Here's the next chapter. Though this covers one of Erinn's quests, some of it may not be completely accurate since I never played this side-quest. This will still include spoilers, and there may be a few made up details of my creation.

Disclaimer: The Dragon Quest games, characters, locations, etc. are the work of squaresoft.

Chapter XXXI: Inny for a Penny, Inn for an Inny

The group returned to the Starflight Express and set course for the Realm of the Almighty, which had been restored since Arianna and her companions stopped Corvus. Trent looked around after they landed there and exited"Looks like the place is back to its old self."

"Indeed" Arianna headed up the stairs from the platform they landed on.

The six went up to the Palace of the Almighty, where Celestria stood in front of the throne. Arianna went up to her"Good day my lady, please pardon me for this sudden visit. But I needed to speak with you."

The older woman was surprised"Arianna? How did you manage to return here? Ah, never mind. I suppose I'd have been more shocked if it was any other one of my children, What brings you here?"

The Celestrian knelt"I regained my Celestrian powers by using a Fygg that a Lleviathan managed to get ahold of. At present, I've been investigating previously unknown areas known only as Grottoes, which are hidden in some areas of the Protectorate."

Celestria smiled"All the same, I am pleased to see you again. And you're investigating the grottoes? I am impressed you discovered the ancient ruins and tunnels which lay beneath the overworld of the protectorate."

"My lady, if I may speak, we found ancient murals in one of the grottoes. But we don't know what they mean" spoke Trent.

Celestria was surprised"Ah. You have? Hm. I have a very good guess as to what the murals mean, but do not take these words to heart. This is merely what you mortals call a hunch. The underground structures you speak of may actually be remnants of a civilization lost long before your time."

"We've also fought monsters such as the Equinox and the Shogum. Do they have anything to do with that civilization?" asked Conrad.

Celestria shook her head"I do not know, nor am I familiar with the creatures you speak of. Perhaps... It has something to do with my father's condition, all I know is he was nearly killed by Corvus. Only you can find the answer, for I'm afraid I've lost contact with the Protectorate during my time as the Yagdrasil Tree."

"His condition? Did your old man kick the bucket?" frowned Conrad.

Sasha shook her head at the remark. Even she was not fool enough to mock the Almighty.

"No, as I said, he still lives. Perhaps the mystery will unravel as you explore more grottoes" replied Celestria.

Arianna nodded"That's true, I suppose."

The group said their good-byes to Celestria and returned to the Starflight Express. Trent addressed Arianna"So what should we do now? We have a new treasure map, should we go to the next grotto?"

"Not quite, I should pay Erinn a visit and study the map some more" replied Arianna, setting course for Stornway.

Trent nodded and sat back, taking the time to clean his sword. The Starflight Express flew to Stornway, where the group jumped off and headed into the inn. Arianna went to speak to the innkeeper"How is everything? Pardon the sudden visit."

"I am always glad to see you, Arianna. You know how my father earned his trophy for being an Incredible Inntertainer? The Inny competition had just gone underway, and I've just won one round. The Inny final is coming up, and both the Quester's Rest and the Angel Falls inn require two participants. Would you like to be my partner?" smiled Erinn.

"I've heard of it, my mother told me that the Incredible Inntertainer earned his trophy and title from the King of Stornway who was the judge of the competition" acknowledged Alicia.

Arianna nodded"I'd be honored, Erinn. What do you need me to do?"

"You'll have to ask the king for details" replied the Innkeeper.

Arianna nodded and left to go to Stornway Castle, accompanied by Trent. The pair headed into the castle towards the throne room. King Schott was holding court in his throne room when he saw the group"Ah. Long time no see."

"Good to see you again, too, your majesty" acknowledged Arianna.

"How is your daughter?" asked Trent.

The King of Stornway replied"She is doing fairly well last I heard, she joined a group called the Back to Brigadoom Organization or something like the sort. But anyway, what brings you two here?"

"Back to Brigadoom? Is that old place being revitalized?" murmured Arianna.

Trent piped in"Erinn invited Arianna to join her for the Inny Finals. She was asked to be her partner."

The king was surprised"Ah. What a pleasant surprise. In that case, may I ask you to retrieve some Platinum Ore for me? The Quester's Rest Innkeeper asked me earlier if I could spare soldiers to find this high-quality ore she could sell, but I am unable to. This contest also requires me to judge the Quester's Rest for the Innys. Supposedly, monsters called Octagoons drop them."

"Where can we find Octaagoons?" asked Arianna.

"I don't know" shrugged the king.

Arianna thanked the king and headed out with Trent. The Celestrian pulled out the treasure map"Okay, let's see. Oh, the map seems to be located in the Gittish Empire, northwest of the Gortress."

"So let's go" smiled Trent.

The two teleported out of Stornway to the Gittish Empire. Heading towards the Gortress, Arianna studied the map some more as they explored the empire's barren landscape. Trent gazed at the surroundings"Say, what does a Octagoon look like?"

"If I have to guess... Huh. There was a monster called the Hexagoon, which I think I told you about before. If those Octagoons are anything like the monster I saved Patty from, it may be tough" shrugged Arianna.

The two found a hidden staircase which was marked on the map and proceeded down. The dark, eerie atmosphere tipped Arianna off"This must be the Granite Ruins of Doubt. Hm."

"I'll go first" said Trent, drawing his sword and leading the way.

The pair pressed down a pathway and entered the eerie ruin. Trent muttered"Its took quiet" as he explored. Arianna calmly gazed at their surroundings.

At that moment, a rumble was heard as three horned figures appeared. Trent readied himself"Think that's the Octagoons?"

"It is possible, but there is only one way to know for sure" replied the Celestrian.

One Octagoon created a quake to knock the pair off their feet. Another charged with its horns, which Trent managed to roll out of the way of and stabbed the monster in the thigh. Arianna finished that one off. Infuriated, the remaining two Octagoons rammed at them. The two dodged and countered the beasts, prompting the monsters to counter with a quake slam.

"Right. Enough of this, Falcon Slash!" Arianna slashed an Octagoon with her sword twice in succession.

"Hey, horn head!" Trent taunted an Octagoon, which charged and trampled at him with its hooves. Trent fell for a moment, but managed to slash at the creature's head. The monster dodged long enough for Trent to slash its horn off. The annoyed Octagoon readied another quake, which Trent jumped and countered with a stab. His sword connected to the monster's forehead, causing the Octagoon to back off and slam down its hooves, causing a debris to fall down on Trent. The Gladiator collapsed to the ground.

"Right" Arianna channeled energy into her blade after fighting the other Octagoon for a bit"You now will face my full might." Channeling the energy into a gigantic energy wave with a slash of her sword, Arianna blasted the two Octagoons"GIGASLASH!"

The energy wave pierced the tough skins of the Octagoons, which collapsed in a thump, shaking the room for a moment. Arianna staggered, but managed to regain her balance and walk over to Trent's unconscious body. Stella flew into the room and located the two"Oh, flap. I thought I sensed a tremor down here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah" shrugged Arianna, administrating a yagdrasil leaf on the inert Gladiator"But what are you doing here, Stella?"

"I got flapping bored, that's all. I went to find you two" shrugged the fairy.

Arianna waited until Trent recovered. The Gladiator rubbed his head as he stood"Man, those monsters packed a punch."

"Are you all right?" asked Arianna.

"Yeah, I think so" shrugged Trent.

Arianna walked over to one of the dead Octagoons and examined its body before spotting a particular silvery ore inside one of its horns"Wait a second, I just need to harvest the platinum ore. Who'd have guessed these Octagoons would be carrying one?"

Upon harvesting the Platinum, Arianna looked ahead"Hm. Since we've come this far, we may as well finish exploring. There might be another treasure map."

Trent and Arianna, accompanied by Stella, headed deeper into the ruin until they came to a room guarded by a large monster which resembled Goreham-Hogg. Trent readied himself, surprised"Is that Goreham-Hogg? How can he still be alive?"

"No, there's something different about this monster's aura" said Arianna.

The monster growled"You've got that right, my name is Hammible. Prepare to die!"

"Guess again" said Trent.

Hammible swung its spiked ball and chain at Trent, who dodged and charged at the monster. Hammible dodged and swung his weapon again, which sent Trent slamming into a wall. The blond got up"That didn't hurt... much."

"Mid-Heal!" Arianna healed Trent before turning her attention to the Goreham-Hogg look-alike and dodging as the monster flung its chained spiked ball down at her. Trent charged forward and stabbed Hammible. The monster retaliated with a spin attack, which Arianna dodged. Trent put away his sword and took out the lance, charging with a thrust. Hammible dodged and swung its weapon, only for Trent to roll out of the way.

"As formidable a foe as this is, I won't let it stop us" said Arianna, slashing Hammible in the thigh. The monster staggered and countered with another swing, only for Trent to intervene with a powerful thrust.

"Now's my chance. Gigaslash!" Arianna's attack knocked Hammible backwards long enough for Trent to stab it. As Trent withdrew his sword, Hammible collapsed.

"That flapping little ham-sandwich went bye-bye" grinned Stella.

"There's something curious about the grotto guardians, come to think of it" remarked Arianna.

Trent addressed the Celestrian"What exactly was he?"

"Hammible supposedly lived in a beautiful palace with an equality beautiful daughter, his rightful form was something else entirely" came a voice. Arianna gasped as she saw the face of a Celestrian man with fair hair and eyes the same color as Arianna's.

Trent was shocked"Who said that?"

Arianna stood, surprised at the man's figure"Father?"

The man nodded"I was once a Celestrian called Harkin, husband to Florianna. Arianna, you've really grown."

"How did you get here?" whispered Arianna.

The Celestrian man shrugged"Lady Celestria has the power to recall people's memories. She's taken the liberty to revive me for a short time, long enough for me to tell you this. The Grotto Guardians are supposedly essences of King Zenus, who mortals and Celestrians alike refer to as the Almighty. Did the monsters not speak when you saw them?"

Arianna nodded"Yes, but how could they be essences of the Almighty?"

"The final two monsters should clue you in on that. But alas, my time is running short. Celestria is expending a part of her power to keep me here in the present to tell you this, perhaps by defeating those monsters, you will eventually help King Zenus regain his true form. It took until not too long ago for Celestria to locate her father's aura and the beings he was split into" replied Harkin, who'd begun to fade.

"Father? Are you leaving again?" asked Arianna.

Harkin nodded sadly"Yes, for the father you see is actually a spirit summoned by Celestria. Tell the young man next to you he'd better take good care of you, your mother told me about him. I leave one final gift to you, my daughter."

Arianna watched as the Celestrian faded back into a star, leaving a map in his place. Arianna picked it up"Hm. This one points to the Lair of Gloom. Let's go back to Stornway and give the ore to Erinn, Trent."

The blond nodded"Yeah. Oh, and was the guy you were talking to your dad? I couldn't see him."

Arianna nodded"Yes, he told me to take good care of him. I didn't expect Lady Celestria to do such a thing for me."

The two exited the grotto and warped to Stornway. Alicia stood outside the inn to greet them"Hey, you two. What took so long? Didn't know you were on a date."

"What? No. The king of Stornway just asked us to retrieve some platinum ore" shrugged Trent.

The three, accompanied by Stella, entered the inn. Arianna headed over to Erinn"Hi, the king had asked me to procure this ore for you. He couldn't spare soldiers to do it, so he had to hire me and Trent instead."

"I see, and what a great job. But Arianna, are you and Trent okay?" asked Erinn.

The blond shrugged"We ran into a few nasty monsters and found another grotto treasure map. I think we're getting close to figuring out the grotto's mysteries, Alicia."

The older blond smiled"Nice job. You sure had me, Conrad, Raymond and Sasha worried, though."

"Sorry, but I could not keep my client waiting" shrugged the Celestrian.

Erinn smiled"Hey, I've been thinking. The next time you guys go out on an adventure, may I tag along? I asked Raymond to give me a few pointers on how to use magic."

Arianna thought for a moment"I can't really say no, so okay. Only, you might want to let me and the others handle the really dangerous monsters."

"I will keep that in mind" acknowledged Erinn.

The group handed the Platinum to Errin who passed it to Stella. Arianna remained downstairs while Trent, Sasha, Conrad, Raymond and Alicia went up to the suites to rest. Erinn and her partner waited until the king of Stornway entered the inn.

"Your majesty, welcome" bowed Erinn.

King Schott nodded"I see you're doing as well as always. I heard about you."

"It is an honor to be known to his majesty. Patty, did you tell him?" asked Erinn.

Patty nodded"Yep."

King Schott inspected the inn before addressing Erinn, taking the time to buy the ore from Stella while he was at it"You have a fine inn. The winner of the Inny contest is undoubtedly you, Erinn. No less is to be expected from the daughter of the Inncredible Inntertainer."

Erinn bowed"Thank you."

The king left the inn, two of his guards were waiting outside to escort him back to the palace.

Arianna went towards the suite, saying good night to Erinn as she went to bed, her thoughts heavy on what she'd just learned.

I hope no one was too put off by the long wait. Only three or four chapters to go, here. And yeah, I did make up a few things after all.

Feel free to review.