Creaking Woods
At the fortress of Baronia… nothing much new goes on as the King and the others continue with their tea party while monitoring Alistor and the party. An incoming call comes in but, the Baronia King is too lazy to answer.
Back down in Emerald, Alistor and party returned home successfully as they unloaded their supply and waste no time getting out continuing their quest to track down Sullivan and his remaining forces.
“Let’s take this loser down.” Maigashi pestered.
They head out with Zolhalla leading the way. It was not long before they arrived through the gates to the region of Mystery walking through a thick jungle. Maigashi suddenly hears a noise from far ahead as they backed away to take a brief cover.
“Are you sure you heard something?” Questioned Alistor
“Just wait… I’m not crazy, the sounds are getting closer.”
The sounds of machines approached nearby passes through without taking any notice to detect them. They got back up as Zolhalla leads the remaining way to the enemy base. They continue moving through the jungle undetected as they reach an off point end of the jungle with a ruin lying with vast amounts of branches and vines.
“So this is the place?” Auroa glanced.
“Some dump of a base to pick if you ask.” Zolhalla pointed out to the hole he made earlier.
Back with Baronia, Sullivan calls for updates on the promised reinforcements. The Doctor was the one to finally answer back.
“That last plan you had was very pathetic. Now with an extra alley added to the roster, how do you plan to take them out?” Questioned the doctor.
“Hey! This was a minor setback. I got it under control.” Sullivan explained.
“Your reinforcement will arrive soon so stop calling.”
The Commander closed his device as he vows to not fail again. Alistor and party meanwhile explores the ruins undetected as Zolhalla tries remembering which way he came through as they searched for broken walls that he burst his way out from each room and floor.
“So why do you ram through walls?” Alistor asked. “Do you ever take doors?”
“It’s the spirit and blood of the excitement that flows through me. A chance to smite evil once again.” Zolhalla explained.
They remained undetected till finding themselves in a room with a big gate blocking their way with as four separate paths of stairs for them to take. They get detected by a new type of machines they didn’t fight.
“What the hell are those?” Maigashi stepped back to arm himself.
Seven robotic wooden fighters that resembled the pawns they fought engaged the party. Alistor makes his way to the right as Tannen takes the front with Zolhalla. Auroa and Maigashi moved their way to the left.
“We’ll just have to find out.” Auroa said.
The fight starts with Alistor making his first move as he poked through one of the two wooden fighters he was facing. His sword got stuck on its chest, it pulled out the sword lifting Alistor as it tossed him away.
“Come on! Get a hold of yourself.” Maigashi pestered.
Tannen and Zolhalla broke through the front as they knocked back three of them in the center while Auroa and Maigashi kept two other fighters at bay.
“It seems these Pawns are more durable than the others. No matter, we’ll just have to hit them harder.” Tannen noted.
Alistor called out Rose Warrior to take on the two fighters. Tannen and Zolhalla finishes the three front ones in a single sweep.
“All you need is one shot!”
Maigashi fired a shot at the wooden fighters head. Auroa tears through another fighter with one flick of his whip.
“Swift and steady.”
Alistor finally got his first one down with enough effort. The second one punched him at the side knocking him down and goes in to kick him from the ground but was saved by Rose Warrior.
“A dirty trick. Well I’ll show you.”
Alistor gets back up to finish the second fighter by knocking into a pool of water short circuiting it.
The other members of the party suddenly checks on Alistor’s. Witnessing the last guard destroyed after falling into water.
“So it seems they break down when exposed to water.” Maigashi pointed.
Alistor then recalls a few pawns short circuiting back in the castle gardens he first fought.
“Why didn’t you mention about it before?” Maigashi bonked him over in an irritated fashion.
“Ow, hey…. It’s not my fault. I didn’t really thought it was worth mentioning at the time.”
Tannen jots the info down for notes as they got back to the choices of rooms they must enter. The huge gate was locked.
“It seems four contraptions need to be triggered in each room.” Auroa said.
“We’ll need to split up.” Maigashi suggested.
The party made a decision to split and meet back at this room once they each activated the switch in that room. Tannen took the room on the farthest left as Alistor takes the room in the bottom left. Zolhalla enters the farthest right as Auroa and Maigashi took the upper right stairs.
The scene starts with Alistor walking along a lonely corridor with no one to talk to. He summons Rose Warrior back from his blade as they conversed for quite a bit before spotting the switch in the highest level of the room.
“No problem I can do this…. It’s just a bottomless dark pit that’s all.”
As Alistor start to have some doubt about himself with the timing he had to make plat forming his way up.
“Don’t worries if you mess up I’ll catch and break your fall.” The Spirit assured.
He leaps his way towards the next platform. The next set of platforms ahead where moving ones as he had keep patience. Rose Warrior continues to watch from the start point. He makes it towards the first moving one and wobbled a bit before regaining balance.
“Almost there.”
The platforms moved their way up as he easily makes his way up with no problems. He makes a final jump clinging to the ledge of the step where the switch lie.
Rose Warrior stayed at bay to react but Alistor made it up with no hesitation. He strikes at the switch to activate it.
“Yes! I did it!” He jumped.
Alistor then loses balance falling over as he screamed in a girly voice down to an endless abyss.
“Hold on!” The Spirit said.
In another room Tannen is confronted by more Pawns. The switch is seen not far from his position.
“Hmm what do I feel like doing?”
Without hesitation he leaps over the Pawns ending the battle in one quick swing. The Tonba Hammer is seen crashing down as machine parts flies out.
Tannen finds his way to the switch on the floor and slams it down.
“All done…”
In the next room Maigashi and Auroa found themselves in was vast and more spread out chamber. The switch located very far off and all the platforms where far from reach from each other.
“So how do you suppose we make it across?” Maigashi wondered. “I can shoot some platforms down but I’ll need a clear shot to hit that switch.”
The two were speculating for the moment
“Option one we can waste time, hoping we would hit the switch from this distance, or we can just get close to it if you’re up to it. It’s your choice.” Giggled Auroa as he awaited Maigashi’s decision.
“What do you mean by that?” Doubting Auroa’s word.
“Well, if you know wind has no true form.”
Auroa started walking forwards as Maigashi wondered. He continues to walk forward till one of his feet was no longer touching grounds. He was one step away to a bottomless dark abyss.
“Are you nuts?” Maigashi yelled. “What do you think you’re doing? You’ll fall unless you got something.”
Still having doubts he approached to Auroa. As Maigashi got close, Auroa took a jump backwards. Maigashi started to freak out as he fell back with his heart beating fast.
“You fool!”
He got back up to look below with nothing but pure darkness.
“Your eyes still deceive you.” Whispered a voice in Maigashi’s ears.
“Am I hearing things…. No it can’t be.”
A hand materialized from thin air behind Maigashi to grab his shoulders. He reacted and burst out shooting arrows at it as the arrows just broke away the form of the hand before he recognized Auroa’s voice.
“Ouch! Got a small cut on me there. Now I need a band aid.”
Auroa materialized in the air floating over the bottomless pit.
“Next time warn me if you pull something like this.” Maigashi pestered.
“Since air has no form it’s everywhere around us. Free and formless, I can move freely wherever I please. Defying gravity.” Auroa continued.
More procrastination started to pass as Maigashi came to a conclusion.
“So if you can just fly. Why don’t you just float up there and hit that damn switch already.” He fired at him.
“Aright! Aright…” Auroa giggled.
Auroa proceeded to press the switch. Meanwhile in the final room, Zolhalla ventures through a hallway. He continues to walk till finding the room with a switch at the end.
“So that’s where it is.”
Sullivan’s wood fighters spawned around to attack by surprise. They all pounced on him with their weapons as he had to break them off.
“You can’t hold me down.”
In one swing he shot off vortexes of red lightning all around to dismantle them. He activates the final switch.
Back in the room with Alistor…. He continues to fall right into the abyss screaming to no end.
“Ahhhhh!!!!”
The Rose Warrior took a leap off the ground falling at super speed to catch him. Bringing him back up to safe grounds.
“Phew…”
After a few short breath’s he looks back at the spirit with an annoyed look.
“If you could just fly in the first place. Why did I had to bother?”
The spirit chuckled back.
“The purpose was to test your courage. To get better understanding of your nature. It was a risk I was willing to take.”
The spirit went back into the blade. Alistor then heads back to meet the others by the main gate.
“Sorry for taking too long. I made it.” Alistor said.
All five met back at the gate as Alistor was the last to arrive. They proceeded into the gate that leads to another hallway. They were now ready to take on the Baronia Kings knight. A light waiting at the end.
“So you finally made it.” The Commander pestered.
They arrive by a large balcony in ruins. The Kings knight appeared before them. Standing atop a pillar. He jumps down and draws out his wooden blade.
“Pesky slime! You lie to me! You’ll regret the day we crossed.” Zolhalla muttered.
As the battle was about to commence. A flashing light crashes down halting everyone for a brief second.
“Another monster?” Auroa whispered.
“Metarrior? What are you doing here?” Sullivan questioned. “Are you the reinforcements?”
Confused, he assumes this was the doctors intended plan. Metarrior quickly brushed Sullivan aside like nothing.
“Hey? What is the meaning of this? I’m the commander. Show some respect.” He raged.
“Back off Wood boy! Leave them all to me.” The monster insisted.
Zolhalla still had his eyes on the king’s knight piece as they continued to stare off. The wooded man called out his remaining guards to back him up.
“Hmph…have it your way then.”
Back at the fortress, the King and the doctor is watches the battle from a viewing screen.
“When everything is in place we’ll fire our satellite laser to hit the field.” The doctor explained.
The King looks back at the Doctor.
“Wouldn’t we risk hitting our knight too?” Wondered the King.
The doctor just giggled a bit in a comedic relief.
“He is no longer is of value to us. Expendable whether he succeeds or not.”
“I like the way you think.”
Down back below…
“Ok, so what’s the plan?” Alistor asks.
Zolhalla had his eyes set on the Commander. They had one monster and twenty guards to also worry about.
“Leave this lying man to me.” Zolhalla insisted.
Zolhalla proceeded to handle Sullivan himself for personal reasons.
Maigashi, Auroa and Tannen along with Rose fighter handles the guards. Alistor is left to face Metarrior with Rose Warrior.
“Let us begin.”
Zolhalla and Sullivan clashed blades. Both jumping and dodging one another attacks.
“Fire the lasers!” Tannen ordered.
Rose Fighter started with the first move shooting a spread of laser shots at the soldiers. Auroa and Maigashi attacks them from the sides while Tannen jumped in from behind.
“Now it’s our turn.”
Alistor and Spirit charged at the deadly monster starting with basic attacks.
“Don’t underestimate me!” Metarrior snarled.
Pillars of lasers came out from the monsters mouth. The monster slapped them both around as they tried hacking away at it.
“This guy’s tough!” Alistor panted.
Zolhalla gets the first punch on Sullivan, sending him back as Tannen and the others had the guards on the run. Metarrior started to shoot out an explosive ball of sludge at Alistor and Rose Warrior.
“Incoming!” The spirit hollered.
They take heavy damage from the impact. Rose Warrior defended Alistor with its own body as a shield, causing some parts of its back to disintegrate.
“You’re badly hurt?” Worried Alistor.
They countered back with a few ranged energy attacks from their weapons but it only pushed the creature back.
“You’ll need more than that to take me down.” Mocked the monster.
The few remaining guards struggled as Tannen and the four closed them in.
Back at the fortress of Baronia, they prepared to fire their laser down at the battle.
“All systems ready. Fire!”
Their canon fired down in a matter of seconds as everyone had no idea what was going on.
“What is that?” Maigashi asked.
“I don’t want to find out. Let’s get back.” Auroa suggested.
Metarrior just ignored the situation as the others pulled back. Zolhalla and Sullivan continues to fight on. The laser distracts the gladiator for a brief moment leaving the commander to make a strike.
“A cheap punk shot.”
He slaps him back away with his sword to counter. The wooded man started to side step and attack forward in an L shape direction.
“Now what are you up to?”
The spider monster continued to fire at Alistor and the spirit as they had to constantly dodge. The monster fire another set of lasers quickly giving them less time for them to react.
“Gah!!!”
Alistor got a part of his leg injured from the monster as the other moved out of harm’s way. The laser above continues hitting on the field.
“This gives me an idea!” Zolhalla snapped.
Each shot from the laser stayed in place for quite a while. The spider monster draws one step closer to Alistor and the spirit struggling to support him.
“You’re caught in my web of lasers!”
Metarrior didn’t hesitate to spray another round as Rose Warrior continued using itself as a human shield. The monster got closer.
“Now’s our only chance!” Alistor yelled.
The two unleashed their attacks hoping it would pierce through the spider.
“Rose Crown Crasher!!!”
The monster takes a considerable amount of damage but it wasn’t enough
Zolhalla knocks the Commander into one of the lasers electrocuting him.
“Now I got you!”
Damage from his red lightning strikes from a distance. He repeated the same process two more times till Sullivan was finally giving in.
“Uncle! Uncle!”
Another laser shot down from the sky as Sullivan was unlucky enough to get hit by it causing him to cower as he tried to escape out from it.
“Oh no you don’t.”
Zolhalla jumped into the electrical laser like a mad man to hold him in place as he suffered more.
“Waaaahhh!!!”
Metarrior prepared another explosive sludge at the both of them Rose Warrior once again covered Alistor as a human shield and took the front as they synced their swords at the same moment for their finisher.
“Crown Crasher!”
“Star Breaker!”
A huge explosion of smoke happen as two finishers collided with the monsters ball of sludge. The two got flung back. Tannen and the other’s watch from a distance away.
“The fight is escalating to its peak.” Tannen noted.
The smoke finally clears away.
“What? It’s still not enough?” Muttered Alistor.
They witness the Mechanized Spider still strong and standing with only a few of its limbs gone.
“HA! You’ll need more power than that to finish me. I have the power of an iron wall far greater than Gunner or Mecha Tiger.”
Back to the other fight, the laser finally dies off as Sullivan was now fried and badly damaged to a crisp. He broke out of Zolhalla’s grasp and makes his way to Metarrior.
“I give! I give! Metarrior! Defend me!” He cried.
Cowering behind the monster, the battle now merged to one.
“You’re now in for a surprise.” Snickered the monster.
Metarrior jumped high and pounced the grounds like a meteor. The three dodged out of harm’s way taking some debris damage. The monster repeated the same attack again.
“This isn’t looking good. We need to think of something.” Alistor said.
Rose Warrior starts whispering it into Zolhalla’s ears as Alistor lie there catching some breath.
“You’ll need to fall back. Leave the rest to us.” Assured the spirit.
The spirit tells Alistor to retreat as they called in Rose Fighter to partake with their plan.
“What are they planning to do?” Maigashi wondered.
“I don’t know…” Alistor shrugged.
Rose Fighter quickly jumps into the field as Zolhalla and the Spirit got in position. Sullivan continues to cower behind Metarrior as it got another explosive sludge charged and ready to fire.
“The three of you don’t have the power to stop me.” Pestered the spider.
The three got their finishing blows ready to go. The Crown Crasher impacts the monster’s sludge. Rose Fighters blasters fired off along with Zolhalla’s heavy red lightning.
“I won’t……fall!!!!!”
Hitting from all sides at once. The three finishers collided with the monster’s sludge causing a great explosion. Energy emits all around as Baronia’s laser purposely shot down.
“I should have been the one and only knight!!!”
Both Sullivan and the monster self-destructs as multiple explosions shot in midair. The doctor back at the Baronia base gave up firing the lasers as the King turned off the viewing screen.
“Soon it will be checkmate for them. Just you wait.” Assured the King.
Nothing was left but a huge pile of scrap and remains as the Alistor and party take their leave. Taking their time back on the road, they proceed to find some insights piecing together on the spirits past.
“So…you guys were once a band of warriors. But lost some of your memories fighting the might’s of Baronia. You can’t even recall your real names?” Maigashi summed up.
“Our fates we share are linked with Baronia.” The spirit nodded. “Whenever they rise we will be around to take them on.”
“Since Zolhalla was sealed he is excluded from our link as spirits.” The Fighter concluded.
Back at the ruins… the Kafkinator arrives to check the scene. Walking slowly.
“So Sullivan…you're finally gone. Good ridden to that fool.”
He continues to stick around a bit longer thinking to himself.
“With him gone now it’s time to get serious.”
A sound suddenly came out from the rubble's of scrap metal as the Kafkinator took notice. A hand came out of the pile and revealed the very weakened and powerless knight.
“Heh… Help…. me!” Begged Sullivan.
The Kafkinator kicked his hand off crushing it.
“Gah! What are…you…doing?”
He laughs at him before saying a few last words.
“You’re a nuisance to me. I never liked you, so die!”
Kafkinator charged up a laser from his fist as he aims it towards his face.
“No….. No….. No!!!”
The Kafkinator blasts away his head. The scene closes with him getting a good view from the balcony for a sunrise.