Tok… Tok tok… Tok tok… – The disorderly sounds of footsteps beckon, pulling on the heart strings of the hooded figure. It sits curled up like an embryo, barely illuminated by the blue ambience radiating from the fluorescent growth under its snuggled body. The only visible trait of this being is the piercing gaze of its glassy eyes, opaque with the reflection of the surrounding area. The two round oculi remain trained on the end opposite to its resting place.

Across the courtyard the sound travels, moving from the edge where columns rise. Here, stone brick pillars stand upright, connected by fabric woven out of iron spears and crossbars. Amidst this custodian formation is an arched opening with a metal overhang. It's decorated by a plain disk which radiates many feathered wings in all directions, while a trio of triangles hover below it. Its rusted state hints at its centuries-long existence. An insignia from ancient history left flaking away piece by piece with no one to look after it, like everything else on these unkempt grounds.

The mysterious creature observes the curved entrance, concentrating on the aural waves that reverberate toward it. Remaining motionless, it's seemingly unable to decide whether it should go or stay. Though this uncertainty doesn't last long. Interrupting the beat of irregular walking, the little gray riding hood springs upward. Fwomp! – using a fluffy arm, which was tucked away prior, launches itself on its fuzzy feet. Stomp! – and begins running toward the entrance. Tap! Tap! Tap! – while its soft padded paws barely make any noise.

From behind a castle looms over, cluttered by curving pathways and bridges, towers and balconies – all rundown and destroyed. Yet the giant structure continues to stand high, reaching so far up that it vanishes into the abyss above. Into a dark, starless sky so overwhelming that, surely, if one were to stare long enough into it, something may just stare back. And yet the surrounding area maintained its incandescence, coming from the flora that has overgrown these legendary ruins.

The figure dashes across crooked tiles, misshapen by the overtaking roots that clamp together. These gnarled tendrils wrap tightly around each other, forming thick, twisted trunks throughout the cobble setting. These trees possess a glowing aura too, emanating from their plump fruits that dangle from curly root-branches. Like decorative lamps, they populate the area, giving a touch of life to an otherwise somber sight. Upon crossing this deteriorating plaza the beast comes to a rest under the archway. While waiting at the top, without taking a single descending step, it looks down at the nearing strangers as a thought bubbles in its mind: [They're here!]

Stomp! Clink! – Two pairs of legs intrude the peacefully cold ground. The invaders are so vastly different from each other that you could see the contrast from afar. One is forged in metal while the other partly wrapped in spikes and leather. Their posture is stiff, with the whole body appearing in an apprehensive pose, startled by the suspicious silhouette atop the stairs. The subject of their concern calmly brings its soft mitten hand out from under the covers, placing it before the mouth. "Ahem-ahem." – It clears the throat, preparing to use its long neglected voice, and dramatically announces:

"Welcome, Heroes!" – The words cascade downward to the travelers.

"Who the hell is that?" – The leathered one speaks to the other. "Tell him to eat shit, Kris." – They say, leaning over to their partner dubbed as 'Kris'.

"Tell him yourself." – the steel character brushes off the snouted figure's request. "Okay, fine, pussy." – they reply, straightening back out.

"EAT SHIT, ASSHOLE! FALL DOWN THE STAIRS!" – the vulgar maw roars so loudly, frightening even the surrounding stone with the magnitude of its voice. The hooded figure was taken aback by such a powerful greeting. The shiny stranger, however, seemed unfazed and disappointedly covered their face, as if this kind of behavior was typical. Shortly after, they begin to slowly rise up the uneven cobble steps.

"Wh-what?" – the gray hood quietly asks under its breath: "Umm... Uhm... Huh?" – confused and afraid it takes a few steps back, making room for the approachers. It watches the stairway's horizon, as footsteps get louder. Their heads peek out, followed by their bodies, arms and legs. Finally, they step upon the higher ground with their boots, at level with the cloaked beast. The wind rushes past these three while they are locked in a standoff. With a sense of unease hanging in the air, the hooded beast examines the interloping guests before it.

Its attention first falls on the boisterous one to the left, an imposing figure with its chest puffed outward. From the peak of its somewhat towering physique, scruffy hair, dyed in a strong vermilion color, trickles down way past the shoulders. The tangled fuzz covers much of the face but sharp eyes cut through the enveloping strands. A stout nozzle points up, embellished by the irritated presentation of pointy teeth, shimmering in gold. The cheeks are spattered by freckles, akin to blots of faint red paint upon a pink skin canvas. Vigorous arms sprout from a leather vest, beneath which lies a ragged piece of fabric covering the rest of the torso. One of the shoulders bears the weight of a steel pauldron, while both of the wrists are adorned by leather bands, all of which are decked out with spikes. The ragged pants are shielded at the top by a dilapidated skirt made of thigh protectors, all held up by numerous belts, through which a small battle-worn axe is put through. At the bottom, boots are wrapped in cloth and string, with more spikes at the tip of the toe. It's a woman, seemingly a warrior, a quite uncommon sight.

The traveler on the right is a man of a smaller frame than the woman. His untidy, deep blue hair is cut short at the base of the neck. Showing little emotion, he exudes less confidence than the dragon. Dressed in knightly armor from neck to toes, from shoulders to fingertips, he stands slightly hunched over with only his head showing his light cyan skin. Contrasting the face is a red cape which seems shortened by its torn apart condition, swaying in the air with its ragged tendrils. His chest plate is engraved with some insignia and all his armor pieces seem to be of different shape and design. At his waist he has one single belt with a sheath attached that possibly hides a dagger. He gives off a feeling like he desperately doesn't want to be here. The difference between them seems like night and day and yet there is a feeling that something binds them together ever so tightly.

Their attire all looks absolutely terrible, downtrodden and disheveled, as if they came straight from some messy battle. Yet the looks on their faces lack a killer's gaze, something a veteran of combat would pick up on, even through the bluffing posture of the pink dinosaur. After this prolonged moment of awkward silence the beast takes a moment to recompose itself. Closing his eyes, he takes a very deep breath, only to be surprised once he opens them: [W-Wha?!] – Is all he can think in response to a fist headed straight at him. Pow! – The cloaked figure is hit in the face by dragoness knuckles, sending him toppling over to the ground.

"Susie!?" – The 'Kris' shouts in shock.

"What?"

"W-Whyy did you do tha-a-at?" – He asks with irritated confusion.

"He's the same guy who attacked us, I'm sure of it."

"Wha-Huh?! You can't know that!"

"… Would you really rather wait to find out?"

"Uh, eh… Preferably…"

Susie doesn't respond, instead her gaze shifts focus onto the fallen victim of her attack. Kris joins in, standing next to her in contemplative silence, until he decides to voice his curiosity:

"Wh-uh... What was he saying?"

"Dunno, some gibberish."

Grunts expel from the raggy pile, as it tries to get up.

"Oh, damn. Looks like he's still awake." – She starts shuffling closer to the poor thing with a lazily pompous stride.

"Don't- tsk, Susie!"

"I'm jus'gonna ask who he is. You wanted to know, right?" – Pouncing down at the gray hood, she snaps her hands at the thick cloth, latching on with her razor finger tips. Kneeling on his body, she pins him down, keeping his arm secure.

"A'ight, choke it up. Who are you?"

The stranger doesn't say anything back.

"What're you, deaf?!" – She shakes the unfortunate fella violently, forcing out hopeless noises. "Who are you? And what's up with this place, huh? Why is it… in a closet?" – She receives no reply, instead only a pitiful glare of fear.

"Susie, you… You're scaring h-"

"Uoy dnatsrednu… t'nodi." – [I don't… understand you.] - He utters, yet the two heroes look at him confused.

"Uhhh… What? Say again?"

"Thgif ot tnaw t'nodi, ogem tel esaelp." – [Please let me go, I don't want to fight] - He speaks again.

The duo looks at him trying to wrap their head around what he's saying. That is until Kris resumes the talking: "Susie, uh, leave him alone… He doesn't even speak our language."

After a big sigh, she says: "Yeah… I got that." – Susie frustratingly hisses through her teeth, dangling her head down in irritation. She rises up and stands back next to Kris. The two start talking while the tarped mound tries its best to get back on its feet.

"So… What now?"

"We keep walking. Not like we can ask this guy for directions." – Susie talks while the figure in the back is rummaging through its heavy attire, trying to find something.

"Right… But he seemed like he wanted to talk to us."

"Y-o-u wanna try making first contact? Go ahead. ~I'm~ gonna find someone who speaks English."

She-e-en! A bright sparkle diverts attention to itself, emitting from the hooded figure. At the tip of their fingertips is a teeny orb of white light, while in its other hand a dense, worn-out journal is held tightly. The little sparkle appears to float gently through the air, headed toward the foreign couple. They stand there anxiously stunned.

"Kris… What is that?"

"I… I don't know."

The orb levitates toward Susie. As it gets uncomfortably near, she leans away from it and eventually starts backing up. Ralsei notices her apprehensiveness and tries to reassure her:

"Uh… Ti-tie, hcuot ot desoppus er'uoy!" – [Uh… N-No, you're supposed to touch it!]

"Te' hell he saying?"

"Um…" – Kris hums as they both stare at Ralsei, who tries again at communicating: [Touch! Touch!] – he makes motions with his off-hand, first motioning at the air then tapping his book.

"I think he wants us… To touch it?"

"Nah I ain't touching nothing." – Susie says as she keeps slowly getting away from the approaching glow, eventually hiding behind Kris. The orb now approaches him.

[What is this? Some insect? I can't see anything… Just a glow. Feels unreal.] – He reaches out his hand as he glances at the stranger, who is nodding. [I guess… I can trust this guy?] – He grabs it, the light fading with his overlapping hand. A snippet of time passes with nothing happening. Kris and Susie both wait with anxious anticipation while the figure doesn't seem to emote.

Fwim~… – the orb flies out of his clenched hand, simply phasing through. [W-What?] – Kris tries grabbing it again and again but it keeps passing through.

"You don't need to grab it more than one time." – Kris hears an unfamiliar voice off to the side. He looks and sees only the cloaked person. "Hi." – The stranger casually says

"H-Hi..?"

"Looks like we can understand each other now. Is that right?"

"Uh… Yeah."

"The fuck is going on?" – Susie juts in, confuzzled by the situation.

"Uh… Susie. Uhm… How-"

"Tell your friend that she has to touch the orb as well if she wishes to understand me." – Ralsei says, helping Kris direct his thoughts.

"R-Right. Susie, you… You have to touch the orb."

"Huh?"

"To… understand. To speak to him."

Susie's eyes narrow in disbelief from the nonsense she's hearing. Without much choice, she tentatively reaches for the glowing spot, only to have her hand pass through it as well.

"Hello!" – Ralsei says with a wave.

"... Hey."

"With this, we can communicate now!" – He says, pointing at the orb as it pulsates with each word said.

"Who are you?" – Susie interjects, without a second of pause.

"Oh, umm, well… I am a Prince!"

"A prince?" – She parrots with a slight chuckle.

"Yep! Uhm… A Lonely Prince of… Something." – He pauses for a mere moment, to take another quick breather.

"Something… Something what?"

"It's been quite long, I kinda forgot… eh-hehe."

"What?" – [What?!] – Susie's voice echoed Kris's bewilderment.

"You see, I've been waiting here… for what feels like a lifetime. Waiting for Heroes to arrive…" – His speech is accompanied by silence, the other two being clearly uncertain of what they should say. With a small jolt, the prince continues: "So, Dear travelers! There's a legend in this land. A fable that tells of three heroes that one day will appear and… save the world from eternal dark. An ancient prophecy foretold by Lords of Light. Have you heard of it?"

"Nope."

"Oh, then, would you please listen to the tale?"

The two exchanged glances at each other and then turned their eyes back to the Prince. With caution in her voice, Susie replies: "Uh… I guess?"

"Wonderful! Ahem-ahem…" – After a short pause, he begins: "For millennia, Light and Dark lived in balance and all was well as could be. The Lords of Light gave shape to these lands and from the shadows they cast, the Darkners were born. The Darkners inhabited the grassy hills, rocky mountains, and the forested planes, divided by lively rivers, peaceful lakes and open seas, all of which was given to them graciously by the Lords."

"The Darkners worshiped the Lords and in return the Lords made sure to make the harvests plentiful, the animals bountiful and clear any turmoil that may live in their hearts. All lived peacefully in respect to one another, warmed by the rising Sun, illuminated by the glowing Moon and guided by the shining constellations that filled the night sky."

"Uu-fuuaaawh-ah… Aaauwhh." – Stretching her maw wide open, Susie enunciated her boredom.

"uhh… um, then… Then one day the Lords stopped answering their prayers. The voices that would previously always be there, leading them down the correct path, were now dead silent and in the end even the Sun, Moon and Stars abandoned them, sending them back into their primal crib of darkness."

"And only when all hope seems lost, Three Heroes will appear at the world's end. A Knight, a Brute and a Lonely Prince. Only they can bring Light back into this world, seal the Dark Fountains and vanquish the Overseer of the End."

"Today, the earth is in its twilight years and soon it will draw its final breath. Enveloped by the strangling void, the ferocity of which has been greatly intensified by the Fountains of the Dark. They spew something truly evil up into the sky and all around the kingdom, threatening the last bastion of civilization. If it were to collapse, then the little light that's left in this world would be snuffed out forever…"

The duo stand speechless.

"Uh… So…" – The story teller anxiously tries to continue: "Th-Thank you for listening to

my lengthy tale. I believe you two very-well-could-be the Heroes of the Legend. That despite whatever struggles you may face or enemies you may encounter… You'll have the courage to persevere and save the world." – He says and then dramatically reaches his fluffy paw out toward them.

"Oh, mighty warriors, please, will you accept your destiny and join me on our sacred journey?"

Quiet is the space between them, Kris and Susie are visibly troubled by such a proposal. Susie turns her head to the side, hiding her face amidst her hair. Kris takes his eyes off the Prince and stares somewhere far away, lost in thought. Eventually Susie looks back around, straight at the Prince.

"Uhhh… Nahhh…" – Susie rejects with a nonchalant smile, the razor smugness nearly spanning her entire snout.

"What? W-why?" – The Prince asks, desperate for an answer, slightly tilting his head.

"Me? A Hero? Ha! Ha-hahaha! You're joking! You hearing this crackpot, Kris?" – Susie howls and snorts from copious amounts of laughter.

"Y-You must do this! Without you, the world will surely…"

"And why the hell should I?" – She growls back, instantly ceasing the joyous demeanor. "It's not like the world's worth a damn." – With a mere second pause, she continues: "Ooh~ Hey! Kris! This means we can skip class. Since the world is ending and all, I don't think our grades matter anymore." – the gal finishes with a returning grin, as she leans on Kris, wrapping one of her sturdy arms around his neck.

[That's what you got out of all of that?!] – Kris thinks while making a questioning expression at the care-free-behaving dragoness. It is true, as evident by Susie's own words, these two were mere high school students, not heroes of any kind. They had their own lives to live rather than be bothered by the fate of the world. Though it is unclear how they got here, and why'd they'd be dressed in the way that they are… Perhaps that'll be known later.

"Either way, Kris, if you wanna play pretend with this weirdo, be my guest. I'mma try-find a way out." – She begins to leave this scene, going past the Prince.

"Susie! You must listen-" – the Prince tries to stop her, but gets promptly interrupted, again. Swish-Pomf! – The pink menace spins around and grabs the gray cloak by the collar.

"How about you listen, you little twerp. Don't use my name so casually, creep." – She gets right up to his face: "I'm still not over the thought of you being the one who jumped us. A guy wearing black with a hood, and right after he's gone, you show up? Trying to play us, huh?!"

"What?! No, no, no!" - The prince spluttered in his hood, trying to get away.

"L-Look out!" – Shouts Kris, noticing a fast-moving silhouette speeding at them. For a split moment he sees it throw something, but before the other two can register the warning, an explosion of smoke engulfs them all.

The quick moving object enters the gray cloud and a yelp can be heard. Out flies the Prince,

knocked back toward the stairs and sent barrelling down to where the two heroes came from. Following the poor fur ball is the attacker, he drifts before the steps and speeds back around while Kris and Susie flee from inside the suffocating fumes.

"What the- Khack kheugh- hell?" – Susie coughs out.

"The Prince- Khuh- kha… Where… Where did he go?" – Kris asks, darting his eyes around. He sees a shadow turn toward the castle's wooden gate, screeching to a halt behind the smoke cloud, out of view.

[That person… It's him! The attacker from before!] – Kris thought. "Susie! It's-" – His attempts to warn Susie are cut short by a weird laughter.

"Ho-Ho-Ho!" – It echoes, as the two quietly glare at the source of the laughter, coming from behind the separating clouds of smoke. Once the obstruction fades completely, a small hooded person on a bike is revealed.

Kris tried to examine this cycling menace. [Wha- What is he? … Just a kid? He looks… Human? Yet his skin is so unnaturally pale.] – Kris noticed the kid wore a blue hoodie, cut short at the shoulders, adorned by a dark spade symbol in the middle. His uncovered, ashen arms were fitted into blue mittens, while his legs, dressed in puffy shorts which fastened near the knees, ended in rubber boots. Covering his upper face was a dark shape that resembled a spade, with only his jovial smile visible. Sitting upon his kiddie bicycle, he looked very ridiculous.

"Era eht seoreh gninnur rof rieht sevil ydaerla? Deracs foyb ym roirepus gnithgif ytiliba? Jee, ym s'Dad yllatot annog ekam em 'Nos fo eht Htnom'!" – He talks, which means:

[Are the heroes running for their lives already? Scared off by my superior fighting ability? Gee, my Dad's totally gonna make me 'Son of the Month'!] – The foe speaks a foreign tongue that the two heroes, again, have no hope in understanding. The little enemy shifts his weight to the other side of the bike with the handle squeaking upon turning. He postures confused, tilting his head and says:

"Uoy syug t'nera a evitaklat chnub, hoh, leww, esoppusi L'i ecudortni flesym yawyna." – Meaning:

[You guys aren't a talkative bunch, huh, well, I suppose I'll introduce myself anyway.] – He says, continuing to be oblivious of the language barrier. He begins to wind up for something.

[I'm–!] – Spinning around on the bike, he dramatically reveals out loud that he's: [The Bad Guy!]

The pair stay silently still for a bit, glaring with perplexed expressions.

"Oh God, another gibberish babbling idiot." – Susie grumbles under her breath.

"Where… Where's the Prince?" – Kris speaks quietly along with her while searching the area with his eyes.

"Hmphf, probably tucked and ran like a coward."

"… Susie, this is the one who attacked us before."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Yeh, re'tahw uoy gnittach tuoba?!" – [Hey, what're you chatting about?!] – The kid shouts, annoyed by their asocial behavior. The two continue to just silently stare back.

"... What do we do?" – Kris whispers.

"Just wait for him to get closer"

"Enif! On erom gniklat neht!" – [Fine! No more talking then!] – With these words, his tires squeal and he accelerates forward at our heroes.

As the attacker drew near, Kris hastily thought what to do. He fumbled with his waist, eventually managing to pull out the dagger he had on him. [Wait for him to get closer and then what? Su-u-sie-e-e…?!] – His mind panicked as he glanced at his partner, expecting some sort of reassurance. Yet, a shove is all he receives from her, making him nearly trip over a misaligned tile.

"Outta the way! This brat is mine." – Susie pulls out her rusted battle axe with one swift move, turning the blade around to use the dull side. She stares with a confident mug. [One quick smack and I'll win. Hopefully I don't hit too hard… Though, not like I care about some random kid.] – She's ready, but is off-put by something she notices: [He seems unarmed, but before… He must've been throwing something at us. No, more like shooting…?]

Clap! – Lancer smacks his hands together, making a loud pop. "Lance Vance Dance!" – He announces, as he quickly pulls his arms apart, while stopping his bike.

[Te' hell is he-?] – "Uegghh!" – Before Susie can finish, something hits her, forcing her to let out a guttural sound. She is flung backwards against the metal fence, hitting it hard that it bends and snaps the iron bars, shaking off the rusted chunks. Her axe flies out of her hand, slipping under the fence and falling off the edge into the darkness below. "Susie!" – Kris cries out, observing his incapacitated friend while worried thoughts overwhelm him. [No no no… This can't be happening!] – Kris freezes stiff, a cold sweat runs through his body. Unable to seemingly do anything, he stands dug in by the roots of fear.

"Eyesllub! Ho ho ho! Leef ekil gnikaeps item won, hoh?" – [Bullseye! Ho ho ho! Feel like speaking to me now, huh?]

"Lance! Vance! Dance!" – With every word he does a funky pose. "Hohohoho!" – He laughs his laugh and rotates to Kris: "Er'uoy txen, eulb yug!" – [You're next, blue guy!]

[What…?]

"Lance!"

[What?]

"Vance!"

[W-What?!]

"Dance!" – Clap!

[No!] – Kris cowers down, hiding his head amidst his metal arms. Tonk! Tink! – [Ugh?!] – Something hits him, yet he doesn't catch what it was, not even seeing a blur. Though his armor dampened the blow, it still managed to knock him off his feet, making him fall down with a clanging noise. [What was that?!] – Kris thinks as he stresses to sit up and look back at the enemy.

"Tsk- S'tahw gnorw? Uoy syug era emal!" – [Tsk- What's wrong? You guys are lame!] – Lancer shouts in disappointment at the fallen knight, who's looking back with a pitiful expression of fear. [I don't understand… I don't understand what's going on?!] – Kris thinks as he shifts his focus to Susie, who is still motionless. He stares as thoughts overlap, forcing him to be paralyzed by indecision.

Heavy groans and grunts expel from the toppled dinosaur, as she lays against the broken iron net that barely prevented her fall to the floor below. Susie looks at her body and notices she is bleeding from her abdomen, barely visible through the cloth. The pain from her impact caused thoughts to race through her mind: [Ughh- Shit! Shit! Shit! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! "Destiny" my ass!] – She says as she looks at her blood covered hand. [That shmuck, what kinda shit destiny was he talking about? Where the fuck is he?!] – She slowly tries to get up as her heartbeat races.

"Yllaer hguoht… etc" – [Really though, I never had such weak opponents. I'm not interested in playing anymore, I'll just leave you, losers, up to the Royal Guard.] – He giggles, protruding his tongue outward. His face shifts to a more neutral emotion as he scratches his head and looks around. [Though now that I think about it, where's the third guy? Did he run away without fighting? Aw what the heck! Owhp.] – Lancer curled up into himself, while darting his eyes around. [I got too frustrated, I should watch my tongue.] – He says under his breath.

"... Y-y-oo-uu-h…" – A strained voice grabs Lancer's attention. He turns toward the source, seeing a struggling Susie, trying to stand up. [Ho? You can still move?] – Lancer asks, as the hero shakingly stands to a still, returning to her upright demeanor. In an instance, she straightens out and ceases any swaying in her stance.

[Huh… I guess you're pretty sturdy. Well, I really don't want to fight such sad losers. So I'll be on my way…] – With a jolly cadence, he begins to turn around and leave the scene, until: [But not without giving you both one last thrashing!] – Wearing a cheeky grin, he clapped his hands together. Yet before he can announce his attack, Susie's eyes lock onto him, wide open from a mix of fear and anger. A gleaming flare, emanating from her left hand, breaks her focus away from her foe. Spinning flat around her palm is a ghostly image of an axe. As if a propeller attached to her hand, it rotates in such a way that it phases through the rest of her arm. She tries catching it, gripping the handle with a firm grab. Boom! It explodes into reality and becomes opaque. The pole is intricately decorated by many patterns and upon its tip a cracked axe blade sits with the edge dabbed in a teal color. She stares dumbfounded by what she's seeing.

"Oh, you're a stand owner too?!" – Lancer asks with a sudden friendly tone.

"... What?"

"Don't act dumb! If you were a stand owner, why didn't you use it?"

Susie has no response.

"Oh, I know! I know! My attack must've scared you so much that you forgot you had one!"

"W-What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Those are bad words, miss."

"M-Miss?!" – [Why in the shit can I understand you now?] – She makes a painful expression while her brain tries to process what is happening. She continues: "Ughh… I must've hit my head pretty hard…" – She grabs her forehead, massaging it. "Somehow, I can speak to you now. So, let me ask: who the hell are you?"

"Me? I already told you! I'm… *spin* The bad guy!"

"… What?"

"I'm… *spin* the bad guy!"

"Fuck off"

"No."

[What's going on…? How… Are they talking?] – Kris thinks as he listens to a bizarre conversation between two languages. One being English and the other… Well, he doesn't know. At the same time Susie looks down at her body in worry: [I can feel the blood… Going down my leg, under my clothes. I don't feel pain though… It's just numb. That can't be a good thing.] – Susie closes her eyes and tries to think of what to do, but she isn't quite sure. She half-heartedly tries to tell the enemy to leave them alone:

"Look, how about you hit the road before I make you eat it."

"Ha, nice try! But such convincing words do not work on me! Now that I know you have a stand, that makes you punks the prime suspects. I won't let you destroy our Dark Fountains!"

"uhh… What?" – she hums bemused.

"Don't try to deny it! We both know that you two clowns will head toward the Darkner castle. To close the fountains, and - STILL picturing you guys as Clowns - Save the world from Eternal Darkness! It may be your only way home but I, The Dark Lancer Vancelot won't let you go there!" – he pauses while he thinks. "Or… you can just call me Lancer."

[Our only way… home?]

"I've even got a flawless two-step plan to ensure it! Step one: I thrash you. Bing! That's done! Step two: You lose! Bing, that too! So you can give up on your dream of being Heroes right now, unless you want a repeat!"

"Ha… Hahaha. Hahahaha…"

"W-What's so funny?"

"It's just… Hehe… Step two is funny."

"What, why?"

"Why? Well… Cus I haven't lost yet."

"Huh?"

[I said that but what the hell am I gonna do?] – Susie wavers, her vision falling to the ground only to get swayed toward the sparkling axe in her hand. [This axe though… It's giving me a feeling, a feeling of unparalleled confidence.]

Lancer's confused face changes to a more confident and excited one: "Pfff-hmf-ho! Ho-ho! Try me, loser!" – He claps. Projectiles form. They aim their points at Susie and fly at her.

[That's-?!] – Susie swiftly dodges the offense by simply sidestepping and turning her body. The large, flat bullets hit the fence, breaking it apart completely. Kris is astonished: [What the…? Susie… dodged! She avoided something… Something invisible!? How…?]

"Oh, looks like this will be fun after all! Here, try dodging this!" – Lancer claps some more and along with it more projectiles materialize.

Susie observes the incoming danger: [I can see them now! White, spade-shaped objects, flying at me as fast as a thrown baseball. Which isn't very fast… for me.] – Susie's eyes widen, her vertical pupils stretch toward the edges of her iris. She dodges again, more fly at her but she continues to evade effortlessly.

"Hey… Stop doing that." – Lancer says, but Susie isn't keen on listening to his advice. Instead choosing to respond with mockery, sticking her own tongue out and pulling down on her left eyelid. "Bleeuuugh, can't hit for shit? Who's the clown now?" – She says but soon after gets hit in the leg, falling forward on her arms. [Where the hell did that one come from?!]

"Ha! Got you!" – Says Lancer, as he claps, ready to send another barrage of spades.

[I… I have to do something… Something!] – Kris thinks, standing somewhat far behind Lancer he desperately tries to muster the courage to approach and attack him.

A new fleet of spades forms, without enough time to get away, they shoot off in the direction of Susie. [Ahh shit!] – Is the single thought in her mind as she tries a desperate measure to avoid getting hit. She swings her large axe, hoping it'd do something. Bam! – The spades shatter and whizz past, barely hitting. "Hngg?" – She peeps, hiding amidst her arms. Eventually she realizes that she's fine.

[What… What did she do? She punched the air…?] – Kris stands there. He's taken aback and has no comprehension of the situation at hand, for he cannot see the projectiles, nor the axe. He looks at the enemy, seeing an opportunity to attack. [He… Clearly shoots something. I defended against it once… I can do it again…]

"Huh?! What happened…? My spades just… fizzled away?" – As Lancer says this he notices Kris sneaking up to him, reflected in his bike mirror. He twists around, with a clap he directs his spade onslaught at the knight, who reacts by covering himself in his ironclad gauntlets. The large bullets hit all over but he resists the powerful force by leaning forward, keeping himself on his feet.

"Kris! You dumbass!" – Susie leaps across the cobble floor, throwing her whole body into a swing at Lancer. Before she can hit him, the kid fades from her vision. She continues to fly forward, crashing into Kris. They latch together and roll for a short distance, once they stop, Susie exhales frustration as she pushes him off her:

"Gahh What the HELL Kris? Didn't I tell you to stay out of it?" – She barges him away from her.

"Oh come on, What did I do wrong?" – He grunts as he tries to get up along with Susie, muttering a comment: "Ughh, you hurt more than that kid…" – They look around for the little nuisance, but Lancer seems to have disappeared somewhere, potentially dodging the attack.

"Hohoho!" – A familiar sound echoes from above.

The heroes look up only to see a floating bicycle with that goofy kid on top of it. "Eat spade, clown! You're too slow! Bleeeuuuggh!" – He sticks his tongue out.

[This brat is getting on my nerves, how did he…? Oh, I see] – Susie notices him holding onto a spade above his head. [That's how, huh.] – She realizes the kid must've used the projectile as a lift, making him fly in the air as he holds onto it. "Kris, you okay?" – Before Kris can respond, Lancer interrupts.

"Now for my actual attack!" – Lancer declares, allowing Susie to prepare herself. "L-V-D!" –

letting go of the thing that held him up, he slams his entire arms together: "Spade… Thrash!" – He shouts with great conviction as he falls through the air. He pulls the arms apart, between them a large armada of spades appear, varying in sizes and many in number, way more than before. They snap their points at the two clumped together targets and then take off all in the same instance.

"You're done for, Loser!" – Lancer confidently exclaims.

"Oh? Is that all you can do?!" – Susie shouts as she swings at the coming projectiles. Her axe

passes through the array of bullets, practically destroying them all. This comes as a massive shock to Lancer, uttering a loud "Huh?!" as he falls to the ground with his bike. He voices his dismay: "No one can just destroy my Spade Thrash!" – He begins to back up with haste.

"Your spades ain't shit! How bout' try using a shovel?" – The towering monster approaches the child.: "For digging your grave, that is." – She tops off.

"What?!"

Susie swings her axe at the boy as he claps again, trying to get away but it's too late. Susie's reach is too far and she cuts through him completely as he's flying back. The boy and his bike seem to have been sliced in half by the powerful blade and it seems like Lancer may be no more. That is until the bike lands on a wheel and on top an unharmed child remains, balancing on a broken bicycle that has been sliced in half. "Wait, wait a second! My bike's totaled! Alright, you punk-a-roos! You had the luck of the draw this time, but… Next time, the losers will be YOU!" – He shouts, while riding the singular wheel with the front wheel handle part in his hands. "Hahaha! Bye, losers! I gotta get home before dinner!" – He skedaddles away on his new unicycle. As he leaves the scene, Susie places the axe on her shoulder, taking a deep sigh. Kris looks at her and then begins slowly approaching her.

"Susie! A-Are you okay?"

"Course I am, you think I couldn't teach some punk ass kid a lesson? Especially when I had this nice axe"

"W-What axe?"

"Huh? This right here-..." – She looks at her shoulder but the axe isn't there anymore. "Huh… I guess it's gone now." – She murmurs to herself.

"Uhh, S-Susie…? What is that?" – Kris says pointing down at her leg, that is drenched in dark red.

"That's… Just a scratch, you k-know…" – she says as she begins to waver. Her face is sweat covered and her expression seems strained.

"S-Susie?"

She collapses and Kris barely grabs her by her loose clothes, softening her fall. Kris crouches down to her. "Susie! Susie!?" – He shouts but gets no response. Her eyes are closed and she's limp. She's bleeding enough that Kris's hands are already stained by it.

[What the hell… How? No…] – Susie! – Kris shouts one last time and stays silent, stunned and not knowing what to do. There's no hospital nearby, they're in an alien world, the situation surely seems hopeless if not for divine luck being on their side. The prince has finally appeared at the steps from whence they came…

To Be Continued… -

END OF CHAPTER

Some Comments:

Dreamer Hearts is put on an indefinite hiatus, until it either gains traction or I move out to live on my own.