TIME FOR PART THREE! This will be the last part. So far Ari and friends are totally oblivious to the fact that his seemingly harmless dream is actually an omen of bad things to come. What will happen when Ari and friends Finally come face to face with their greatest fears? Longest chapter i've written so far. Read on.

I don't own Okage but you knew that.

This chapter's interesting fact: Triste is the spanish word for sad

***

Ari was alone once again but this time in a castle. The room was enormous, empty, and cold, very cold.

"Ari, you failed to deliver my message in a serious manner. Your friends all think that i am nothing more than a character of your imagining. You yourself beleive that. But i tell you I am real. I am the Nightmare Evil King. What must i do to make you beleive me?"

"So this is really happening? I'm really not just dreaming?"

"Ari, How could you dream up such a thing of evil. Up until recently you couldn't even imagine an adventure such as the one your on. Now, i will ask again, What must i do to have Stan accept my challenge?"

Ari shivered from the cold and struggled to remember what had happened earlier that day.

"The map...If you appear on the map."

"Ah yes, the map of evil kings. I have blocked my name from appearing there to avoid other heroes. I've been saving all my energie for Stan. So if i allow my name to appear you will accept my challenge? Stan and all your friends will come?"

"Yes."

The nightmare evil king paused. "So be it. But i expect that all of you will be here by tomarrow eve. Will you do it?"

Ari didn't answer.

"I said will you do it?" the voice demanded angrily.

"Uh, yes." Ari replied shaking.

"Good. I'll see you then."

Ari awoke to find himself on the floor of his hotel room in Madrill. The room was very cold. Ari stood up and crawled back into the warmth of the bed covers. The clock read three a.m. That was very odd. Could it be that he truly was dreaming, or was it indeed reality. Ari decided the answer could wait and allowed himself to fall back into a light sleep that was disturbed numerous times before he finally awoke the next day.

Rosalyn, Kisling, Epros, Bigbull, Linda, and Marlene were all gathered around a table inspecting the map of evil kings when Ari came downstairs.

"What's up?" asked Ari peering between his friends.

"Ari, You and Stan have absolutly no idea about this do you?"

"About What, you hog faced elephant?" Stan shouted appearing from Ari's shadow. "I demand to know what your accusing us of."

"I wasn't accusing anyone you assumptuious, stupid, evil king. I was just making sure this wasn't a prank." Rosalyn countered.

"In other words you were accusing me."

Rosalyn let out an irritated sigh. "You're very botherating you know that Stan."

"Botherating?" Stan wondered.

"Just come see what it is we found." Rosalyn offered submissivly.

Linda handed Ari a peice of partchment with about four lines of elegant writing. Her expression was grave. The note read:

Dear Stanly and friends, I the Nightmare Evil King request that you make your way immediatly to the marked spot on the map. I eagerly await your arrival and a chance to fight the so-called Great Evil King. Ari has the details. I'll be waiting in the bottom level. Scincerly signed, the Nightmare Evil King.

"Please feel free to explain Ari." Rosalyn stated with a gesture.

"I dreamt about him again last night. He told me that he was real and insisted pay a visit. He also asked me what it would take to get us to come."

"And you told him?" Marlene demanded.

"I thought i was dreaming." he defended.

"Don't yell at my slave. Besides we have to defeat him anyway. You to maintain hero status fatty and i to regain my true form. Unless, that is, you don't want to help me and rather leave your shadow the way it is."

"Fine. we'll go Stan but if we find that this was some trick on your part you are even deader than you were before." Roslayn warned.

"Stop, wait, i think i've heard this..." Stan began but was cut off by Marlene.

"You give him too much credit. Stan's not that creative or smart." She said.

"I guess your right. Lets get going."

***

The red light of the stone circle outside of Madrill swirled and sparkled with magic.

"Come on guy's this is the quickest way to Triste." Announced Rosalyn as they neared it.

"But you know that it makes me sick." complained Bigbull.

"It's only temporary. Just close your eyes and it will be over in seconds." comforted Linda holding Bigbull's hand. That made him happy.

"Ok Linda. I will."

"Oh how touching, NOW GET ON WITH IT. There is an evil king just waiting to have his butt kicked." Stan hollard at the love struck bull and sweet little Linda.

"Oh, Stan. So impatient. We'll get there when we get there." Marlene said trying to shove the shadow aside, but with no result.

"I agree but I don't really like the anticipation." Ari stated. No one listened. And scince no one was listening..."Rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies." Still no response or recognition. The others were too consumed in Arguing with Stan. Or in Linda's case, trying to stop it. "I bet if i fart you'd notice." still nothing. "Fine." and Ari made a fart soiund with his arm. All eyes were now on him. "Hey, If your done bickering i'd like to take Stans side and go subjugate this Nightmare king or I'll have to spend another restless night conversing with him. So let's go." and without waiting for response Ari enetered the circle of light and dissapeared. The others followed.

Upon Arriving on the other side they had to run to catch up with the red headed boy who had already dissapeared into the white portal leading to the front gates of Triste.

"Ari!" they as they apeared one by one out of the portal behind him. "Wait up."

Ari was leaning on the front gate of Triste.

"What's gotten into you? Your acting unlike the Ari we knew." Epros inquired, gliding over to hover near him.

"I don't know. I guess i was just agitated. All the arguing is getting on my nerves and i figured seperating Stanly from the rest of you might help."

"I must say their is no arguing with that logic." Rosalyn said joining the two.

"Epi-chan, Keep me warm." Linda said rushing up to wrap her arms around the x-phantom evil king.

"We really should get out of this cold." Marlene stated. "Ari, would you tell your friend to open the door."

"Of course. K.T. It's me. Ari." he called over the wall.

"Oh Ari. Come in." replied a smooth female voice. The gates then opened to reveal the small town. It was quiet as usual and pretty empty, minus a few people wandering about.

"Thanks K.T." Ari said as they passed.

"No problem Ari." She said attempting a smile. She really seems to have gotten brighter scince they first met. He wondered why. (When i get around to writing my K.T. fanfic, this will make more sense.)

"So Stan," began Rosalyn, "As long as we're here do you want to visit your best friend Hopkins. It's been a while. Almost 300 years."

"If you honestly think that i want to see that little son of a..."

"Lets not get vulgar now Stan." Rosalyn said playfully.

"What the? Why? How can you be so happy when you say that?What make you think i would want to see that perky frog of a hero?" Stan demanded in rage.

"I was just thinking that Hopkins probably misses you."

"Shut up."

***

Adashi Desert was hot and dry, but the dark moist cave in which they now stood felt very nice.

"So where did this king say he would be?" Stan asked.

"At the very bottom level." Kisling answered.

"I was asking my slave not you Scholar." he shouted turning on him.

"Bottom level." Ari confirmed knowing Stan would expect him to answer anyway.

Suprisingly, no ghosts or urns stood in their way and they were face to face with the Nightmare Evil King in no time. He sat on a couch like chair on top of a huge stone pedestal. He looked about Ari's age, perhaps a year older, and haid short brown hair that lay flat on his head.

"Ah you made it at last. I must say it took you long enough, considering i made sure their was nothing else for you to fight."

"So you made sure we wouldn't fight anything else?" Rosalyn asked in amazement.

"Yes, what use would it be to test my skills if any of you was weak. Not to mention i'm just naturally impatient." he said with a smile.

"I warn you. We are much stronger than you would think." Marlene taunted.

"Yes, so i would call some help if i were you, Puny phony king." Stan said this with every intention of invoking the anger of the Nightmare evil king.

"Did you come here to talk or did you come here to fight me?" The king asked jumping down from his pedestal. "Whenever your ready." He spread his arms out wide and with that came a gust of wind and three Sly Snakes.

"EEEK! Epi-chan i'm afraid of snakes." Linda said flinging her arms around Epros.

"I rather thought so." The Nightmare Evil King sneered. "And what might you fear great hero. Spiders." he summoned a giant spider but only Marlene, who didn't fight any way, backed away. "No? How about this?" the Nightmare Evil King used an illusion spell that made it appear to Rosalyn alone that she was back in the Hero Academy and everyone was laughing at her shadow. Her parasol was nowhere to be found, although in reality it was in her hand. She was frozen and humiliated. She was filled with panic as she realized the faces of the laughing children were all changin into those of her friends and a few had shadows like Stan.

"STOP IT!" Ari shreiked as he sent a blast of fire and thunder straight towards the Nightmare Evil King. It caught him off guard thrusting him across the room and into the base of the stone pedestal.

"My, you are strong." he said picking himself up and brushing the dust from his shirt.

Rosalyn was immediatly released from the illusion and found that she was sitting on the ground trying to hide from nothing. Stan would never let her live this down.

Kisling, Bigbull, and Epros used magical attacks and sent them flying towards the evil king one after another.

"No. Yoiu shall not interfere. This is between me and Stan." He said throwing his arm out in the direction of the spells. They all ricocheted off an invisible sheild and went in all different direction forcing the three of them to take cover. He laughed as they stumbled over each other in their haste.

With another swift movement a wall of energy formed between them and the evil king. Stan and Ari were on the same side as the evil king.

"I have been so looking foward to this moment. I'm sorry i lied to you Ari. But i feared that if i told you i wanted to fight you and Stan alone you wouldn't come. It's just between us. I will call no help." explained the Nightmare king. "Oh, And Ari's friends...Don't attempt to break through that wall. You'll either hurt yourself or destroy the cave." Epros and the others who were previously bombarding the wall with everything they had stopped and watched the battle commence between knig and king.

Stan and Ari threw powerful spells at the Nightmare king and he threw equally potent spells back. Both sides were very good at dodging but both were able to land a couple of hits. It seemed an eternity to the group stuck on the outside. Being unable to help their friend was almost unbearable.

But when it came down to it the two were almost equal in power. A lightning attack from the Nightmare king hit a flame attack from Stan and Ari and resulted in a mini explosion. Both Ari and the Nightmare king were flung into the wall of magic and lay momentarly on their backs. Ari was worn out and wanted nothing more than to just lay their and sleep, but the Nightmare king would not allow for that. As the exhausted Nightmare king pushed himself up Ari sprang up with a new found energy and put forth one last powerful attack with a boost from Stan. The blast hit dead on and resulted in a K.O. the battle was over.

The Nightmare Evil King lay stunned for a moment before closing his eyes. The walls caging them flickered out and dissappeared. The Nightmare king laughed weakly.

"You truly are powerful. Thank you for that battle. I feel that my powers have already returned to their rightful owner. I hope that you soon will return to your true form." the Nightmare evil king didn't bother getting up. "By the way, my name is Tori. Maybe we will meet again sometime. If you run into Jess say hi for me. I trust it won't be long."

"Jess?" Stan panted.

"Heh, Yes. not long at all."

The Nightmare evil king got up and climbed the ladder leading to his chair in order to recouperate. Ari stood a few moments longer before collapsing. All the others ran up to him making a racket with all their words of panic and concern.

"Oh, Ari are you all right?" Marlene gasped laying his head in her lap.

"I'm..fine...just....tired." he muttered.

"Stan..." Rosalyn began.

"Just shut up hero. I'm too tired to argue with you right now. That was the best fight ever. Slave, you did well." Stan cut in.

"Another compliment?" Ari breathed energyless.

"Stan, I was just going to say good job." Rosalyn said smiling.

Stan was utterly surprised by this response, and judging by the expressions of the rest of the gang, so were they. Rosalyn just kept smiling as Stan retreated to Ari's shadow, a look of almost fear ano his face. It was too bad Ari missed this.

"Come on we better get them to an inn where they can rest." Marlene said attempting to pick up Ari. He was too heavy for her. Bigbull took Ari from her hands and made it look as if Ari weighed nothing.

"Thanks." she said.

"Let's stay in Triste, it's the closest." Rosalyn suggested.

And the group departed. Ari was fast asleep when they arrived at the inn and despite all the evil king bragging, so was Stan. All retired to their bed, satisfied whith their day and very proud of Ari. But a name and question weaved itself through their thoughts. Who was Jess?