the wind blow.
He gasped and suddenly shot upwards. He gasped for air, after landing on his feet.
"WHERE IS HE WHO KO's THE SON OF A SHEAPARD?!" he blurted.
He was, however, greeted by nothing but silence. He looked up into the sky. It was a bright, sunny day. There were a few clouds in the sky, and it wasn't raining at all-
"How can this be?" Rolf asked, looking left and right. "This is not the cemetery."
He got a full scope of his environment. He came to discover that Rolf was standing on the peak of a hill. Miles away from him stood a ring of mountains that surrounded him. The mountains seemed to go on, into the distance, forever. However, this was not his land. This was like nothing he had ever seen. There was no sign of civilization anywhere at all- oh, but wait a moment…
Rolf noticed on, undesirably familiar structure. In front of him, standing all alone in the middle of nowhere, atop the very peak of the hill, stood his village's mausoleum. It looked much older then he recalled, appearing somewhat stained. The structure had tilted on it's side, making a 30 degree slant where it stood.
Rolf attempted to run towards the structure, but almost immediately lost balance. He realized he was disoriented. Everything looked over-saturated in his vision. Every noise he made also seemed to echo into the empty land he was in. Rolf shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and massaged his ears- but nothing worked. He had no headache whatsoever, and not a sign of damage on his body. He came to understand- he wasn't impaired. The world itself looked like this.
"…what is this?" Rolf asked, his voice echoing.
"Welcome, Rolf." he heard.
Rolf was suddenly thrown aback when his father somehow burst from beneath the earth a few feet in front of him.
When Rolf fell backwards, and landed on his back, he noticed that the entire world flashed the color red, but only for an instant, like lighting.
"I bet this is all a little overwhelming, eh, Rolfie-Boy?" his father asked.
He slowly got back up. "…this place. What is this place?"
"Son, welcome to your field." he said simply.
"My-"
"Yes, your field, son." his father said. He approached his son, with his cane in hand. "This cane, the Shepard's Cane, is special. You are familiar with the 3 relics of the Shadow Queen, yes?"
"…of course." his son said, somewhat confused.
"Did you know… that there are more then that?" his father asked.
"More relics?" Rolf asked. "What non-sense! There was only to be 3!"
"Not true." his father said. "There was actually supposed to be 5 relics. Of course, they only ended up with 4 in the end, but still."
"5 Relics?!" Rolf asked. The sky suddenly turned dark as he shouted.
"Yes, the 5 relics. Of course, you know of the Eye of Wisdom, the relic of the mind and memories. The Medallion of Life, the relic of life and loyalty. The Crown of Strength, the relic of power and bravery."
"…and what of the other 2?" Rolf asked.
"Well, you see son, the Shadow Queen wanted to make 5. However, after making one relic, she felt it was so worthless that she cast it away. It was to be the relic of realization and perspective. It never became a relic, though. That would-be relic… is the Shepard's Cane. With it, I can open a person's mind. I can hear thoughts, see memories like a movie, hear sounds from your past, feel emotions and more… but it has another function."
He took the cane and held it high. "This cane has a special spell, called the "Field De" When cast on a person, a person's mind becomes their world. They enter a place constructed out of your dreams and memories. This world is your field. You are in your own mind, Rolf. Everything in your memories, even ones you think you have forgotten, is here."
Rolf stood, mouth agape. "…my field." However, Rolf seemed to snap back into the situation quickly. He asked the first thing that came to his mind.
"What is the 4rth relic?!"
His father's eyes suddenly widened. He took his cane and smashed it mightily atop Rolf. He fell downwards, screaming. The entire sky turned a sickening red as he fell. It was apparent that the environment reacted with his emotions by now.
"…my son is hurt…" Rolf's father said. "Not physically. Physical pain means nothing in a field. Only emotional pain hurts here."
The sky suddenly flashed again. The entire sky turned a dark purple. The clouds began to spiral in the air, and lighting flashed above.
Rolf got up, with little difficulty. "Rolf asked you a question!!"
"The 4rth relic is a secret relic among secret relics! You cannot know what it is, ever!!"
Rolf growled. He closed his eyes, and opened them again. They gleamed a dark purple, matching the clouds in the sky.
A black, tree-like hand sprouted from the earth and grabbed his father. He shot upwards into the sky. His father was quickly trapped, though doing little to stop it.
Meanwhile, his son clutched his fists, and the dark hand copied.
Suddenly, the black hand exploded, sending shards of dark light everywhere. His father landed firmly on the ground, without a bruise.
"…that did nothing?" Rolf asked.
"This world is just a symbol of your mind." his father explained again. "…and your anger does not phase me."
Rolf sighed. The sky returned to normal in an instant. His eyes returned to their common state, and the punctured earth beneath them has turned to normal as well.
"…this shall not be a battle of physical strength. You can only fight me with your will. If you defeat me here, and surpass my mental state, I shall reveal all." his father said.
Rolf sighed. He closed his eyes… as he did, the entire field grew dark. Small drops of rain began to fall from the heavens. There was no wind though, nor lighting. Rolf was calm, as was his world.
He looked up at his father, now with gray eyes, matching the clouds in the sky. "Yes father. Rolf shall duel you with my will."
Author's Notes: And that about ends this one. More on the way soon. I know this arc as been a bit slow so far, but I plan to pick it up in the next chapter. Expect a surprise in the next chapter, as Goombella makes a hard decision, and a dastardly witch's plans spring into action.