Rudy, Jack, Cecilia, Hanpan, Emiko, Jane, Pesmerga, Clive, Hanzo, and Kuromimi entered the item shop in the Great Forest. "This is the place," Pesmerga said.
Rudy started to walk towards the stairs. "Excuse me," the owner of the shop said. "You can't go up there."
"We've got ARMs, Fast Draw, magic, a wind rat, and a ninja, but we can't get by an unarmed shopkeeper," Jane said.
Emiko tried to cast Sleep on the shopkeeper, but nothing happened. Clive fired his Tempest ARM, but the bullets just bounced off the shopkeeper. Pesmerga raised his sword and marched towards the stairs. The shopkeeper remained in front of him, unflinching.
Jack ran towards the stairs. The shopkeeper moved to get in his way. Jack swung his sword, but the shopkeeper stood still in front of him.
Suddenly, Hanpan shot out from Jack's coat and bolted by the innkeeper. "Hey!" the innkeeper said, grabbing for Hanpan. Hanpan flew through his hands and darted up the steps.
"Go, Hanpan, go!" Jack shouted.
Hanpan hurried up the steps to the upper floor. Stallion, Kirkis, Rubi, and Sylvina were playing poker with Ted, Windy, and Odessa. Having failed to get the Soul Eater any other way, Windy was now trying to win it at cards.
Hanpan scurried up behind the elves. Kirkis had a length of rope in his belt. Just what he needed. The wind rat stealthily crawled up next to Kirkis's leg and put his front paws on the rope. Slowly, he eased it out of Kirkis's belt and ran for the window.
"Huh?" Kirkis said, turning.
"Hey, somebody got up the stairs," Ted said. "How did that happen?"
Hanpan grabbed onto the latch on the side of the window and dragged it open, hovering in the air. Then he tossed the rope outside. In a few seconds, Rudy, Jack, Cecilia, and the rest of the party were climbing up.
"That's my work for the adventure," Hanpan said, hopping back onto Jack's shoulder.
"You!" Windy shouted at Pesmerga, Clive, and Kuromimi. "How did you get up here?" Windy cast Final Flame just as Cecilia used Hi-Reflect. The spell bounced off the barrier and back at Windy, but Windy had previously cast a Suction spell and the magic was absorbed.
Clive fired his ARM at Windy. Windy used Clay Guardian and the bullets bounced harmlessly off her. "Whose side are we on here?" Kirkis asked Stallion.
"I had such a good hand, too," Stallion said, staring at his cards.
"I thought Ted and Odessa were dead," Pesmerga said.
"That's the power of Angol Fred and the false rumor for you," Emiko said.
Windy looked around and saw herself several outnumbered. "Milich!" she shouted. "Krin!"
A blue circle appeared on the floor and Milich and Krin came out. "Yes, Lady Windy?" Milich asked.
"Hee hee hee," Krin said.
"Get them!" Windy commanded, pointing at Rudy, Pesmerga, and the others.
Ted cast Black Shadow with the Soul Eater. A black dome rose up from the floor and knocked Kirkis, Sylvina, Stallion, and Rubi into the wall. Odessa fired at Emiko with her bow and hit the Elw in his arm. Jane shot at Windy with her ARM, but Windy dodged out of the way.
"Go get 'em, Krin!" Ted said, grabbing the thief and throwing him towards Pesmerga. Pesmerga swung his sword and hit Krin on the side as he barreled towards Pesmerga. Krin smashed through the window and flew out into the air.
Windy cast Thunder God, but Cecilia whipped out the Magic Parasol and absorbed the spell. Windy tried to grab the parasol from Cecilia's hands, but Rudy shot her with the Phaser and knocked her to the ground.
Kuromimi leaped towards Milich, holding his sword aloft. Milich parried the blow and stepped back. Kirkis shot an arrow at Milich. The shaft hit him directly in the heart and he fell down, dead. "I never liked him, anyway," Kirkis remarked.
Windy scrambled to her feet. "Do something!" she shrieked at Ted and Odessa. Odessa cast Storm with her Wind Rune, wounding Jack and Clive. Ted raised his hand to use the Soul Eater just as Rudy tried to summon Zephyr from the Hope Rune. A grayish bolt of lighting shot between the two runes and there was a crackling sound. A blue-gray portal opened and a ghostly dragon stepped out.
It was Black, Futch's dragon. "Thought you'd seen the last of me, eh?" Black said. The black dragon bent over and swallowed Windy in a single gulp. "Mmm mmm good!" Then there was another crackling sound and Black faded out of existence.
Ted and Odessa threw down their bows in surrender. "Well, that was a nice little fight," Clive said, rubbing his injured side.
"It's not over yet!" Milich said, springing to his feet. "Now I'll reveal my true identity!" The ex-general threw off his red cloak and mask.
It was Voldo from Soul Blade. "Milich is Voldo?" Hanpan said, surprised. Voldo made a strange noise, jumped across the room, and slashed at Stallion with his claws.
Rubi drew a dagger, but Voldo batted out of his hand, jumped on the elf's back, and drove his claws into the elf's shoulders. Suddenly, the roof shattered and a figure dropped down through the collapsing boards and smoke. It was Tanegashima.
"You!" Voldo shouted, ceasing his attack on the elves and striding forward. Sometime before his Milich days, Voldo had regained his voice, and apparently his sight and hearing as well.
Tanegashima fired his ARM at Voldo. Voldo dodged out of the way of the attack and used his Critical Edge. Tanegashima blocked it and fired again. This time he hit Voldo in the hip and he dropped to one knee. "You haven't seen the last of me," Voldo/Milich vowed, then vanished.
Tanegashima jumped back up through the shattered roof in pursuit of Voldo. "Hey... wait!" Clive said, but Tanegashima had already disappeared.
"This was... interesting," Kirkis said.
"Why were you fighting against us?" Hanzo asked Ted and Odessa. "I thought you used to be on our side."
"Uh... now that you mention it, I don't have a clue," Ted said. "All I remember is that I was dead, and then this Angol Fred guy came and did something to me. Then I don't remember anything until just now."
"Well, now that all this has been resolved, we need your help, Stallion," Pesmerga said. "We need you to come with us to find Yuber."
"What's in it for me?" Stallion asked.
"Uh...," Pesmerga thought for a moment. "Money? Fame? Shoe endorsement deals?"
"Sounds good to me," Stallion said. "When do we leave?"
| Next chapter: Yesterday Never Dies |