Ham-Ham the Wandering Black Hamster
Book 1: Journeys
Arc: Journeys in the New World, Chapter 9: Awakening of Evil
Previously:
Grim, the son of the village of Foret's mayor has just returned to find the village in decay from the plague. Seeking to find more answers to the plague, he heads towards ham-Ham's group upon Old Man Bozo's advice.
When Grim finally reached Ham-Ham and his friends, he had to take some time to stare at the motley crew. There was a black hamster with a light black travelling cloak holding a stave/walking stick. Next was a hamster with a sword to his side in a travelers outfit. The last one had an outfit like a travelers gear, but it was more regal and scholarly. Finally, he decided to speak,
"Old Man Bozo said that you guys would know more about his plague."
Shoutaro: "Yes that's correct. First off, the black hamster is Ham-Ham and the one next to him is Rai while I am Shoutaro. What do you want to know?"
"Obviously about the plague, what else would I come to you guys for? Although I must thank you for looking after the victims since the doctor died. You have found a cure after helping all those people right?"
Shoutaro: "Perhaps it will be better if I explained everything. This plague is unlike anything I've seen before. Usually a plague is a virus or something that infects and sometimes kills. However, in this case, it is draining the life out of its victim until they die. The land and building are also affected."
"So what you're saying is that there's no hope," Grim starts to advance onto Shoutaro.
"Dude, you need to chill out and wait for him to explain everything," said Rai as he intercepted Grim.
"Oh, sorry."
"Um-Hum, let me continue. Although we don't know how to cure the victims, we do know where the source is. It's somewhere in the forest out west of the village."
"So why haven't you guys checked it out if you know the general location?"
Shoutaro: "For one thing, it's getting too late today since it is safer to look in a forest in the light. Second, the three of us don't know the forest very well. The third part is where you come in. We are not sure what we'll find in the forest so we wanted you to organize a group because I don't think the other hamsters would listen to us."
"Thank you travelers, I'll go get a group together and we can leave tonight. Don't worry about the forest since I know it quite well."
Ham: "Wait! It's better to set out tomorrow morning. Even if you know the forest very well, we don't know what is in the forest. Whatever is at the source is evil and sets off an unsettling feeling."
"I'd have to agree with Ham-Ham, we wouldn't cause any more deaths."
"Same with Ham-Ham and Rai."
"sigh, you bring up a very good point. I'll get a group to leave next morning."
AN: Yes Ham-Ham just listened for most of the conversation
Time skip – next morning
When Ham-Ham and his friends came out in the morning, they saw Grim with five other hamsters waiting at the village's west exit. One of the hamsters was of course, Old Man Bozo.
Grim: "Finally you three are here, now let's go."
And so the group of nine walked across the plains until they reached the forest.
"Grim are you sure that these three know where the source of the plague is, after all the forest is quite big," said one of the worried hamster in the group.
Of course Shoutaro was quickly to defend the group, "We don't know the exact location, but as we get closer, Ham-Ham can pinpoint the exact location since he is an elder."
"…..Oh.."
Bozo quickly rallied everyone, "Alright young'uns, once we get in the forest, stay close since it is easy to get lost in here, especially since we don't know what could be in there."
Ham-Ham walked to the front and said, "I'll take point since you guys are following me."
As the group walked a good amount into the forest, the other six hamsters felt something wrong with the forest that they've been to throughout the years.
Grim was the first to slow down and speak, "The forest seems too wrong, it feels off and it is oddly quiet."
Ham-Ham replied, "Simple, this plague is literally draining the life from the land itself. The animals have all ran away or are dead. That's why we need to get to the source of the plague and figure out the cause. Let's stop for a while, I need to locate the source."
As the group rested, Ham-Ham sat down and began to focus. He felt for the area where death and decay resided in, the same feeling when he searched yesterday. When he found the area, he snapped up and called to everyone,
"I found it, it's about maybe half a mile northeast in our direction."
The group walked the distance in silence in what seemed to them like forever. As they crossed the foliage, the sight shocked the group. However, ham-Ham immediately noticed something that he had seen before in the mine. The black crystal was quite similar to the one from the mine, but his one was bigger. Since Ham-Ham could now tap into the flow, he could see the life source of the land flow toward the crystal. His proclamation shocked the others,
"That black crystal, all the life that has been drained from the land is going inside that thing!"
The rest of the hamster cried in shock, "What!" even Rai and Shoutaro.
"So that's why the crops have died," stated Bozo.
Insert: booming chuckle/malicious laughter
"Kekeke, quite intuitive little hammie and you old man."
Next to the crystal, many shadowy blobs came together. Eventually it formed something that resembled a Razgriz.
Grim being hot-tempered immediately confronted the unknown entity, "You, you are the one that is causing the plague are you not?"
"(insert crackling laughter) Yes that is me. I started the plague by having this crystal drain the energy from the very land itself. Then using my blood that I teleported from the Nether World to here, I used it to create a virus that decayed people from the inside out. Of course I spread out the virus throughout the plains where you weaklings grew your food. Why do you think only the ones that went to the plains were the first victims?"
The cold truth shocked the villagers of the group; you could see their eyes bulging.
"Oh, it just so easy, all I had to do was spread the virus onto the crops and some of the equipment lying around and wait for your villagers to come in contact with it. Then voila, dying hammies. Although I do wonder how you managed to find me so quickly, but no matter you will all have to die here."
"Dark Image"
The shadows from each of the hamsters rose up and became a shadow copy of each of the hamsters.
"Tell me how will you win when you have to face yourselves?"
AN: Yes the hamsters where armed with pitchforks and other stuff. Shoutaro has his pocketknife.
As the group stood in horror and began to fight their replicas, Ham-Ham realized that he didn't have a shadow copy. He figured that it had something to do with the being an elder or the basil that he ate. Looking up at the black mass, Ham-Ham saw that the black mass was preoccupied watching the other eight hamsters fight.
He looked at the crystal and thought if it was draining the life source of the land then if it was destroyed, life would return to the land. Holding out his left hand, he channeled the flow and murmured,
"Black Lightening"
Although the power of the lightening was not strong enough to destroy the crystal completely, it was enough to form a great crack in the middle of it. This action disturbed the black mass' concentration and the black replicas faded.
"Impossible…..no wait, so that's why you found me so quickly, it's because that boy is an Elder. To think that someone so young could have so much power."
Insert: Confused Rai, Shoutaro, and Grim
"Umm, I think you got me confused with someone else, since I'm an elder"
"There is now way an elder has that much power…unless, wait YOU are an elder with the power level of an master."
This revelation shocked the black mass into a stupor, while Rai, Shoutaro, and Grim simply said,
"Oh" (Insert sweat-drop)
"So then little hammie what rank of elder are you so I may have the name and rank of the one I shall slay?"
"There are ranks for elders?"
The black mass could only gawk at Ham-Ham at how clueless he was. Shoutaro merely face-palmed and turned to Rai and said,
"He's clueless isn't he?"
"Yep," Rai replied cheerfully.
Back to the black thing…..
"I have never met an elder that has been so clueless, but no matter you will be just another elder that I have killed. I am Plaguren the Black Demon and you shall fall before me and My Lord."
With that proclamation, Plaguren revealed himself. The black mass began to come together and formed a creature shaped like a black Razgriz except far more primal with many spikes across his back.
When the other hamsters saw Plaguren, they ran away in fear. However Rai and Shoutaro stayed in faith of Ham-Ham's abilities and Grim stayed since he wanted revenge in one way or another.
Bozo is an old man so he stayed as well. They watched the ensuing battle intently.
"I am Ham-Ham the Wandering Black Hamster and say, is your lord the Black Shadow?"
"…..How do you know his name amongst you mortals?"
"Hehehe, now that's my secret."
"Such insolence!"
With that being said, Plaguren flickered out of existence while Ham-Ham seemingly disappeared. Thanks to Ham-Ham ability to meld into his surroundings, he gained a higher connection with the flow. Despite Plaguren being a demon, he still had the flow, life energy, inside him. Ham-Ham easily feet Plaguren's energy and could react just before his claws reached him.
Plaguren used his senses to smell out Ham-Ham and rushed forward. Ham-Ham brought up his stave to deflect the blow; just barely. With his right arm blocked, he continued his assault with his left arm only to be blocked again by Ham-Ham's staff. This onslaught continued with Ham-Ham slowly being pushed back until Plaguren became tired of his failed attacks.
With his long tail, he flicked Ham-Ham's stave away. Thinking that he had triumphed, Plaguren rushed at Ham-Ham seeking to eat him,
"Now you die foolish mortal."
Plaguren's face turned into horror once he saw Ham-Ham's mouth turn into a wide smirk. Ham-Ham's two words turned the tide of battle around in an instant. Focusing all his power inside his body, he shouted,
"Lightening Armor"
Golden-yellow armor made of lightening formed around his body. The voltage was easily enough to kill any hamster that touched it with how much power Ham-Ham generated. Even though Plaguren is a demon, even he was affected by the voltage. Probably bad luck for him was that it entered directly via his mouth.
The armor generated enough power to nearly incapacitate the demon.
"D-D-Damn you, you t-tricked me. I-If t-this was my real body, you would have fallen before me like those b-before you."
Throughout Plaguren and Ham-Ham's fight, the damage caused by Ham-Ham on the crystal started to crack. By now the crystal became unstable and shattered, releasing all of its stored power. With the crystal gone, the medium that held the Black Demon also disappeared.
As Plaguren started to fade, his words gave a hint of foreshadowing, "You may have won this round, but we will enter this world once more. Remember my name, for I will be the one to kill you; to think I lost to a child."
Ham-Ham started to wobble with all the energy he used and was standing on pure adrenaline. Rai immediately went to help steady Ham-Ham. Grim came up and asked,
"What now?"
"Don't worry; I can feel the land starting to heal, in a few days the land will be back to normal. Thanks Rai, now let's go back and check the victims."
"You going to be okay?" asked Rai.
"Yes, after a long nights rest."
"Come on guys let's start going back," as Shoutaro went to the other side of Ham-Ham and helped him walk. Grim and Bozo led the group out of the forest and back to the village in a slow pace.
The villagers were relieved when they saw the five hamsters return relatively unharmed. One of the hamsters that were in the group came up to Grim and shouted,
"By the Hams, you're still alive!"
"What of the victims?"
"I don't know what happened, but they are all fine now."
"Oh thank the Godly Hams."
With the plague ended, the villagers became much livelier as their lives began return to normal.
Two days later
By now, most of the damage caused by the plague has been fixed and the plains are almost back to normal. The village is bustling with activity this evening as they began their celebration. Grim stepped up to the stage and made his announcement.
"This celebration that we have today is to thank our travelers for all they have done for our village and for saving this village from the plague! Also my honey Bells and I will be continuing our honey moon tomorrow. Now go out and enjoy yourselves."
The crowd cheered and began to enjoy the wonderful food along with dancing, music, and other fun activities.
Ham-Ham, Rai, and Shoutaro had a good time during the celebration, despite being mobbed by females occasionally during the night.
Scene Change – Nether World
Somewhere about the same time in another dimension/world
"My Lord, I'm sorry for my failure."
A single golden eye opened and responded, "It is of no importance, but a delay. However, I'm surprised that my little experiment has gotten so strong, strong enough to beat you albeit weakened."
"Wait, so you knew of him."
"Silence! What you need to know, I shall tell you and what you don't need to know, I shall not tell you." With that the golden eye closed
Another voiced sounded in a sultry manner, "Kekekeke, to think that you would be defeated, has the great Black Demon finally fallen so low to lose to a mere child."
"Grrrr, Shut up Agatha."
Scene Change- Somewhere in the Forest of Elders
"The Black Shadow has once again returned to this world, we must prepare."
"Are you sure Sache, it has been banished to the Nether World by the Ancient Elder's over 100,000 years ago."
"It has, didn't you feel the vile energy in the village of Foret two days ago."
Another voice shouted, "Bah, You old man need to get it with the changing times, this is an era of peace."
A female voice resounded, "Why not call a vote?"
"Very well then," said Sache.
A round of hands went up and down. However, only three of the thirteen hands rose in acknowledgement that evil has once again returned to the world. Perhaps by not preparing, the Council of Elders may have just doomed their world, only time shall tell.