Soshi's Story-Fan Fiction by Monty Mole

Chapter XI-Plight of a Princess

Bound across the majestic Kryst Ocean, Soshi kept an eye out for anything suspicious. His mind was racing at this point, and wondered how many more detours he’d have to take before anyone even started to listen to him. Too many times, he felt, he had been knocked away, dismissed as noone important and he was sick of it. If things did not improve, he would have to take matters into his own hands. But for the fact that the Princess had the best army Plit had to offer, he had to press on for the time being. Soshi wondered what was keeping Koujin from implementing his plan, however.

As he swept speedily over the water, Soshi took in its wonderful properties. It wasn’t quite the Tranquil Sea, but it was the next best thing. Soshi tried to just shed himself of all worries and simply focus on the task at hand. At this he failed because he kept worrying about his mother. He wondered if he would ever see her again. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move. Slowing down, he looked around. Nothing. Regaining his caution, he resumed his normal flight path, due south. Again, however, something caught his eye. Stopping completely, he began to get nervous.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” He called, hovering in mid-air.

“Who are you? Show yourself!” his echo came back to him.

Soshi tried to brush it off. He’d need to conserve his energy if he was to stand a chance at surviving Spire Mountain. He flew on, looking over his shoulder every now and then, but couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“CLEAR!”

BRZAP.

“…It didn’t work.” One of the Toads said solemnly.

“Now now. Don’t fret.” Toadsworth reassured, trying to conceal his own anxiety. “I’m sure the doctor has at least a few more tricks up his sleeve.”

“But we’ve been trying to awaken the princess for so long! What if…what if she never wakes up?” worried another loyal Retainer.

The doctor sighed and put away his defibrillator. “Well, I still register a pulse, and she seems to be breathing fine. In any case, I have done all I can. That “blast to the back” as you have described it may not have been that physically devastating, but the shock carried with it could have resulted in the Princess’s current state.”

“Thank you doctor. We appreciate it. Truly.” Toadsworth moved slowly toward the pink figure lying almost motionless on top of the bed. “Princess. What did you do to deserve such horror?”

“Hey, check it out, Toadsworth’s talking to himself.” a Toad said. He was immediately rapped on the knee by his elder.

Resuming focus to Peach, Toadsworth lamented “It’s all that horrible Sky Yoshi’s fault isn’t it? He got you into this. We will care for you, and when you are well again, we will, what is it you youngsters say, ‘take him down’, yes.” Turning around, Toadsworth gave some orders.

“You are not to leave the Princess’s side, do you understand? If she awakens I wish to be notified immediately. That is all.” Toadsworth promptly left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soshi had to rest. It was a farther distance than he had realized. He started to question whether there really was a volcano. He had been questioning a lot of things in his life recently. Ever since his father died. He was really beginning to dread life. Finding no trace of land anywhere, he decided just to land on the water. With slightly less grace than usual, he dipped his body into the ocean. It was no different than any other ocean, but it seemed to have an almost therapeutic effect of Soshi. It calmed him, releasing him of all tension. He lay on his back, letting the late afternoon sun warm his face, and the water cool his back. A few small Cheep Cheeps swam by and Soshi playfully swatted at them. Soshi wished he could be like them. So carefree, only worrying about their next meal and not becoming one themselves. At the thought Soshi became rather famished, and reached into his saddle-sack to see whether there was anything he had left over. A single peach and that was it. Soshi decided it was better than nothing, so he took it out and munched thoughtfully.

One hour and a discarded peach core later, Soshi bumped his head against an outcropping of rocks. Rubbing his skull, Soshi looked up to see a tall red mountain jut up into the sky. It was angled every way it could conceivably be angled and yet it still seemed to somehow twist itself upward. Soshi had no idea how such a mountain came to be, but that wasn’t important. What was important was to get what he came for and get back to the castle as soon as possible. Flying upwards, wrapping around it, Soshi soon came to the volcano’s mouth. Peering into it, Soshi saw exactly what he expected to see, a frothing pool of magma ten feet below the surface. Soshi wondered how he would get in and out alive, but didn’t have time to thing as a particularly strong gust of wind came and knocked Soshi off balance sending him tumbling in.

Outside, on the water below, a figure landed and seemed to stand on the water. Although its face was shrouded, a smile broke on its mouth.

“Good luck, Sky Dragon.” it said, and dashed off without another word.
 
Chapter XII-At Kaller’s Command

“All right men. I ‘ave come to a conclusion.” Kaller announced.

“And what, pray tell, might that be, Captain?” a pirate asked.

“We still do not know where the next part of the treasure is.”

Some of the sharks groaned. Many complaints were shouted at the Captain.

“Calm down now, ah. I ‘ave, however, discovered on our radar some peculiar activity in Spire Volcano. Someone is near there, though no one in their right mind would be. We will investigate. Perhaps whoever is there can ‘elp us.”

“But…why would they want to help us?” Ankhlos asked.

“Well, we’ll ‘ave ta keep a low profile, tha’s all. Now, men! Chart a course for Spire Volcano!”

“Aye aye, Captain!” saluted one of the sharks, and proceeded to get the ship ready for disembarkation.

Slowly, one by one, the fearsome ship slunk away from the icy shore of Proarctica. It pushed off, sailing towards the south. Soon, Proarctica had disappeared below the horizon. Kaller’s greedy gaze was directed in the opposite direction, waiting to get his hands on the precious treasure. He would have power and riches, everything he’d always dream of, and he’d be one step closer when that big, beautiful mountain peeked its head out to him. Consumed by his thoughts, Kaller didn’t even notice when the ship began to sway and rock a slight bit more than usual. One of his men screaming was the only thing that woke him up.

“Eh? What is it n-?” he was cut off by what he saw. A giant white tentacle had attached itself to his ship! He peered over the edge to see that it snaked around, off the deck, into the cloudy water below, preventing his ship from moving.

“I’ll take care of this.” he said gruffly, lighting a torch. With one brief strike he hit and burned the tentacle. To his surprise, it did not move. He only heard a muffled roar of pain. All was silent on the ship, no one quite knowing what would happen next.

Suddenly, nine more tentacles rose up out of the water in all directions. Five of them managed to grab some of Captain Kaller’s men, dragging them down to their watery deaths. The others began to thrash about, crushing Kaller’s ship, and further preventing it from moving.

“We’ve got to get out of here! Le’s go! We ‘ave to move!” Kaller ordered, trying to keep his calm during the chaos on the ship. The sound of the planks being torn off one by one was deafening. Captain Kaller was trying to yell and order over it, when at last the monstrous beast showed itself. It was nothing more than a giant head with a black ring around its glaring eyes. A giant Blooper.

“Ye’ve made a mistake showing yourself!” yelled Kaller, and struck at the Blooper’s head with his still-lit torch. The Blooper cried out in pain, but didn’t release its hold on Kaller’s ship. The shark captain was about to strike again when one of his men stopped him.

“Captain, we’ve managed to get the turbo motor attached. It’s at full power. What are your orders?”

A malevolent smile grew on Captain Kaller’s mouth. “Fry this big fish.” He said. The minion nodded in understanding and started up the motor. A high pitched whine was heard as it fully powered up. Immediately, a bright yellow flame emitted from the rear of the machine, and the ship tore straight through the Blooper, leaving a huge smoldering hole clean through it. Captain Kaller laughed hysterically as his ship continued to tear through the sea, still on course to Spire Volcano.

Some time afterward, Kaller had stopped the motor and was surveying the damage to his ship. He seemed to mourn the loss of every plank, every nail. Oddly enough, the loss of nine of his crew members did not bother him at all.

“Do you know why” he asked plainly, “I chose this ship for our quest?” Simple shrugs from his remaining minions told him the answer. “The loss of the others does not concern me. You all knew the dangers and so did I. But this ship is a different story. It was used by my father, on ‘is very first voyage to the seas. ‘E loved it. ‘E taught me to love the seas, too. But the true reason,” he paused for emphasis. “was that ‘e built this ship ‘imself.”

Murmurs of admiration from his crew erupted. “My father gave this ship to me, and in doing so ‘e gave me a part of ‘is soul. ‘E spent months sailing on it, and ‘e always maintained it well. Now, look at it. This ship, is all but unusable now.” A pool of water growing on deck reemphasized this. “When we get to Spire Volcano, we shall repair it. With such limited supplies, I don’t know how, but we will not abandon it!” The Captain’s voice grew, and with it, so did the spirits of the crew. “This ship will carry us to the ultimate treasure!” Cheers erupted from the drained crew. They were confident in their captain and themselves. The Captain took a few minutes to bask in the glory of what he had done. He felt great, quite over the despair of the damage, despite its severity.

As if to drive the point home, a few minutes later, the ship’s hull smashed into some rocks off the shore of the volcano.
 
Chapter XIII-Hostilities Revealed

Soshi tumbled headfirst into the volcano. He tried spreading his wings, but the downward drag force was too great. His wings were literally stuck to his sides. As he plunged farther down, he reflected on all the people he had let down. Peach, his father, his mother, and all of Plit. Fractions of a second away from impact, he wondered why he had ever taken this upon himself to solve. The frothing pool of magma was coming in fast, and Soshi was powerless. He could feel the heat radiating onto his face.

“Wait a minute,” he told himself. “No, I can’t.” Soshi plunged into the magma and didn’t feel heat, or even warmth. Something wasn’t right. This “magma” was actually a viscous, yellow fluid. It reminded Soshi of honey. He opened his mouth and some of the sticky fluid filled it. Soshi spat it out immediately with disgust. No, definitely not honey. As Soshi tried to get the bitter, sticky fluid off his tongue, he tried to keep his wings above it. The honey-like substance would cling to his wings, preventing him from flight. Looking down however, Soshi could see a faint network of tunnels, much like the ones on Proarctica.

“That’s strange.” Soshi said out loud, and stuck his head in for a closer look. Immediately upon opening his eyes, the fluid seeped in.

“AAAAARRRRRGGHH!” Soshi screamed, frantically pulling the slime away from his eyes. In doing so, he accidentally coughed up a fireball. He continued to do so until he could see again. He noticed immediately that he had created a gap in the slime, which immediately filled itself back up. This gave Soshi an idea. Filling his lungs up with as much oxygen as possible, he spewed his flame straight down, boring a gap through, and quickly fell, landing on the ooze at the bottom. Wasting no time, he coughed up another, just as the tunnel he had made closed up again. Soshi pulled himself through to the air pocket he had made and coughed up another fireball. In this way, he managed to eventually pull himself into one of the tunnels.

Gasping for breath, Soshi collapsed onto the cold, rocky floor, his body drenched with fluid. Wait, cold? This was a volcano. Well, sort of, at any rate. The next thing that entered Soshi’s head was why the tunnel had not filled with the same fluid that was on the outside. Soshi reasoned that the only answer was to follow the tunnel. So, bravely, he marched in. Watching the light fade from the opening, Soshi eventually had to feel his way around. He smacked himself into a wall more than a few times. By the end he could swear he had a concussion. But there was time for that later.

“I’ve got to try to keep focus. Everyone’s counting on me.” He whispered, lost in the dark. “If only I could-ARGH!” the ground suddenly slipped out from under him, and Soshi’s wings were still saturated, so there was nothing he could do. Eventually, he unceremoniously landed in a heap, presumably at the bottom of the volcano, he stood up, his head still reeling, and four dim orange lights came into view. Soshi shook his head and they merged into two. He blinked a few times and they merged again into one.

“First things first.” he thought, flapping his wings a little to get them dried off. He continued to do this as he walked toward the light. As it got bigger and brighter, Soshi noticed a shadow blocking part of the light. It was an aged, wizened Koopa, standing facing the light, which Soshi saw was coming from a candle. Even his shell had grayed a little. By his feet was a medium-sized red orb. The Koopa did nothing as Soshi approached. It merely stood there, watching as if mesmerized by the light. Soshi was right up beside the Koopa when it dawned on him: Whoever this Koopa was he was guarding whatever was inside that orb, presumably the artifact he was looking for.

“So.” The first word the Koopa spoke made Soshi jump back. The word echoed several times before dissapearing. “You have come all this way. You have braved the volcano. You have proven yourself.” Soshi opened his mouth to speak when the Koopa interrupted. “Stop, I know you have questions, and I will answer them. First, this volcano only opens to those with pure motives. To all others, it is a veritable deathtrap, like all others. You may be wondering why anyone would venture in at all. You see, this,” he indicated the orb by levitating it inches in front of Soshi. “is a treasure that, in the wrong hands, could forever plunge the world into despair, but in the right hands, can bring peace in times of need. By merely getting this far, you have proven yourself.” The candle was snuffed out, and the orb began to glow bright red, illuminating both Soshi’s and the Koopa’s faces. The orb transformed from a sphere shape to a torch shape. When the blinding light faded a little, it’s features were made out. It was a red rod, with a flame shape at the top. And set into the very heart of the flame was the biggest ruby Soshi had ever seen. “This is the Radiant Ruby. It has deemed you worthy.” Soshi stepped closer to the powerful wand in awe. As he gripped it, the light completely faded. “Good luck” said the Koopa, giving a smile as he vanished into the darkness.

Soshi felt a familiar feeling around his feet and it slowly surrounded the rest of his body. The fluid was filling the chamber. Soshi couldn’t fight it, but realized he didn’t have to. It carried him up out of the chamber, into the light, to the top of the volcano. As Soshi grabbed the mouth of the volcano and pulled himself out, he wondered if he had dreamt the whole thing. He looked at his hand. It tightly gripped the Radiant Ruby. No, it hasn’t been a dream. Soshi remembered suddenly what he needed to do. He needed to get back to the castle as soon as possible. As he shook off his wings and took flight, a cannonball flew through the air, flying over his head. Soshi looked in the direction it came and saw the same pirate ship he had landed on earlier, only now it seemed to have a bright green shimmer to it.

“Give up the treasure, ya curdled dragon! Or do I ‘ave ta blast it out of ya?” Captain Kaller waved one fist at Soshi, who flew in a circle over the ship.

“I don’t know what you want, but I never back down from a challenge!” he yelled back, and dove at one of Kaller’s crewmates, knocking him into the water.




“Grr. Fire again!” Kaller yelled, another cannonball flying through the sky. Soshi breathed a fireball at this one, but it seemed much stronger than usual. The cannonball exploded into a million pieces, sending red-hot iron raining down on the sharks. Soshi followed it up with a wing attack, right at Kaller’s gut. The shark keeled over, obviously in pain.

“That’s enough.” he wheezed. Kaller then pulled out a mysterious wand that looked like a moon. “Let me show you true power!”

He pointed the wand at Soshi, and a bright green flash of light enveloped the dinosaur. Kaller snickered as he held his stomach, but his grin was wiped away, as Soshi still hovered there having covered himself with his wings. Soshi looked at his own wand. “Let’s see what you can do.” He said. He fired five bursts in quick succession, all aimed for the shark captain. Kaller held the Essence Emerald horizontally in the air and created a forcefield around himself, absorbing the impact of the blasts. Kaller retaliated by sending out a beam of energy rings at Soshi, who dove at the last second. His wand glowing with power, Soshi fired two fireballs that homed in on Kaller. He was too slow to dodge and was consequently cooked. Soshi tried finishing him off with a series of blasts from the wand, which quickly mowed down Kaller’s men, and damaged Kaller himself. He managed to get up to his feet and cast a shield around the entire ship with the Essence Emerald. He glared at Soshi. “You win this time, but I’ll get that treasure from you yet!” Kaller’s ship slowly turned around and headed back the way it came.

Soshi looked at his new magical weapon. “If he’s talking about this, he’s not getting it.” Soshi chuckled, and flew on back to Toad Town.
 
*sweeps dust off thread*

Chapter XIV-Princess Peach-Back in Action

Soshi’s flight was erratic. The skirmish with Kaller had weakened him a bit. Still, he had to get back to Toad Town, and soon. Soshi was panting, and didn’t know if he would make it. If he could, he’d be in no shape to face Koujin for at least a day. Something dawned on Soshi, however. Looking down at the magical weapon, Soshi wondered aloud,

“Toadsworth said something about…does this thing have healing powers?” On the word “heal”, a red light sparked from the core of the ruby and enveloped Soshi. He was so surprised, he nearly dropped the wand into the water. The light cloaked him, seeming to seep into his body, mending his wings, stitching together his cuts, and restoring his strength. When it faded, Soshi stared in awe at the magical instrument. He noticed, however, that the red stone in the center wasn’t glowing quite as brightly as before. “It must have limited powers. Which means I need to get this to Peach right away.” Soshi dove toward the Mushroom kingdom’s capital, which was poking up from below the horizon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh, dear, oh dear.” paced Toadsworth. “We have tried everything, and still the princess will not wake up.” The doctor walked into the sitting room outside Peach’s room. Toadsworth lost his sanity and grabbed the Toad by his collar. “Well?! Is she alright? Speak, man!” The confused doctor blubbered a bit before saying, “All her vital functions are fine, we have a pulse, breathing, everything. I’m not sure why she’s not awake yet. But the mental shock was worse than he physical, as I have already said.”

“Blasted Sky Yoshi.” fumed Toadsworth. “If it wasn’t for him…”

“If it wasn’t for me what?” Soshi walked up the steps with a grin on his face.

Toadsworth nearly fainted. “You’re alive?! How? That…thing should have killed you. Or at least, the volcano-”

“Take it easy, old-timer. I told you, I don’t want any trouble. I’ll explain everything later. Right now, we have to get this,” he brandished the Radiant Ruby “to the Princess.” Toadsworth watched in silent stupor as the dragon calmly walked into the Princess’s room, and closed the door.

In reality, Soshi wasn’t calm at all. His hand was trembling as he walked over the Peach’s still frame. He looked at the Radiant Ruby. The stone was still glowing. That meant it still had magic left. Soshi waved the wand over Peach. “Heal.” he said. The red light shone again, surrounding Peach this time. After a much shorter time than Soshi’s healing, the light faded, the gem stopped glowing, and the Princess opened her eyes.

“Where…am I?” she moaned. Upon looking at Soshi, she jumped and began a barrage of questions. “How did we escape? Where’s Koujin? What am I…?” Soshi resisted the temptaion to slap her. “Peach, calm down. You’re in your castle. Toadsworth is right outside. You made it.” Peach got up, and started for the door. “Did you…save me?”

Soshi gritted his teeth and turned away in awkwardness. “Yeah. I suppose.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, Soshi was standing before Peach, but this time, on much different terms.

“Soshi, Sky Dragon.” Peach began. “I thank you for saving my life. Now, tell me. Why did you come here in the first place.”

Soshi began to tell his tale. He told of his father, Proarctica, his mother, King Toukee, Yoshi, and Koujin.

Peach started out mildly interested, then grew horrified. “That’s just awful. We have to do whatever it takes to-” Peach didn’t bother finishing her sentence. “Since you are obviously the next target, I am placing you in charge of the Mushroom Royal Army, along with Sergeant Strobel.” A purple-shelled Koopa stepped out of the double doors behind Peach. “Formulate a plan of attack. I will contact the Yoshis and we will all storm Koujin’s stronghold.”

Soshi knelt before the two high-ranks. “Thank you.”

Peach went back to her quarters, leaving Soshi with the Koopa alone. She descended down the steps. In her military uniform, she looked very official and business-like. But as soon as she spoke, she seemed as normal as anyone else.

“So, this Koujin character. How dangerous is he?” she inquired.

“Very. He kidnapped my mother. She’s probably already dead. We’ll need every ounce of strength we’ve got to beat him.”

Strobel nodded. “I’ll get the ships ready. The infantry has gathered outside. Instruct them to do whatever is necessary to defeat Koujin. Most importantly, we must have the element of surprise on our side.”

The uniformed Koopa quickly climbed the steps to the second floor. She paused and turned to Soshi. “See you around…Corporal.” And disappeared beyond the doors.
 
So, if the two of you reading this care, I haven't abandoned this. ;)

Chapter XV-The Chosen One

Kaller was bitter. He considered himself one of the best pirates ever. And yet, somehow, he had lost to a Yoshi. A Sky Yoshi. He couldn’t believe it. As he looked off the balcony of his ship, he reflected on the battle. He had panicked, and retreated when it wasn’t necessary. His crew members looked at him worryingly, and wondered if their captain would just stand there for the rest of his life. One of the sharks got pushed to the front, and was urged by the others to say something.

“Uh, Cap’n? What are we going to do?”

“Just leave me alone.” Kaller said emotionlessly. “I need sometime ‘ta think.” Kaller departed for the Captain’s quarters, leaving his crew members baffled. He closed the door and lay down on his bed, contemplating. Why had he retreated? It was something that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. Kaller turned over. Doing so, he noticed a shaded figure standing in the corner, appearing to all huddled up, not moving an inch. Kaller stepped closer, preparing to turn whoever it was around and demand who he was and what he was doing here. As soon as Kaller made contact, however, an excruciating pain seared through his body. He tried to pull his hand back, but this proved futile. His mind felt like it was leaving him, and he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

All of his shipmates heard the scream and came rushing into the room, only to find it empty when they arrived.

----------------------

Kaller slowly regained consciousness. First all he saw was a blur. Then as he gradually woke up, he could make out some shapes. He tried moving toward them, but was restrained by a cold, almost metallic hand. He had been chained to a board, and was looking into a drab, stone room. Kaller surveyed the situation. No doors, no windows, and he was immobile. Not too much to work with. The only thing of interest in the room was himself, the board he was strapped to, and a small console in one corner. A black hole appeared in the wall in front of him, and someone or something dressed in a pitch black cloak materialized out of it. His features were entirely hidden, except for two glaring red eyes. He looked as if he had a cloud trailing him.

Kaller eyed the figure. “Who are you?” he demanded.

It laughed diabolically. It approached Kaller, making him involuntarily wince. “My name is not important.” His voice was deep and foreboding. “But I suppose I’ll tell you seeing as how you’re going to die.” He laughed again. “My name is Koujin, but all you need to know is that you have something that I want.”




Kaller shifted into defensive mode. “What? You’ve come to steal my treasure, haven’t you? You’re not getting it! Men, attack!” Kaller ordered at the top of his lungs. As expected by both parties, nothing happened, though Kaller was slow to accept that he might not be getting out of this one alive.

“Your men are miles away. Well, not exactly, but we can’t expect your feeble mind to understand that, can we? All that’s important is that you give me what I want. Cooperate, and I will kill you painlessly.” Kaller gulped, wide eyed. “Now, hand it over. Give me the Essence Emerald!” Koujin yelled.

Kaller’s fear dissolved away. As best as could, he reached behind him and pulled out the crescent-shaped wand. “You mean this?” he asked smugly.

Koujin chuckled. “That’s it. And I’m afraid you must hand it over. Otherwise…” he didn’t bother finishing his sentence. He walked over the console, and began typing in some commands. A large metal ring broke through the earthy ceiling, and descended to eye level. Steel plates covered the ring, turning it into a wrecking ball. Kaller rolled his eyes. Was this the best Koujin could do? Koujin typed in some more commands and spikes surrounded the ball. A freezing mist began to pour into the room, and Kaller could feel his body temperature dropping already. As if that weren’t enough, the spiked wrecking ball began swinging slightly in Kaller’s direction.

Koujin arrived at his ultimatum. “Now what Captain? Are you going to give me the Essence Emerald peacefully, or are you going to give me the satisfaction of prying it out of your cold, dead, crushed fin?” the wrecking ball was swinging faster and faster, and pretty soon, it would smash into Kaller. Despite the coldness of the room, Kaller was sweating. “You see,” continued Koujin. “I searched Proarctica for many years, carving out all kinds of tunnels trying to extract the very magical artifact you now hold. You, fool, have no idea of its true power. Only I am the one destined to wield it. Along with the two other pieces of the Grand Treasure. I am the Chosen One.” Koujin paused and looked triumphantly of the shark captain. What Koujin was really doing was stalling so that he could see his prisoner be crushed. The wrecking ball was so close now that it grazed a part of Kaller’s skin. He winced and tried to flatten himself against the board. He closed one eye and stared Koujin down with the other.

“You…want it?” he rasped. “Go…get it!” with all his strength, he threw the Essence Emerald straight up. It spiraled through the air, embedding itself into the soft ceiling. Koujin eyed Kaller for a while, who already had much of the skin missing from his right hand. The wrecking ball was currently on its backswing. Koujin merely levitated toward the wand. The ball stopped and began its final descent towards Kaller. Koujin pulled the artifact from its resting point in the ceiling. He turned around just in time to see the wrecking ball crash directly into Kaller and the board, shattering them both into a million pieces. Even before the dust and smoke cleared, the familiar scent of blood filled the air.

Koujin left the room via another portal, but not before uttering a final “Fool.” To his fallen victim.
 
Chapter XVI-Ambushed

Soshi watched as Strobel quickly withdrew from the main hall. The uniform made her look very official, but underneath was something else. Something Soshi couldn’t quite place his finger on. He shook the thought from his head, dismissing it. He turned around and headed for the door.

Outside, he was met with many soldiers, all awaiting his command. Soshi felt kind of awkward, with all these soldiers dressed in uniforms. As he slowly made his way in front of the crowd, the soldiers all stared ahead at him, watching his every move. Soshi decided not to be put off by this and just do what he needed to do.

“Soldiers of the Toad Town Army.” He said. “Today we begin your training. I’m aware most of you have received rigorous training, however, now we are against a new enemy. An enemy of the kind none of you have ever faced before.” The croud was silent, but Soshi could feel the apprehension boiling inside every individual. Still, he continued. “We will be covering defense tactics, surprise maneuvers, and aerial assaults. Paratroopas may have an easier time with this. We will begin now.” Soshi moved through the croud and began attacking one of the Toad soldiers. He yelped a cry and before anyone saw what happened, Soshi had him by the leg. He snickered and released the slightly rattled Toad. “As you can see, I will be the one fighting you all. Learn to defend and attack back.”

Through the day, Soshi ran a rigorous training regimen through the army. Paratroopas followed formations to the letter, skills with weapons were increased by the land forces, and the Koopas were taught the best defense that Soshi knew. As the sun set, Soshi was winded a little. He had packed all the training he had learned in his life into eight hours. He sat down to rest, when he heard a rustling sound. He picked up the source of the sound immediately, before anyone figured out what was going on. From a bush, he could hear shaking. As he approached, the whole army followed him, as if tethered to him. All of a sudden, Soshi turned toward them.

“Get back!!” he yelled and ran in the opposite direction. Instantly, a black spider-like shadow came after him. It took the army by surprise and headed straight for Soshi, who had anticipated this. He stopped abruptly, took off, did a loop in the air, and crashed, talons first, into the spider-like shadow. He and the army looked at it. It was nothing more than a black spot on the ground. Soshi heard another sound, looking out to the horizon, he could see hundreds of the same black shadows, making their way steadily toward them.

Everyone took defensive positions. “They’ve been lying in wait for us. Paratroopas!” he ordered. “Form a sky line behind me! Everyone else, fight as if your life depended on it!” Soshi took off once again, and the two armies met. Instantly, the clink of swords striking claws, and the sound of claw striking flesh could be heard. Soshi dived into the midst of the battle, wings stiff. He took out a whole row of the creatures, but more quickly replaced them. Each paratroopa in the line did the same, but they, too, had almost no effect. Soshi made the mistake of landing. Since he didn’t have a weapon, the creatures swarmed him. He could feel each claw tearing off part of his skin. He knew he didn’t have much of a chance. Soshi closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Suddenly, the pain was gone, Soshi quickly opened his eyes to see General Strobel diligently hacking away at the intruders. Soshi didn’t have time to thank her as another spider-like shadow jumped him. He managed to tear it off, while at the same time reaching for his secret weapon. The screams of many Mushroomers could be heard in the distance, but Soshi tried not to think about that as he brandished the Radiant Ruby. That was Soshi’s second mistake. As soon as the red gem caught the fading sunlight, the creatures stopped their assault on the others and assembled straight for Soshi. Instinctively, he flew up, blasting them with energy from the wand. More still came-there seemed to be endless numbers. Eventually, one of them caught on to his tactic, and climbed on top of another, claws raised. It managed to scratch at Soshi’s side, causing him to lose his concentration. The end result was that Soshi could not keep his elevation. He desended into the throng of ravenous shadowy spiders. The army was decimated. They could only watch helplessly as their new leader was fruitlessly trying to fend them off with his weapon.

“It’s OK.” Soshi said weakly. “They only want me. They’ll leave you all alone.” Before his vision was completely blocked he turned to General Strobel. “I’m sorry…I couldn’t be of more help.” Soshi felt a tremendous pain as the creatures overwhelmed him. And then he felt…movement. They weren’t going to kill him. They were taking him away. He couldn’t see where he was going. He didn’t know where he was being taken. Soshi couldn’t fight the sheer exhaustion any longer. He let his eyes close.
 
I feel like an idiot for JUST thinking of this, an idiot for asking it (because it's not YOU), and I'll feel even dumber if I'm wrong, but are the Silver Isles loosely based on.... The Emerald City?
 
Haha, no, but that's a good point. :lol: Thanks for the comment, though. I was beginning to think no one cared. :)

Chapter XVII-Out for Revenge

Coughing and gasping for air, a distressed figure lay on the stone cold floor. As the dust settled, Kaller regained some of his visibility. As he felt the pain course through his body, he flashed back on just how he had survived that encounter. He recalled Koujin’s speech. Koujin was too self-absorbed in himself to realize his prisoner, who was secretly heating the metal clasps around his hands with his wand. When they were sufficiently heated, all Kaller had done was broke through them while he distracted Koujin with the Essence Emerald. However, Kaller failed to escape completely in time before the spiked ball smashed the board to bits. It had glanced off him, striking his right side before smashing the board, leaving him motionless on the ground.

Now Kaller lay face-down on the floor, coughing out the blood that was filling his mouth and throat. He rolled over and examined his wounds. His left side was completely unharmed, however, his right had a few deep gashes in them, as well as a few bruises from where the steel ball itself had connected. The biggest and most serious injury of them all was a puncture that completely cut through his lower fin, and Kaller knew he would have to seek medical help soon. Still, he was alive, if only temporarily, and that alone was something to celebrate. However, the Essence Emerald was now in Koujin’s grasp. Or was it? The captain let out a small laugh as he reached behind himself and pulled the weapon out from the bloodstained satchel on his back. He smiled as he fingered it. He remembered having one of his men forging a duplicate for him from ordinary glass, in the case of just such an event. He chuckled again at his own ingenuity.

Kaller noticed, for the first time, a window located on the back wall of the room. It was more of a hole, actually, and looked just big enough for Kaller to fit through. He scanned the room for something he could use to reach it. As he eyed the now-still wrecking ball, he saw the splinters of wood from the crushed board on the floor. A few big chunks still remained and Kaller figured that was all he’d need to get out. Handling the boards with one fin proved difficult, but soon Kaller’s patience was rewarded as he set the final large piece in place. Carefully, he stepped on the pile, almost able to grasp the window’s lip. Without a second thought, he jumped and grabbed it, knocking over his stack in the process. Hanging by one hand, Kaller forced his body up, over, and out the window, where he lay on the ground, panting and looking at his damaged fin.

Kaller’s next task was to figure out how to get away from here, back to his crew, wherever they were. He scanned his surroundings. The only thing of interest was the huge stone castle in which he had been a prisoner. As he circled the perimeter, he noticed a small town not too far from it. A small stretch of water separated it and the castle on the island. Kaller knew he couldn’t get his fin wet, especially with salt water, but his only choice was to swim. The dripping blood from his fin, coupled with a sudden feeling of lightheadedness told Kaller that he had to seek medical attention right away. He would have to swallow his pride and ask for help. Half-reluctantly, he slipped into the water, keeping his fin above. He swam toward the shore, grunting against the splash of the waves. He had almost reached the shore when a particularly big wave took over and dipped him underwater to the shore. Pain coursed through Kaller’s body yet again as the sea water mixed with blood from his wound. He didn’t have time to think about that now as he ran through the town, trying to find some kind of assistance. Finally, a Toad came out of one building adorned with a red heart on his chest.

“Are you lost?” he inquired.

“Please.” begged Kaller. “Do you know where a hospital is?” he showed the toad his fin.

“Oh, my.” said the Toad. “You’ve certainly come to the right place. Come, we must act quickly.” The Toad’s voice was beginning to take on a sense of urgency.

As Kaller was rushed inside the building he could see the building’s distinct hospital feel. Different rooms held different patients, and Kaller felt almost sorry for them. Some were fighting for their lives, and it quickly came to his realization that he soon, could be too. Hoever, these thoughts were cut short as Kaller felt a needle poke into his arm, and felt himself drifting into unconsciousness.

----------------------

“Hello?”

Silence.

“Are you there?”

Silence.

“CAPTAIN, WAKE UP, MAN!!!”

“Agh, who? what?” Kaller woke with a start. He looked down into the eyes of his crewmates. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, hello men. How did you all find me?”

“Don’t worry, captain.” One of the sharks said. “We smelled your blood and we just want to know what happened.”

Kaller sighed and looked at his fin, which had been wrapped up in bandages. Little had been done for his other injuries however. “I will tell you about it later. Right now we must worry about getting the last two pieces of the treasure!”

Shouts of concern were heard among his crew. “What?” “No, captain you can’t!” “You have to rest!”

“No. You don’t understand.” Kaller’s comment hushed the group. “Someone else is hunting the treasure as well, and if he suceeds, I fear that Plit will face a more horrible fate than if I had the treasure.” Kaller cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, I have an announcement. I have decided to turn over a new leaf. Go straight, if you will. No more stealing, no more unjust behavior.”

More shouts of disapproval. “Are you kidding?” “What is wrong with you, captain?” “That’s not fair!” “No more battles?”

“Silence! I am still the captain, injured or not, and what I say, goes. However, don’t despair, there is one last chance for you and I to do everything we love. The person who injured me obviously isn’t taking it very lightly. We will seek him out and kill him, so that whatever he’s planning may never come to surface. I am most certainly seeking revenge, and the more I think about it, the angrier I become. This is the last time, so make it count, especially since I have a grudge against this one. Are we all clear on that?”

His crew looked at each other, and gave a unanimous salute. “Yes, sir!” was the collective cry.

“Good.” Said Kaller, and he regained the evil glint in his eye. “Koujin had better watch his back.”
 
cool
 
Chapter XVIII-Sealed with a Promise

A thud woke Soshi from his state of unconsciousness. He tried to regain his eyesight, but light never came. Soshi’s initial reaction was to panic. His eyes had failed him. He had gone blind. As he frantically shook himself, he saw a faint outline of his hand in front of him. Relieved, he flopped back down onto the cold floor. He wasn’t blind. There just wasn’t any light in the room. Quickly, he snapped out of his trance, and got back up on his feet, scanning the room as he did so. Soshi saw not the slightest trace of movement. Not a single sign of a soul anywhere in sight.

“This is strange.” he thought to himself. “I expected to wake up in the worst condition possible. Maybe Koujin’s getting soft. Wait…I can’t even assume that it was Koujin’s army who took me. Argh, I can’t remember anything about them. Were they human? No, they were…some sort of shadow things. They had to have been Koujin’s. There’s no other explanation. Unless…”

His thoughts were cut short as a loud, intimidating voice permeated the room.

“Hmm. So you have awakened.”

Soshi immediately recognised the voice. It was Koujin after all. “You coward! Show yourself!”

Koujin’s voice chuckled. “A little anxious to be rushing to our death aren’t we? No matter. They all think you’re dead anyway.”

Soshi was baffled by this statement. “What do you mean?!” he shouted. “Who thinks I’m dead?!”

“Why, everyone, of course. The princess, the army, even that pathetic Sergeant.” Koujin’s voice had a hint of disgust, but soon returned to its original malevolent tone. “You see, when my army ambushed you back at the castle, they all saw you, a bloody corpse taking up space on the castle grounds.”

Soshi was still confused. “But you took me here! How could I be still at the castle? Why are you doing this?” Soshi’s voice started to waver.

“Must I explain everything?” Koujin took a pause to let Soshi become lost in emotion. “You see, I merely scanned a copy of you in your place.” Koujin drew out every word to relish Soshi’s helpless position. “For all the princess and everyone else knows, you’re long gone. Oh, and did I mention I had the unspeakable pleasure to break the news to mommy, too?”

“What?!” Soshi couldn’t believe it. Now Koujin was spreading lies to his own mother. The only connection Soshi had left felt like it was severed. But then, Soshi realized, she must be alive herself. However, that didn’t change that Koujin was definitely trying to play with his emotions, weakening him until he was rendered incapable of rational thought. He would destroy himself from the inside out. Soshi felt Koujin’s plan working as his true emotions breached the surface.

“You inhuman demon! Is this how you get your fun?!?” The normally level-headed dragon was now pulsing with an enormous amount of emotional pain. “Preying on the emotions of others?! It’s bad enough that you killed all those innocent soldiers at the castle, why are you singling me out?! What have I ever done to you?!” Soshi tried to hold back the tears that were already steadily streaming down his face. He collapsed on his hands and knees on the ground, breathing heavily as thoughts of everyone he knew, and everything he cherished, was about to be stripped away. All this was being dumped on him in mere seconds. He felt his hands rapidly losing heat for some reason, but was too preoccupied with his thoughts to pull them away. Instead he dug his nails into the floor, hoping that it would hjelp him get a better grip on reality, on keeping his focus. As he started to regain his composure, Koujin’s voice rang again, sill in its usual cocky tone.

“Well, if you feel that strongly about it…” Soshi could only wait for Koujin to continue, but instead, a flash of light illuminated the once-dark room. Soshi could now see he was kneeling on a floor of solid ice and quickly pulled his hands out. He looked about him, and there, standing in the corner, was Koujin, somehow looking smug even under his cloak. Soshi could feel some anger rushing back into him. He gritted his teeth as he stared his kidnapper down. Koujin elongated the icicle-wand he held in his hand, grinning as the blue stone on top came in contact with the light. Soshi instinctively grabbed for the Radiant Ruby, but just as he clasped it, Koujin finished his sentence. “…are you prepared to fight for it?”

Soshi froze. “What? He wants to fight? That must be his plan. He’s already gotten into my head with his lies. He knows they’ve weakened me. So why do I continue to believe them? It’s as if…some part of me…believes it’s true. But what am I saying? It can’t be true, or else I wouldn’t be here. It’s all so confusing…”
\
Soshi was about to drop to his knees again, consumed by his thoughts, but much to Koujin’s surprise, he shook all the thoughts out of his head and stared at Koujin with newfound resolve. “Just focus.” Soshi told himself. His hand grasped the magical item tighter, and Soshi held his weapon out in plain view. He unfurled his wings, and stood slightly shifted backward in a defensive position, ready for anything Koujin could throw at him.

Seeing the Radiant Ruby brought great pleasure to Koujin, as he eyed it hungrily. “Soshi,” he said, “you have no idea the kind of power you are wielding. Allow me to take it off your hands.” On these words, the ice lord dissapeared. Soshi was on his guard, however, and just a fraction of a second later he heard a sound behind. Soshi whirled around just in time to see Koujin attacking with a blue energy blast. Soshi deflected the blast with his wand, and flew straight at the cloaked figure behind it. Soshi was about to make contact, when Koujin disappeared in a wisp of smoke. It was just an illusion.

The tiny amount of time that Soshi stopped was enough for Koujin to nail Soshi with freezing cold blast, courtesy of his wand. As he reeled, Soshi glanced upward to see that Koujin now also wielded his sword. Soshi knew he wouldn’t have a chance against two weapons, so he had to take the offensive now. With no hesitation, Soshi lifted off, and breathed a fireball at Koujin. Aside from singing his robe a bit, the attack proved futile. However, Soshi expected this. The dragon had used the fireball as a distraction, time enough for him to take in a deep breath and spew a continual flame of fire at Koujin. The ice lord was engulfed by the flames, and Soshi continued the devastating assault. When the fire subsided, Soshi saw that Koujin had conjured a chunk of ice and had held it there in midair. It had absorbed the attack, and Koujin was unharmed. Koujin guided the ice shield through the air to Soshi. Thinking quickly, Soshi dove and aimed his wand for an attack under Koujin, however, Koujin conjured another ice chunk, and blocked this attack as well. Koujin soon surrounded himself in a solid ball of ice, which seemed to take on a blue glow. Soshi was caught slightly off guard as it swooped down on him with blinding speed. Soshi jumped out of the way, as Koujin crashed into the ground, but the resulting stinging wpray of ice blinded Soshi. During that few seconds’ time, Koujin somewhow dislodged himself from the ground and crashed into Soshi again. Still having a firm grasp on his Radiant Ruby, Soshi blew another flame at Koujin. However, instead of blocking it, the flame turned around and aimed at Soshi, Koujin having returned the dragon’s own attack.

The intense temperature change caused more pain to Soshi than it should have, but Soshi still continued to press through. Soshi saw Koujin’s sword jut out from his protective barrier, and once again, he blocked with his wand. Koujin, however, was able to overpower Soshi and rip a gash in his stomach. Soshi watched in horror, as a steady stream of blood spilled out of the jagged cut. Still, he pooled his remaining strength toharden his wings. If he hit the ball with enough force, he could shatter it. Koujin foresaw his plan, and slammed into Soshi’s body, not stopping until he had slammed Soshi against the wall of the room. The bone-crushing blow was almost too much for Soshi to bear. Koujin raised his wand, and blasted him with icy beams, despite how much Soshi tried to resist. He could feel his grip on his wand weakening. Seizing his chance, Koujin snatched the wand from the Sky Yoshi’s broken claws, slashing him in the face as he did so. Soshi was too weak to resist. He felt the blood trickle down his face, the sole warmth in this freezing, unforgiving room, where he would surely meet his end. He watched as Koujin now held his own weapon above him, triumphant, confident that the battle was over, Soshi having hardly put up a fight.

“You should be thanking me. You have helped me move one step closer to dominating this puny planet. And you have also given me your life.” Koujin broke the barrier surrounding him. “I wish I could say you were a formidable adversary. However, who would that fool?”

Weakly, Soshi turned toward his foe. In an almost inaudible voice, he mumbled, “Someone will stop you. This is not where it ends. Someone will find a way. And as always…” he even managed to smile slightly. “My word is my bond.”

This seemed only to fuel the rage and bloodlust Koujin harbored. He so looked forward to seeing his adversary crushed by his own weapon. As he pointed the wand at the dragon, he muttered while shaking his head slightly. “Such a pitiful promise.”
 
Haven't read it all (yet) but the part I have is great!
 
Thanks! I hope you'll continue to read.

Chapter XIX-A Last Look

As Soshi waited for the final blow, he reflected back on all he’d let down. The Princess, his parents, the Royal Army, and ultimately, all of Plit. He shut his eyes tightly, tears trickling down his face, and mixing with the blood that stained his face and body. Soshi could feel the drops fall on his hands. This is how it would end. Him having failed everyone. What would his father think? He truly was a failure. Soshi convinced himself of that in his last remaining moments of life.

“ARRRRRRRGGGHH!” Koujin’s scream was long, loud, and victorious as he thrust his sword into the Sky Yoshi’s side with all his might. This was it, with the dragon vanquished, he would be closer to obtaining his goal of ruling Plit forever. A new era was about to begin, and with it would come utter chaos and destruction. The mere thought caused Koujin to relish every millisecond.

Koujin was deterred, however, by a large explosion from one of the walls. A sheet of crystalline mist was thrown into the air, catching the Ice Lord complely off guard. When the visibility improved, he saw an enormous ship jutting out into his dungeon, and at the helm was one very irate shark.

“You. You are the one who tortured me.” Kaller began. “I have a score to settle with you.”

Koujin gasped, a rare occurrence. “You survived? How?!” he growled. “ No matter, I have no time for you. I will finish this pitiful dragon first!” Koujin looked down at his original prey, who was no longer there. Koujin’s sword struck nothing but the icy floor. Looking around, he found Soshi, leaning up against a pillar on the far side of the room, his gaze at the floor. “You pitiful fool. You don’t know when to give up, do you?” Koujin scoffed. Soshi merely smirked, and wiped away the blood around his mouth.

“Like I told you, someone found a way to stop you.” In reailty, Soshi was still feeling the effects of Koujin’s assault, but he was putting on a show to try and intimidate Koujin. His hope was to somehow create a distraction until Kaller could do something, anything.

Kaller addressed the Ice Lord. “Are you going to stand there gawkin’ or are ya gonna fight?”

This raised a chuckle from Koujin. “Fight me?” He said calmly. “You have no weapon, fool. Remember the Essence Emerald you were so kind to give me?” Koujin sheathed his sowrd and brought out the weapon.

Kaller grinned. “You mean…this one?” the shark pulled out the real weapon from his vest. “That one I “gave” you was a fake. That’s just glass.” Koujin’s crew appeared behind him, but Koujin held out one fin to push them back. “No, I’ll take him alone. You all ‘ead on ‘ome. I won’t be returning.” The others were hesitant. “THAT’S AN ORDER!!” Quickly befuddled by their captain’s command, the others nevertheless withdrew from sight and started to turn the ship slowly away. Kaller watched as his majestic ship sailed off into the dark horizon. He turned to the Ice Lord. “Now then, where were we?” Kaller fired a green star at Koujin, who promptly jumped in the air and hovered there, disposing of the fake weapon on the ground. “I shall take you down, Koujin. And I’ll do it by my own ‘and!”

“Even with that wand, you’re powerless. I’ll finish you and that dragon in one attack!” Immediately, Koujin summoned two slabs of ice to break away from the walls. The edges of the ice were magically sanded down into razor-sharp points. They took on the appearance of buzzsaw blades. Koujin chuckled. “Meet my ultimate weapons of destruction. Now, my Crystal Blades, attack!” At Koujin’s discretion, the blades came to life, and sped towards Soshi and Kaller. The shark dove out of the way, but the Sky Yoshi was too exhausted to move. He watched as the blade grew ever closer. The Blade that went after Kaller made a perfect turnaround and headed straight for the shark once more. Kaller did not anticipate this and as the spinning blade connected vertically, it ground up the shark’s flesh. Upon slamming Kaller into the opposite wall, the blade stopped, and he fell limp. Soshi knew Kaller was still alive, if barely. The shark’s resilience was astounding. Soshi hoped so was his own, as the blade connected full force to Soshi, but the familiar blackout never came, the blade not aimed for his chest as Soshi had thought. It had instead merely pinned Soshi to the wall, keeping him fully conscious, staring at his captor.

“You…didn’t kill me…?” Soshi asked weakly.

“Oh no, don’t worry. I have every intention of doing that, however, there is something I’d like you to see first.” Koujin laughed maliciously. “Since you have managed to evade death so far, out of the goodness of my heart I feel you’ve earned this right.”

Soshi didn’t say a word, but his thoughts were busy. “What is he talking about? What right?”

“Just think of it as a little parting gift.” Koujin continued. A circular platform of ice broke and lowered from the ceiling, surrounded by a glass case. As it lowered, the platform slowly revealed the trapped figure inside. Soshi recognized who it was and it seemed to confirm all his fears.

“M…M-Mother.” He managed to say.

“Soshi. No. Why are you here…Did he…?”

Words could not describe the mutual sorrow the mother and son shared. Each of them with tears in their eyes, faring for the life of the other, knowing that in the tiniest moment, Koujin could kill either or both of them. Their emotions ran circles around them, tearing their hearts and sanity apart. Although she was mere feet away from him, Soshi felt farther away from his mother than he ever had in his life. Even when his father told him she was dead, Soshi still felt close to her, but now, there was nothing.

“Did you enjoy this little reunion Soshi?” Koujin asked. Sosha looked with pure fear at Koujin.

Soshi didn’t respond, his blank stare showing no emotion except inner sadness. There were no tears left, just crushing, unbearable sadness.

“Well, I can see you’re at a loss for words.” Koujin chuckled darkly. “I’m glad your mother could see you again, Soshi. Before her death!!!” Quickly, and unexpectedly, Koujin thrust his sword through the barrier and into Sosha’s chest. His sword stuck out the other end, along with the geyser of blood it was coated with. Sosha’s expression was frozen, locked into a state of perpetual fear, her eyes still open. Soshi felt a pain in his heart, though it was somewhat nulified by the expected cruelty of Koujin’s act. He hung his head, his attention now diverted to the pain growing in his body. Koujin withdrew his sword with a sickening squish, quite pleased with himself. “Now do you see? You are truly alone in this world Soshi. You don’t care about anyone, and they don’t care about you. The only two filthy creatures who did are gone, forever. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re back together with them very soon. That’s what you want isn’t it?” Koujin drew this out as long as possible taking great delight in Soshi’s pain and instability. Soshi once again believed every word Koujin said. He hadn’t cared for anyone his entire life. It had always been him and him alone. Even his former enemy, Kaller, had tried to help, and paid a terrible price. Soshi couldn’t think of one person he cared about who was still alive.

“Well, no sense in dragging this out any longer. Goodbye, Soshi.” But as Koujin readied himself to kill the dragon, Soshi knew. The one person he cared about. Truly, genuinely cared about. His thoughts focused on that one person, and could feel energy seeping back into him. A white light enveloped him, the same he had experienced on Proarctica, when he first faced Koujin. Koujin’s sword glanced off Soshi, and Soshi’s pure channeled energy shattered the Crystal Blade that held him in place. He landed harshly on the ground, the resulting vibration knocking the Ice Lord down.

“What-what magic is this?” Koujin stuttered. Soshi snatched the Radiant Ruby back from Koujin immediately.

“This is no magic, Koujin.” Soshi said the name disgustedly. “This is my true power. Fueled by the one person I care about. I have overridden your power, it is insignificant compared to mine.” To demonstrate, Soshi pointed the wand at Koujin, channeling his energy into it. Koujin was paralyzed. He could only watch as a devastatingly large wall of flame rushed toward him, burning first his cloak, then his skin. He cried out in insurmountable pain, as Soshi continued the attack. It lasted only seconds, but when it finally stopped, Koujin lay charred, but not dead. Soshi had one last thing he had to say. “Koujin. The one person who I care about, the one person you will never understand how I feel about, the person I love,” Soshi paused.

“…is Sergeant Rena Strobel.”
 
Chapter XX-A New Target

The threat of his life and Plit was about to be vanquished. From Kaller’s weak grasp Soshi seized the Essence Emerald. The dragon pointed the two magical items at Koujin, the crests at the top glistening off the reflections in the ice. “It’s my destiny to rid Plit from your clutches.” he growled. Soshi tensed his hand. He couldn’t afford to hesitate. The time had come for him to kill again. “With these two pieces of the Great Treasure, I’ll have more than enough power to defeat you!” His threat was somewhat empty, but the dragon didn’t care. he focused his newfound power into both weapons. With one swift movement, he aimed the blasts at the Ice Lord. Soshi continued the assault, watching as the beams moved closer. At the last second, with no provocation, Koujin raised his sword and deflected both beams up towards the ceiling, sending a cold wind raining down on Soshi.

Koujin chuckled, however, he still appeared to be seriously injured. He slowly stood, grasping his side and holding his limp arm, all the while laughing as if nothing happened. “Don’t you see what you’ve done?” he panted. “You’ve given me the opportunity.” He chuckled again as Soshi prepared another blast. His weapons charged with energy, but they quickly faded when the Ice Lord held up his sword. Soshi knew the attacks would only be blocked again. “By giving me a name, you’ve given me a new target.” Koujin laughed one final time before disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

Soshi silently cursed to himself in the dank cavern. He had failed again, and now more innocent lives would be put on the line. He was pathetic, just another obstacle Koujin had overcome on his quest for ultimate power. Soshi set the two weapons down and hopelessly stared at his hands. They were callused and bleeding from his tight grip on the weapons. Soshi sighed as he realized he was slowly destroying himself in the process as well. Not just physically, but also emotionally. Who was he to think he could have stopped Koujin? The dragon closed his eyes, and realized there was nothing more he could do.

From the hole in the wall where Kaller first appeared, Soshi now felt a harsh wind. He struggled to his feet and peered slowly out of the hole. Looking up, he witnessed the formation of an immense black storm cloud that seemed to eat away at the night sky around it. The winds were swirling the clouds toward a center point, which was now beginning to stretch outward, consuming everything insight, plunging the sky into an infinite black sea. The waves of the shore were beginning to gain force. Some were high enough to actually enter the cave, the foam even splashing Soshi in the face. The ocean’s water was the same midnight black as the sky above. Koujin was putting his plan to work now, and Soshi had to stop him while the storm was still young. He didn’t know how, but he had to get back to the castle. Koujin would be attacking Sergeant Strobel and the rest of the Royal Army next. He couldn’t give up. Everyone would be counting on him and him alone this time.

As Soshi gathered his courage to pursue, he looked behind him at the still impaled shark that was still hanging on the wall. The dragon sighed as he knew he would have to leave Kaller behind. Soshi forced the Crystal Blade out of Kaller’s body, and let him drop limp, to the floor. He stared seriously at Kaller, noticing his chest was still rising and falling. Relief flooded into Soshi as his suspicions were confirmed; Kaller was indeed still alive. Before taking to the skies, Soshi whispered almost inaudibly, “Thank you.”
 
Chapter XXI-The Third Treasure

A crosswind blew, sending the waves below Soshi into a raging fury. He paid them no heed as he flew toward the distant storm cloud swirling in the night sky. But no matter how long Soshi flew, the cloud still seemed to linger at the exact same spot in the sky. Undeterred, he pressed on. He was Plit’s last hope. Clutching the Emerald in his hand and the Ruby in his mouth, the Sky Yoshi tried his best not to think about his injuries.

“First things first.” He thought to himself again. Fueled only his rage and righteous fury, the dragon never wavered from his destination. The dark cloud was now beginning to spread outwards in all directions, but Soshi kept a close eye on the precise center of the cloud-the focal point, his destination. As the clouds started to pass overhead, Soshi knew there was no turning back.

There was a noticeable drop in temperature as the cloud took Soshi in its growing land. Rain started washing down from the sky in sheets, obscuring Soshi’s vision. The winds raged even faster than before, bringing Soshi to start shivering mid-flight. At last, the focal point began to draw nearer, and Soshi could see clearly what it was focused over. A white limestone building with a red roof, and a stained glass picture of Princess Peach on the front. The flags on top of the castle were already torn off, and the strong winds threatened to do the same to the castle itself.

Alighting on the castle’s bridge, Soshi proceeded forward toward the castle’s front door. Safely out of the pouring rain and high winds, Soshi flapped his drenched wings, and shivered all over. He was thoroughly soaked and exhausted and just wanted this entire nightmare to be over. Soshi gripped the knob and that same unmistakable eerie feeling shot up him. Koujin was near. As he carefully opened the door, all he could see was pure darkness. He bravely marched in, ready to confront Koujin once and for all, and to save the one he held dear.

The door slammed shut behind Soshi, and an audible click was heard as it locked. No big deal. He really didn’t think he’d be getting out of this one anyway. Alone in the dark once again, Soshi waited for his nemesis to show himself.

“I really didn’t think you’d dare to come.” Koujin cackled.

“Cut the bullcrap, Koujin. Just stop being a coward and fight me already!”

“Oh.” Koujin mockingly sounded hurt. “So soon after our last encounter? And not even a ‘hello’ or a ‘how are you?’ You certainly haven’t learned any manners, have you?”

“Don’t listen to him, Soshi. He’s playing with your head again.” Soshi kept his anger and insanity in check.

“Perhaps you would be more polite to me if I simply turned on the light?” On these words, the hall illuminated and Soshi saw himself in the familiar interior of the castle. But there was one thing out of place. A single tile on the ceiling was loose. As Soshi approached it and craned his neck upwards, the tile cracked. The Sky Yoshi jumped back just in time as the tile and several others broke loose and crashed down into a heap of rubble on the ground.

As the dust cleared, Soshi saw his adversary standing tall. Yet there was another figure lying beside him, a small Koopa clad in a high-ranking military uniform. Her eyes were closed and she did not appear to be breathing.

“No…you didn’t. You couldn’t have…”

“Ha! It appears you are too late, Sky Dragon.” Koujin laughed. “I really must thank you for giving me such a prime a easy target, especially when it is one so dear to your heart.”

Soshi growled. This time Koujin had gone too far. “How far will you go to break me?”

“I believe I’ve already accomplished that. And with fantastic results.” The Ice Lord chuckled evilly.

“You will pay for all the suffering you’ve caused. All these innocent lives, lost because of you! You won’t leave here with your life, Koujin!!” Soshi’s rage grew as he brandished his two weapons.

“Yes, that’s it. Let that rage consume you.” Koujin said. “You know, Soshi, I see you’re becoming more like me every day.”

That struck a nerve inside Soshi’s mind. “How DARE you compare myself to you?!” Soshi screamed as he dashed toward Koujin, weapons charged. Koujin simply teleported out of the way, and punched Soshi square in the back. Soshi quickly turned around and there was no one there. Koujin blasted him in the back with his wand, temporarily paralyzing Soshi.

“You know Sky Dragon, if you had all three pieces of the treasure, you could have easily overtaken me by now. But you fell short and only came up with two. A costly mistake!” Koujin blasted Soshi against the far wall. Soshi limped on the, half-sitting, between the wall and the floor. Soshi knew he was right. He hadn’t had time to search for the third treasure. He probably could have defeated Koujin if he had.

“It’s just as well, really. You wouldn’t have been able to obtain it anyway.” Koujin leaned in close to Soshi’s face, his red eyes the primary focus in the dragon’s field of vision. “Would you like me to show you the third treasure, Soshi?” he whispered. Soshi just uttered a weak groan, a chilling combination of every injury he had received from Koujin.

The Ice Lord brought his wand up to his face, the many facets of the blue stone glistening off the light.

“I hold it in my hands right here. The Sentient Sapphire.”
 
Awesomness :cool:
 
Heh. Thanks.

Chapter XXII-Plit’s Darkness

It took a while for Soshi’s brain to wrap around what Koujin had said. However, it became clearer as the Ice Lord twirled the Sentient Sapphire in front of Soshi’s face, letting the light reflect off its facets and into Soshi’s eyes. He never stood a chance. All the time searching had gone to waste. Koujin held the third piece of the treasure all along. Soshi tried to grab it from Koujin, but a sharp pain shot up his arm, through his shoulder and to his throat. Soshi choked off a groan, a side effect of the paralysis.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Koujin said, mocking remorse. “Is this what you want?” he taunted. “I’m sorry, Sky Yoshi, but I’m afraid I need this.” He patted the Sapphire. “And you know something? While I’m at it, I will take these off your hands as well.” Koujin held out his hand, which glowed a brilliant white. Soshi knew what he was doing, but the paralysis hadn’t worn off yet, so all he could do was watch in horror as the Ice Lord magically pulled the Radiant Ruby and the Essence Emerald away from his hands. As Koujin grasped the two magical instruments, he chuckled maniacally. “At last. At last I possess the three pieces of the Legendary Treasure!” Koujin took Sgt. Strobel from her unmoving position on the ground, “If you want to see her again, you will surely try and stop me on the roof!” He created a black portal above him and floated up through the ceiling, laughing all the while, leaving Soshi unhurt, but unable to move.

Soshi’s head turned toward the window. It was still raining sheets outside, only now there were flashes of purple-tinted lightning. That wasn’t natural, Soshi thought. The moat around the castle was splashing against the window, though not strongly enough to break it. Yet. Soshi knew he had to stop Koujin now. This was his last chance. As the clouds gathered in a huge mass outside, Soshi blocked out all noise and just focused on himself. He closed his eyes, so he’d see nothing, hear nothing, and hopefully feel nothing. Soshi’s hope was that this extreme state of relaxation could counter the paralysis. Just as the dragon was beginning to feel calm, a particularly big flash of lightning crackled across ch the sky followed by a thunderous roar. Soshi jumped the slightest bit, which caused a jolt of pain in his entire body.

“Calm yourself down.” He told himself. “This is important. Deep breaths. In and out. In…and out…” Soshi began his meditation of sorts again. Normally he’d feel very silly, but now he felt no emotion. None at all. Not even pain. Soshi slowly began to regain the feel in his body, without the jolt of pain. First his neck, then his arms, followed by his wings. The feeling creeped back in him, as his legs and lastly, his claws became familiar to him once again.

When he was positive everything was in working order, Soshi opened his eyes. He felt a lot better. He flexed his muscles just to be sure. No pain. Soshi happily rejoiced for a second before he knew it was time to get serious. Soshi threw open the double doors on the second floor, and flew up the long spiral staircase to the roof. The closer he got, the heavier the air around him seemed to get. The dank air he knew was Koujin’s doing, and didn’t seem to care much. He only wanted to see Sgt. Strobel again and stop Koujin. Upon reaching the roof, Soshe arrived just in time to see the Ice Lord throw the high-ranking Koopa into the moat, which had overflowed and now completely surrounded Peach’s Castle and its outlying lands. When Soshi flew over the edge into the open air, he could see the current was dragging her away, out to sea. The blue Sky Yoshi also noticed a second figure floating, clad in a full length pink dress.

“Peach!” Soshi yelled and immediately dove forward. A gut-wrenching pain in his stomach caught him dead in his tracks, however, and he was subsequently pulled back towards the castle, tumbling backwards on the ground as he landed.

“Ah ah ah…” Koujin scolded. “We mustn’t go headfirst into something we know nothing of, should we?” Koujin’s three weapons magically floated out of his cloak, and flew a few tens of feet above the pair. There, they hovered in a large triangle, before beaming down electric bolts that served as barriers to prevent anything from getting in or out. The weapons sealed up the opening at the top with electricity as well. Soshi, seeing this, turned all his attention toward Koujin, half-enraged, half-dumbfounded. “It is a new skill I have recently acquired. The three treasures make me all powerful, as I have told you, have I not?” the villain grinned under his cloak. “Looks like the only way you will be able to rescue the princess and that foolish Koopa is if you can get through me.” Koujin’s cloak began to glow and it emitted an aura of three colors, red, green and blue, one for each piece of the Legendary Treasure. Soshi blanched. The creep had somehow absorbed the powers of the treasures.

Koujin laughed darkly. “And believe me, Sky Dragon. That is by no means an easy task.”
 
This getting better and better! Write the next one already!
 
I'm sorry. I know. I got lazy, heh. I will finish! Believe it!

Ummm...[/naruto]

Chapter XXIII- Last Chance

The sky dragon breathed deeply. He knew this was it. One of them had to die here, and if it was him, nothing would stand in Koujin’s way. But as Soshi knew Koujin had all three treasures in his possession, his chances against the villain were reduced dramatically. As he readied himself, Soshi stared down his adversary, who was merely hovering in the air a few inches above the roof of the castle. As he waited for Koujin to make the first move, Soshi drew strength from everyone he knew was counting on him.

“It ends here Sky Yoshi!” Koujin cackled. “You will die here! I swear it!” On Koujin’s words, an extraordinarily bright flash of lightning blinded Soshi for a split second. Koujin moved in and punched Soshi hard with his right hand, which had taken the form of a giant claw, much like Soshi’s own, only it glowed with a dark aura. Soshi took the attack head-on, but took off unfazed. He dove for Koujin, fangs and claws bared. The villain saw this coming, however, and swerved out of the way, calling down a beam from the Radiant Ruby above to strike Soshi. The dragon turned sharply in mid-air to avoid it, and spewed a steady stream of fire at the dark lord. Wherever Koujin tried to dodge, Soshi would aim right for him, all the while flying closer and closer. Throughout the attack, Soshi focused power into his wings, causing them to glow. Koujin landed on the roof and began calling down bolts from the three wands above. Soshi stopped his flame and dove straight for Koujin. The villain tried to dodge, but Soshi anticipated this, and turned sharply in mid-air, knocking Koujin in the stomach, full-force.

As he reeled, Soshi circled him, focusing for another attack. Suddenly, a bright yellow beam from below struck him and Soshi felt a surge of electricity course throughout his body. He fell to the ground and got to his feet, still feeling the effects of the blast. Soshi felt movement behind him and turned just in time to see Koujin brandish his sword and slice Soshi in the face. Koujin was aiming for the neck, but Soshi had turned, and instead taken the hit to the face. He stifled the cry of pain; he knew he had to keep fighting. Soshi dived at Koujin once more, kicking him in the chest as hard as he could. Koujin merely took a few steps back and raised his hand. Throughout all this, Koujin had been storing energy into what was now an enormous glowing orb high above the roof. Soshi tried to stop the evildoer from unleashing the attack by breathing another fireball at him. Soshi circled around and slammed himself into Koujin as hard as he could. It was like running into a brick wall. Koujin didn’t move, but Soshi skidded to the ground with a groan.

As he looked up, Koujin was not laughing like the tortuous person Soshi had come to know him as. He was scowling. He was truly fighting, not just toying with Soshi. Soshi tried to make himself get up, before it was too late. Koujin, however, brought his hand down swiftly, and the giant orb of energy fell.

An explosion and power rocked the castle wall. As he took the blast, Soshi tried not to black out. He was flying through the air, but it felt like he was being crushed with the force of a million tons. He hit his head on the wall of the castle and fell in a crumpled heap on the stony ground. He saw his adversary protected in a green bubble. He had sustained no injuries from the explosion. Before he could get up, Koujin was on him and dug his claw with all his might into Soshi’s limp body. Koujin ripped out his hand taking much of Soshi’s skin with it. Soshi howled with pain as the blood began to pool around him. He tried to get up. To keep fighting. Somehow overcome the odds and win. Strengthened only by his will to live, Soshi slowly struggled to his feet. In a moment of blind rage, he broke off into a run at Koujin.

“Can’t you see? You can’t win! Give up now while you still have a life to protect!” Koujin growled.

“Oh yeah?” Soshi thought. “Just watch.” The Shy Yoshi knew he had just one chance. Ignoring the pain as best he could, he flew up to the three wands creating the electrical barrier.

“What are you doing?! Impertinent fool!” Koujin floated up toward Soshi as fast he could.

Soshi reached for the nearest treasure to him: The Essence Emerald. As he grabbed it, a searing pain coursed through his body. But he held on and tried to claim it back. It seemed not to move from its point in the sky. His cry of pain echoed through the night air. After what seemed like an eternity, Soshi managed to break the spell and claim the Emerald. Koujin stared in shock. The electricity that resulted from Soshi touching the Emerald prevented Koujin from getting near without getting shocked himself. Soshi curled his mouth into a slight grin as blood continued to drip off his body. Koujin regained his composure and fired more blasts from his hand and Soshi, who countered with beams of his own from the Emerald. With each one, he thought of Kaller, how he risked his life for Soshi. It was time to return the favor.

Koujin roared. “You may have the Essence Emerald, but I still have two pieces of the treasure under my control. And unlike you, I’m powerful enough to kill you with them alone!” He called down repeated bolts from each of them, coupling the attack with his own. Soshi tried his best to fire back, but he knew he would be overwhelmed sooner or later. Worse, the pain in his back from the wounds Koujin gave him was beginning to be too much to bear.

“You can’t dodge them forever, Sky Dragon!” Koujin yelled. Soshi knew it. He needed to gain the upper hand in this battle. Soshi had to keep fighting, against all odds. Just keep fighting…
[/i]
 
Chapter XXIV-A Life to Protect

Rain mixed with blood on the stony castle exterior as Soshi continued his fierce fight. Koujin continued his assault as Soshi struggled to get off the defense. As Koujin brandished his blade once more, Soshi alighted on the deck, staring him down. As he lunged at the Sky Yoshi, the two treasures still looming above them threatened to fry Soshi with their magical blasts. Koujin slashed at Soshi’s neck, but the latter used the staff of his Essence Emerald to block the strike. Soshi and Koujin were in a deadlock, neither giving so much as a millimeter. As the sparks from the two weapons flew, Soshi used his tail to knock Koujin off balance. When Koujin stumbled, Soshi blasted him with the Essence Emerald. Before he could get back up, Soshi whipped him in the head with his tail.

Koujin struggled to his feet. It was the first sign of weakness Soshi had ever seen from the villain. Soshi was on the offensive now, and he had to keep it that way. His entire back continued to throb with every heartbeat, but Soshi pushed through it. He spewed a flame directly at Koujin and used his Essence Emerald to augment the power with a beam. It hit Koujin directly, and Soshi could hear the fizzling of his cloak as it caught the fire. Koujin continued to call down the beams from the two treasures in the air to attack Soshi, who was finding it harder and harder to get away. He tried frantically to fire back, but even in his weakened state, Koujin was still very resilient. As Koujin brandished his sword once more, Soshi tried dive-bombing him from above. Koujin sidestepped the assault and caught Soshi’s leg with his blade. Soshi skidded to a stop on the ground and fell to his knees, trying to get to his feet at Koujin approached him. With a grunt, he kicked the Sky Dragon hard in the ribs, knocking the air out of Soshi. Soshi tried to regain his breath, but he knew he needed time. Koujin reared back for another slash, but an explosion prevented this.

Soshi looked confused for a minute, but as the smoke cleared, Koujin was staring angrily out into the horizon.

“You! I thought I killed you back in that miserable cavern!” He spat.

“Not likely!” was the response. As Soshi turned around, he saw Kaller, injured but still smiling smugly, sailing toward the castle. His men aimed the cannon at Koujin for another shot. “And look who I brought with me!” Soshi looked and saw Toukee, from long ago on Isle Silver, along in another boat with an army of soldiers. “Fire!” Kaller gave the command and the cannon shot a missile at Koujin, which exploded on impact. Soshi took the time to blast Koujin with his wand. He didn’t have the strength to try for the other two treasures.

“I’m coming up right now, Soshi, so you better not die before I get there!” Kaller snarled as he broke through the door to the castle. Toukee and his army soon followed.

“Enough games!” Koujin growled. Thunder and lightning crackled in the distance as Koujin’s eyes glowed red. He began to glow with a red aura, and his sword had changed from an icy curved blade to a straight golden weapon. Before Soshi could react, Koujin dashed blindingly fast toward him, throwing Soshi against the wall. As he winced, Soshi dug his claws into his attacker. Blood began to ooze out of the wound and without letting go, Soshi sunk his jaws into Koujin’s shoulder. The villain yelled in pain, but threw Soshi off, clutching his shoulder with one hand, his sword with the other. Meanwhile, Kaller barged through the door, brandishing his own sword. As he charged Koujin, the latter teleported away and Kaller was struck by a beam from above.

Kaller fell to his knees, cursing. “Rrr, learned some new tricks, has ‘e?” Kaller looked around for his prey and found him slashing at Soshi with his blades. Kaller rushed over to help the Sky Dragon when he was pushed back by a wall of air.

“You stay out of this!” Koujin snarled.

“Soshi!” called a voice. Toukee was standing on the highest point on the roof, above them, holding a bow. “Take this!” Toukee fired a gleaming silver arrow straight at Koujin, who, preoccupied with Soshi, didn’t notice Toukee. The arrow struck Koujin and vanished, leaving no trace. Koujin clutched his chest where he had been struck. He growled at Toukee, who had already pulled another arrow. Soshi used this distraction to kick Koujin, claws bared. Koujin, seeing how it was three against one, hovered into the air. He glowed a little, then unleashed a swarm of black shadows. Soshi recognized him immediately. They were the same creatures that took him while he was training with the Mushroom Army. He tried blasting them, Toukee tried firing at them, and Kaller tried slashing them with his sword. The numbers seemed endless, and the heroes couldn’t fight Koujin with the distractions; even Toukee was attacked from his vantage point. Soshi knew his chances had just dropped. As he threw off the beasts’ attempts to cling on to him, he knew he had just once chance left. One chance to live.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back