For easy reference, the background story of SOCK2 has been provided. As Matt has mentioned, he has adapted the story from his own RPG Maker 2000 game "Lost Legend IV". Feel free to edit this page as you see fit.

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May 8, 2007

"Dan!" she had cried. I remembered that night so well. She appeared at my apartment in Dion; she was such a mess, her clothing matted and wet. The wind had been gusting crazily outside. It was so scary.

Her name was Veronica. We had just met, after my dad and aunt were taken away by demons. We ended up traveling together along with Shaila, a knight of Moonward Castle, to track down a stolen purse. Fate works in funny ways, and we found ourselves demon-hunting alongside the thief himself; his name was Sly, a mysterious guy. We thought that the nightmare would be over after we had defeated who we thought was the demons' leader, but it wasn't to be. Demons were now coursing through the city of Insburgh, as Veronica told us in hysterics. Insburgh was her hometown, after all.

The four of us took off now into the rain and wind to discover why. I missed my family so much.

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May 15, 2007

The storm was terrible as we ventured out into the dark night. The claws of lightning through the sky were almost horrifying, but the worst part had been the wind. It had howled so loudly that it was difficult to speak, let alone walk straight.

I wondered if something might have happened to the Elemental Guardian of Wind. Long ago, my aunt had told me that six great beasts had roamed the land; six beasts that contained the very essences of air, earth, energy, heat, cold, and water. Humankind had captured these beasts, and learned how to manipulate their powers in order to make life convenient. With new technologies, each guardian was contained in a capsule and hooked up to a series of computers to govern climate, electrical power, and more.

But if something were to happen to them...

The demons couldn't have been responsible, could they? The trials and tribulations that we had just been through... could they have been only a precursor to a much greater threat?

We pressed on, trying to find the answers.

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May 24, 2007

The city was in shambles. It looked as though everybody had fled, and other than the crashing roar of the wind, the familiar nighttime sounds of barroom parties were nowhere to be heard.

I had been to Insburgh once long ago, when my school went on a field trip to see the capsule and the Elemental Guardian. What was its name, again? That's right... it was Windgaard. Now, the capsule building loomed before the four of us like an enormous castle. The bricks around the entrance had been blown completely away, presumably because a great wind seemed to be coming from within.

"It's Windgaard. Something has gone terribly wrong, and I can't determine what the cause is!" We spun around to see a sombre-faced young man dressed in a dirty old lab coat. The man, named Scott, was a scientist in charge of maintaining the capsule.

"You look powerful," he continued. We all knew what he was going to say. "You can see the state of this town. I know you don't want to do it, but we have no choice in the matter. We have to destroy Windgaard before he destroys our world."

The thought was disturbing to me. How could we go up against the ultimate being of wind? If these were elemental guardians, wouldn't it throw the world off-balance to destroy them? But still, we could feel its rage. I knew that we had little choice in the matter.

Scott cleared his throat. "Windgaard is a wind elemental. Hence, if we use thunder magic, there is a slim possibility that we could overwhelm him. But, we have to act quickly."

We forged into the darkness of the capsule building, awaiting the great and horrible battle we knew would take place within.

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May 25, 2007

We arrived at the holding room for Windgaard. The wind whistled eerily around us as the Elemental Guardian turned to face us. In its eyes were a cold, inhuman resentment. Was it really so angry that humans had controlled its powers for so long? Could a "guardian" really be responsible for such awful destruction?

The being gave a spine-chilling shriek and lunged forward. We were ready for battle.

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May 31, 2007

Windgaard howled with an incredible rage upon his defeat, and in an instant, as he flashed out of existence, the raging winds around us abruptly came to a halt. The strangest presence was felt in the air nearby though. But that's when we realized that Veronica had been hurt terribly during the chaotic battle.

She was in a coma, or something like it. The color had drained from her face, and it was obvious that if something were not done quickly, she was not long for this world. Before anyone could suggest anything, though, the interior of the capsule darkened and a huge man materialized before us.

He was at least six and a half feet tall, and clad in swirling robes of an intensely dark blue. He carried a silver sword that looked like it could cleave steel. What was most incredible about him were his eyes, which glowed with a strangely beautiful yet eerie crystal-blue light. In the same way as...

"Those eyes!" Shayla exclaimed under her breath. "Who are you?"

"I have come for my son and more. Begone, you useless she-wielder."

Shayla rushed at the hulking figure, but through telekinesis, or dark arts of some kind, his sword flew up into the air and swatted her aside as if she were a simple rag doll.

The dark being spoke some incomprehensible words and he was suddenly surrounded by a brilliant purple light.

"It is done. Let us go, my son." With that, he and Sly disappeared in a beam of silver light. The rest of us looked on, bewildered...

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June 5, 2007

"Veronica!"

After Sly disappeared with the figure in black, we remembered all of a sudden that another friend of ours had suffered a terrible blow in the dramatic battle.

We needed to take her someplace safe, and I knew that a gifted herbalist lived in a forest to the east. I suggested that we take her there immediately, but Scott was unhappy about it.

"Do you not realize the gravity of the situation?? If Windgaard suddenly escaped its bonds and turned on humanity, we have to figure out why. Shayla, think of your kingdom! How would you feel if Diamante ravaged Moonward Castle? What about Arzak of the mage's town up north? Thermos and Frigozo on the far eastern continent? We must figure out what has happened! We cannot let more lives be lost, or I'll never be able to forgive myself!"

Veronica had fought bravely, though, and she deserved our care. We finally convinced Scott to accompany us to the east; perhaps we'd discover something about the other elemental guardians on the way. And maybe, I thought, I'd finally learn something about

The air was still as we set off from the ruins of Insburgh...

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June 8, 2007

We made our way through the dense forests until we came across an enormous clearing. A sprawling garden, overgrown with flowers and vines, bushes and fruit trees, surrounded a quaint-looking cottage. The medic that lived there, Elia, was tending some bushes as we approached.

"She doesn't look good," she said even before greeting us. "We must bring her in now!"

It was true, though, that she was an expert in her field, and within a couple of hours, Veronica appeared to be resting comfortably in a bed of Elia's basement. Kindly, Elia prepared us a great meal; it had been days since any of us had eaten anything of substance, and we were famished.

However, not all of us were enjoying it. Scott was visibly restless, and indeed, I wondered too: What had happened to Windgaard? Could the same thing happen to other Guardians? Did that dark figure that disappeared with Sly have something to do with the terror that Windgaard caused?

Elia was intrigued and shocked by our stories, and promised to watch carefully over Veronica in our absence.

"I wish you a safe trip to the country of Garnam," Elia said as we prepared to leave. "I hope you realize what you're getting into, though. The road there has been closed for the past month, what with Hillstad situation"

"Oh yes... I had totally forgotten about that," Shayla replied with a grimace, kneading her forehead. When I asked, she explained to me that Hillstad, the great kingdom of the north, had closed its borders to Garnam after many guards reported suspicious behaviour from Garnam's mages in the Hillstad area.

"Let's head up to Hillstad, in any event. We'll find a way to get to Garnam, one way or another!" she announced.

With that, we left Elia and Veronica, and continued to journey north, through the forest and past a raging waterfall...


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June 13, 2007

Hillstad was a busy castle, full of hustle, bustle, and excited chatter. The townspeople were quite evidently abuzz over recent reports of "suspicious activity" from the mage's town, Garnam. We weren't sure exactly what that was until Shayla stepped forward and asked one of the guards keeping patrol.

"Aye, they've got some o' the cursed mages in custody right now," the guard replied. "They're interrogatin' three of 'em down in the undercity even now." He continued, mentioning that all road traffic to Garnam had been completely blocked off. "What wit' them and the Guardian Arzak, we don't want 'em comin' through and causing 'avoc."

Scott yelped in excitement. Arzak? Were the mages somehow responsible for what had happened in Insburgh? How were we to get to Garnam to find out? Scott grumbled beneath his breath, as Shayla suggested that we go down into the Undercity to get a look at these mages who were being held.

We heard a vicious argument unfolding as we approached the questioning room. We stood just outside a large wooden door with a barred window, looking on. A young woman with long purple hair was having it at the guards.

"You can't hold us here! You have no right to. We haven't done anything wrong... we're just trying to protect ourselves... and hell, we're trying to protect YOU, too. It's funny that King Hills was friendly towards our town until two damn weeks ago."

The guards scoffed, evidently paying little attention to anything she was saying. But then, something happened that none of us expected.

"I don't have time for this. I have places to be, and it's illegal for you to hold me here." She let loose with a rather brilliant spell. A yelp of pain was heard, and the door fell down before us. The purple-haired woman tore out of the room and bolted past us.

"This is our chance!" Shayla cried. "Let's follow her!"

Little did we know where she would lead us...

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June 20, 2007

"Where in the world...?" Scott muttered as we followed the Garnam mage into a secluded cave far to the east of Hillstad. "This is definitely NOT the way to Ga-"

"Shh!" Shayla shushed him angrily. "We can't be caught following her, or we might never find out how to get there."

Scott gave a grunt and muttered to himself. "Well, that's not where she's taking us anyway, so what does it matter...?"

His words trailed off as we rounded a bend in the cave. Before us was an incredible wall of glowing colours that flickered like the surface of a lake at sunset. It was strangely beautiful, and a ferocious wind blew from the wall. The mage girl grimaced and stepped through it.

We exclaimed, not knowing what we were to believe. What could this possibly be? Excitement flickered through Scott's eyes, and I was absolutely bewildered.

"A... portal?!?" Scott was very excited. "Could it be?" He cantered up to the wall, bracing himself against the wind.

Shayla stepped forward. "Scott, I don't think that's a good idea!" But before she knew it, he had stepped through. We stood, incredulous for a few minutes.

"So, what now..? Do you really think it's okay?" Shayla wondered aloud. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

She stepped through and I followed. I felt a surge of cold, and then a powerful blast of air blew me out onto the ground on the other side. I tasted dirt in my mouth, but soon realized the scene unfolding before me.

Shayla had just picked herself up, and Scott stood a few feet ahead, combatting some ferocious monsters besides the mage girl! Shayla and I exchanged glances. "We've got to help!" We dove into battle, without a grain of understanding of what had just happened.

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June 21, 2007

"We're in another world!?" Scott exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's what I just said." The mage-girl's name was Lily, and she looked like a mage. With her long and shiny violet hair, a simple green cloak over tight black clothes, and long red boots, she was radiant from a close-up perspective. "I didn't need your help, you know. If you'll excuse me, I have to go."

As she turned to go, Scott put his hand on Lily's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere until you tell us what's happening with the Elemental Guardian!"

Lily seemed less than enthused. "I figured you were working for Hillstad. Get the hell out of here, or I'll make you wish you had."

"That's not true," Shayla replied. After we explained the situation to her, Lily's tone softened. "You mean that you're the ones that stopped Windgaard from destroying the continent!? We were wondering how that thing was stopped! Listen, Garnam has been the home of Arzak for years. After we found out about how Windgaard went berserk, we've been investigating to find out what the cause has been. I was in Hillstad doing some... shall we say spy work? The people at Hillstad are insane and idiotic, but they didn't do it. The castle, however, thought that our investigation was 'suspicious' and so they think that we are the cause of this chaos! Hence the roadblock. Luckily, we mages have known about this second world for generations, and we've started using it as a detour to get around that roadblock."

"I can't even believe this. Another world? This is the stuff of legends..." Shayla seemed entranced.

The situation was becoming more clear to us, and she offered to take us back to Garnam and introduce us to the mayor. Off we marched, into a strange and unfamiliar land...

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June 22, 2007

She had led us out of the tunnel, over a small island, and into another nearby cave. This new world... it didn't seem so unfamiliar, except for a darker sky and a strangely heavy air. In the second cave had been another portal, and before we knew it, we found ourselves in the Mage's town of Garnam.

"And these," Lily told the mayor, an attractive woman named Elsa, "are the ones that took down Windgaard!"

Elsa grimaced. "I'm so grateful to you, but I can't imagine what you must have endured. You are truly brave souls." Lily was about to say something, but she was interrupted by the mayor.

"Perhaps it is best, then, that I tell you this now, in the presence of these heroes. Arzak is no longer here. We've moved him to the top of Silver Falls in the southeast, because we fear that something terrible will happen to him."

Lily's lips parted in shock before Scott stepped up. "I'm a technician!" He spoke quickly. "I know the computers that control these guys like I know the back of my hand." He turned to everybody else. "We don't know if Arzak will be okay or not. But if something goes wrong with him, maybe I'll be able to figure something out if I'm right there and able to take some measurements and observations."

Elsa nodded, and we all discussed the matter before coming to a consensus. We were off to those Great Falls that we had travelled past only a short time ago, the massive Silver Falls.

"We are greatly in your debt. Please be careful."

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June 23, 2007

Silver Falls was a remarkable place, because it looked so incredibly larger close-up than it did from afar. The water crashed down from some source within a huge mountain. Storm clouds appeared to be gathering in the sky above, making the landmark seem eerily intimidating.

"It looks like it's going to rain," commented Shayla.

"There's a big surprise. This is NOT going to be an easy climb for us!" Lily made her way towards the narrow pathway leading upwards and into the mountain. "This place is riddled with a network of caves. They must have taken Arzak to the top to isolate him as much as possible, but getting to him might be awfully inconvenient for us."

"We can do it!" Scott said. "It's worth the challenge!"

And up we went, as the sky continued to darken...

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June 28, 2007

Finally, after hours of battling through hordes of monsters, we arrived at the top. Thunder cracked above us, and a sinking feeling of dread coursed through me.

"We're almost there! Just a little further." Shayla coaxed the rest of us along. While she and Lily appeared to be unfazed, Scott and I were becoming more worn out by the minute.

We weren't prepared for the sight that met us at the top. Arzak stood inside a large piece of machinery; presumably, this was his holding tank that had been transported out this far. However, another figure, dressed in dark robes, stood over what appeared to be the controls. As he looked up at us, we realized that he was the strange figure that we had met back at Insburgh.

"Ah." He punched in a few buttons, and took a step in our direction. "Right on time."

"You madman!" cried Scott. "What have you done to him?"

The darkly-clad man gave a hearty laugh and snorted. "I've only made Arzak realize the cruel punishment that human beings have inflicted upon him for generations; nothing more." As he drew closer, we could see his slick night-blue hair standing out above his staring, ice-cold, clear blue eyes in a strangely frightening contrast.

"Who are you?!" demanded Shayla, readying her sword.

The man didn't answer her question. Instead, he snapped his fingers in an unexpected instant.

My father materialized before me.

My heart fell incredibly in a combination of grief, worry, and relief, before I noticed that there was a strange fire in his eyes. Then, he snarled at us.

"I heard your family was missing," the man said with the hint of a smile. "Well, I thought that out of the goodness of my heart, I'd reunite you with him. You deserve it."

The dark man gave another snap of the fingers and disappeared into thin air as my father lunged at us. At the same time, Arzak's capsule began to vibrate, emitting sparks and flashes of light.

Scott sprinted over to the machine. "I've got to find a way to stop this!"

Lily screamed while fighting off my father. "Scott, get back here! It's too dangerous!"

Scott paid no heed and started to punch at the control keypad furiously. "It's my fault that Insburgh was left in ruins. I will not let Arzak wreak similar havoc!"

The flashes became brighter, and Shayla yelled sternly. "Scott, it's going to blow!"

It was too late. The machine erupted in an enormous blast of light as a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky to meet the ailing machine. Scott flew back dozens of feet and off the top of the mountain.

"Nooo!"

There was no time to grieve. Not yet. It was made especially evident as the mighty Arzak gave an incredibly deafening roar to the sky and began to approach us with hate in its troubled eyes.

Shayla barked out orders as the commander within her awoke. "Dan, you can't fight your father- you can't see him like this. Get away from here! Lily, Dan! Try to hold off that thing... and I'll be with you to fight in a second!"

Animal instinct took over, and we plunged into a battle that seemed unwinnable.

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July 6, 2007

Like a dream, it was over. The creature moaned in agony as the final strike was landed. A strange golden light shot up from him like a ball and disappeared into the night sky. The sky suddenly darkened and a chilling breeze cut the air like a cold, bloody knife. The clouds above began to part.

Lily shuddered. "This just doesn't feel right. What's happening?"

Then, my father sat up with a wild look in his eyes. "It's him... it's... Mazell."

I ran to him. His real name was Willard, but for some reason, over time, he had opted to go by the name Wooley. He was a mad scientist at heart, and had always dabbled in alchemy for reasons I had never understood. And then, that one day a few months back, he suddenly took me on this adventure and was promptly kidnapped. I never thought that I'd see him again, but here he was. He looked terribly shaken, though, as if he had gone through a terrible ordeal.

"Who is this Mazell??" Lily knelt down over him.

"Don't fuss over me! Come on now, we must go, and quickly." He spryly jumped to his feet, much to the surprise of Lily. "Mazell is the one who still has your Aunt as a hostage, Dan." He looked at me. "He lives in a completely different world than us... a world filled with a strange darkness. The demons took me there... you see, he has a huge palace, and your Aunt Angelina is there waiting for us to come and save her. He is evil... he has these terrible, cold eyes that stare right through you..."

The rest of us gasped. It was obvious that we had met this Mazell, and very recently. And this other world? Could it really be the one that we had just experienced at the time we had met Lily?

Shayla sighed. "This is unbelievable. So much danger, and so much loss. Why is all of this happening? What is going on?" She then paused, and walked to the side of the mountaintop. "Scott... we will remember your loss."

As Shayla motioned for everyone to go, we noticed Lily staring over the incredible landscape.

"What's wrong?" Shayla asked.

Lily shook her head. "There's... something wrong with this world right now, and we are in grave danger. These monsters... they aren't being controlled of their own volition. There's some greater force... some strange outside entity... I can't explain it, I can just feel it."

We all had a feeling of dread as we made our way wearily down Silver Falls, but our next destination was clear: We were off to the other world, but first, we would stop by and check on Veronica at the medicine girl's place.

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July 17, 2007

Veronica was already awake when we arrived at Elia's place. After telling them the story and introducing them to my father, Elia was astounded. Veronica was downright angry.

"That bastard! I can't believe what he did to me and my city..." Veronica snarled. "I'm going to dish it back to him when we finally meet that guy."

Shayla cautioned her. "Veronica, we have to make sure that we fight strongly... but also with a level head. Going into combat like a raving lunatic is not going to get us anywhere."

While they bantered, I began to think to myself. What could this evil man... this Mazell... be up to? And where will he strike next? I only knew of three other guardians, and finally, I decided to pipe up.

"Where are we going next?"

"Dan, you can talk!?" Lily exclaimed loudly.

"Shut up... I thought about being a silent hero until I realized how dangerous this mission was getting. Lay off."

Wooley responded to my question. "We're going to break into Mazell's palace in the other world to try and rescue your Aunt. We need her more than anything else, for reasons beyond your knowing. Besides, we don't know where Mazell is going to go next. He could go to Adumon and Glacia in the east, or..." he looked grimly to Shayla, "to Moonward Castle. That is, of course, if he keeps this pattern up of making the elemental guardians go mad."

A sparkle shone in Elia's eyes. "So if we head to his palace now, and he's gone to mess with a guardian, we might have a chance to pull off this rescue mission!"

Lily shifted her eyes over with the slight indication of irritation. "We...?"

Elia beamed. "Yes, we. You need a healer anyway, on such a dangerous mission, and I'm pretty useless here anyway. Let me help! My herbs will help keep some monsters from attacking us, too."

And thus we were off to the other, dark world. A knight from Moonward castle, a girl whose hometown was left in ruins, a mage from Garnam, a gifted healer, myself, and my father. A strange group of six, some might say, but our cause was, as with all great adventures, to save the world from something terrible.

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July 19, 2007

"This simply won't do. If they're going to intrude on my world, they aren't going to bring that disgusting stench with them."

"Yes, of course...*SNORT*... You can stop them without any problem! ...*SNORKCH*"

"Indeed. Those little fleas have no idea what exactly they're walking into."

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July 20, 2007

We had been in the Dark World for a couple of days, heading south, and enjoying a relatively peaceful walk, thanks to Elia's herbs. The world seemed to be quite like our own, except with a more dusky sky, and a deeper, somehow richer colour in the oceans. Perhaps it was an illusion.

We had just passed through a village of gnomes, called Trigg. There, they directed us in the direction we were headed. It became very apparent, very quickly, that Mazell was more than just a celebrity here; he was deeply feared, and not a single person was ignorant of his name. Was his aim to take over our world as well? There were so many questions.

As we passed over an open grassland, we could see steep mountains looming in the distance.

"That's it," dad said assertively. "Those must be the mountains where we'll find Mazell's palace!"

"And look!" Veronica pointed. A few twinkling lights were faintly visible at the base of the mountains, though they were many miles off yet. "It looks like there's a little village there."

As we changed direction and headed towards the settlement, the wind picked up suddenly. Shayla stiffened and then scanned the horizon.

"Everyone... look over there. What's that cloud?" Shayla asked hesitantly. It was hard to distinguish at first, but a small, black, blurry cloud appeared to be emerging from the mountains.

"A volcano?" Wooley arched his eyebrow almost comically before the colour drained from his face. The cloud was building and coming closer. As it did, we realized that it wasn't a cloud at all.

"Get ready, guys... we've got company." Shayla reached for her sword as the huge swarm of monsters approached...

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July 27, 2007

There were monsters everywhere. We fought with all of our hearts, but it seemed that whenever we'd get in a blow, three more would appear.

"Daniel, watch out!" my dad cried out as a snarling Saboteur swooped down from above. I dodged, and it narrowly missed me, but faced with new adversaries, I had to keep concentrating.

Lily was holding her own with some powerful-looking magic, and Shayla, expert with a sword, was having little problem. Veronica and Elia, however, were struggling. As I looked over, I noticed the monsters really concentrating their attacks on the poor healer girl. I tried to fight my way over to give her a hand, but I was too late. Within moments, a few of the winged ones lifted her right off of her feet. She shrieked, kicking and screaming.

"Elia!" Our voices rang out in vain.

"THIS IS THE ONE WITH THE STINK!" Their voices felt so alien... so evil. "TAKE HER AWAY!"

Elia screamed as they flew off into the night sky with her, off towards the mountains in the distance. There was little we could do but fight on, our hearts growing more discouraged by the minute.

Just when I started to lose all hope, a couple of new voices cleaved the air.

"Stand back!" A glistening lance streaked through the air, followed by a couple of arrows. A large, muscular man was running towards us from the direction of the village lights, followed by a strong looking woman and man, all dressed in cool-looking brown clothing. "Need a hand? I can get the job done."

Grateful for this mystery man's aid, we kept fighting into the night...

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July 31, 2007

With most of the monsters defeated, the great man turned to us.

"That was rough. It's a good thing that I showed up."

We were tired and battered. And now Elia was gone.

Shayla spoke up. "We thank you kindly for your help. May we ask your name?"

"It's Seth. These two are Mack and Red. We're from the city just over yonder." He motioned with his head to the lights behind him. "I'm actually the leader of the village, and when we saw the swarm, we knew someone was in trouble. Do you outsiders know of Mazell? He pretends as if it's his god-given right to run this place."

"They took our friend!" Veronica blurted out. "Why would they take her away?"

"I don't know. She'll probably be turned into a slave for Mazell, and his disgusting wife Gorgant."

Veronica frowned, and then set her jaw. "She saved my life. It's my turn to save hers."

"My sister was also taken by Mazell," dad explained. "We're on a quest to get these two back."

Seth's eyebrows shot up, before he gave a hearty laugh. "You guys? You can't be serious. If you thought that these enemies were tough, you don't want to KNOW what some of the monsters patrolling his palace are like."

"We have no choice in the matter. We're going in. This Mazell can't be allowed to do the things that he's been doing." Shayla sounded resolute. After the entire situation was explained to Seth, his broad shoulders dropped a bit and he seemed a little more somber and understanding.

He gave a hearty sigh. "One way or another," he said, "you have got to take a rest back at Mendley. You're in no shape to do any more fighting until you've had a good meal and a long sleep. Besides, we have a great city in the making; the whole town was originally designed as... well, you'll see."

With that, we turned and made the hour's walk to this new town, lying in the shadows of a formidable mountain range, placing all of our trust in this friendly stranger.

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August 1, 2007

The village looked small and quaint as we approached it, but as we strolled through the front gates, Seth and his two compatriots pulled the rest of us off to the side and walked along the inside of the front wall. Two guards stood in front of a hedgerow, and upon seeing their leader, broke into a wide smile.

"Ah! Seth. Welcome home."

Then, they turned and crouched, and together lifted up a giant slab of the earth, as if it were a trapdoor. Immediately, hustle, bustle and noise poured out from below.

"What on earth..." Lily commented, bewildered.

There were crowds walking around underground, as we descended a staircase. Some of the people nodded to Seth as we descended the staircase and looked around. We were in the midst of a large marketplace, with people walking about, chattering to one another, shopping, and more.

"Welcome," Seth said, "to my city. This is the real Mendley."

It was amazing! Hundreds of people were busy. In front of us, a heavily-built man was sharpening different exotic arms at a well-stocked weapon shop, and to our left, four lightly-armored adolescents were practice-fighting against each other. Baskets of fruit and vegetables were on display at a food store besides us.

"You see, I am originally from the town of Elcid," Seth explained. "I travelled here and founded this city as nothing more than a camp where we could prepare to journey and defeat Mazell. Mazell- he destroyed Elcid when I was young, and I was one of the only survivors." He motioned around with his hands. "But look at this! Look at how far I've brought this town! We are strong, and getting stronger, and we exist here, underground, and out of the sights of Mazell. We're training, and one day, we will overcome his might. He won't know what hit him."

Shayla was awed. "This is amazing." Veronica seemed to have something else on her mind, though. "Is there anything we could get to eat? I'm going to die of hunger unless we have some food soon."

"Oh, of course. You've journeyed for a long time. Besides, I'm sure that some of the townspeople would be interested in hearing your stories."

Then, we were taken to Seth's guest house, where we began to prepare for one of our greatest journeys yet...

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August 2, 2007

We were getting ready to go. We had recovered for a day or so, we had eaten well, and we were up for the challenge. I met so many people, it was hard to believe. When everybody learned what we were going to be doing, we got such amazing response. The somber looks or those around us sent chills down my spine, since it was becoming evident that this journey would be anything but easy.

"You'll have to journey through Mazell Pass," we had been warned by one of the older adventurers. "I've tried it twice, and I've never made it through." He waggled his right hand at us; three fingers had been missing completely. "I lost these to a dragon. A real life dragon. You guys be careful."

Veronica was still getting dressed, and the rest of us were standing near the exit as Seth jogged up to us. "I'm coming with you. You need me."

Shayla frowned. "This isn't your fight. We're trying to rescue two of our friends and avenge the wrath he's brought our world."

Seth laughed out loud. "What difference will it make if you come back unsuccessful? Or, better yet, dead? This city *exists* exactly because this IS our fight. We're all in this together."

We said nothing, but we knew he was right. And as we collected ourselves, Veronica arrived.

> "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes..." replied Seth, stroking his chin in thought. "You know, from the stories you've told me, you might have the power to do this. We might be on the heels of something big, here, and we need to be prepared. Let's make sure that we're very well-stocked before we go; let's do one last trip to the marketplace to see if there's anything else we need."

Wooley furrowed his brow. "Haven't we done that? Aren't we just wasting time?"

Seth shook his head. "There's something in particular I'm getting at. A bookstore just opened up in town not long ago, selling magical copies of an old tome that was unearthed some time ago. No one has been able to decipher it yet, but for some reason, there might be something important inside. Be careful, though, if you do decide to buy one... they're in really poor shape."

Our final moments in Mendley were spent shopping. It wouldn't be long before we faced the intimidating Mazell Pass...

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August 9, 2007

It was an incredible struggle. We had wrestled past hordes of skeletons and demons through that dark mountain pass, and the massive Mazell Castle loomed before us as if we were in some horrible nightmare. A few guards patrolled the outside. Behind the shadows of a huge boulder, we stopped and whispered to one another.

"It's so... big..." Veronica was dumbfounded.

Wooley shook his head. "We need not explore the whole thing. We know that Angelina, and probably Elia, are in the dungeon. If we can find our way in and locate the basement, we should be able to rescue them. Then we can think about finding that bastard Mazell."

Shayla nodded. "We've come this far. We can't stop now. But are we ready?"

That's where I broke in. "Shouldn't we think about how we want to do this? I mean, it might not be that smart to just barge in the front door. Maybe there's an entrance in the back, who knows? Maybe we could break in in some less... you know, conspicuous way."

Wooley frowned. "Daniel, we don't have much time to come up with elaborate schemes here. We have to get to them now!"

Lily made a gesture with her head. "Plus, look over there- there are a few guards milling about those statues back behind. It might be tough to sneak around back after all..."

Veronica piped up. "We could whistle to attract their attention over here! Then we could rush out and past them and into the castle!" Not too many of us liked that idea.

We continued to debate, but it was only minutes before we would make our big attempt. What would we choose?

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August 10, 2007

After a long discussion, we decided it would be best to take my idea and try creeping around behind the castle, even though there were some monsters in sight. Keeping in the shadows and crouching behind the statues, we made our way back with some success.

"I'm actually kind of glad you suggested this, Dan," dad said. "There aren't really any monsters over here on patrol besides those demon guards..."

After walking down the outside wall for a few hundred feet, we approached the demons who we had seen chatting from afar.

"Are they on break, or what?" asked Veronica only half-jokingly. It was true; they were laughing and carrying on, almost as if they had had a little bit of alcohol.

"Shh! Listen." Wooley put his hand up into the air, and contorted his head to try and hear what they were talking about.

The demons, clad in heavy-looking armor, talked in gruff, slurred voices. "HAH, you idiot. You better stop, aye!?"

"Whatair- the bastid's gone anywigh, whatd'ye care?"

"High, don't make fun o' the guy! He'd trap you in a shadow, slit yer troat, an' ye'd meet the almighty 'fore you could draw yer blade. 'Nyou know it."

"'Sides, he's makin' a run fer the big castle o'er in the humanden. Once he takes over Moonward, he'll be an itty toss away from doin' the whole deed... an' then headin' to a bigger castle." The demon motioned to the sky with its head.

"An' then, we's rich, is that how it goes?" The second demon leaned against the castle wall. "Well, while da big guy's away, I don't see da harm in taking a bit o' time off."

"Moonward... Castle?!" Shayla clenched her teeth and tried to contain herself. "That's... my home!"

I responded foolishly. "There's a guardian there?" Lily and my dad gave me a surprised look, and dad frowned. "Yes, of course, Daniel... Diamante, the Guardian of Earth. You really ought to pay more attention."

"We don't have any time to lose! The people at home could be in trouble!! Let's rescue our friends and get home as fast as we can!"

Shayla had become our leader of sorts over the course of our adventure, and we knew that we'd follow her. We emerged from our hiding place in a flurry and ran towards the guards, who turned our way with a surprised look...
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August 14, 2007

We had dealt with the guards, and they went down without too much trouble.

"Daniel, this was a really great idea. I don't think we made enough noise to be noticed by any other guards!" Wooley was pretty excited.

"And look!" Lily appeared to have stumbled upon something. "There's a little trapdoor going underground, from the looks of it, hidden by some rocks here. Do you think this might lead right into the basement?"

It looked old and unused, but we made our way down through the rotting door, and found ourselves in a musty, rancid-smelling pit. Torches burned on the walls, and a corridor led under the castle, making it evident that this would lead us in the right direction.

"Ugh, what stinks so bad?" Veronica cried out.

"Ohhhh... it is the bubbling brew that I use to make my concoctions, my love."

We whirled around, and noticed a strange-looking, very old humanoid dressed in a blue cape and hunched over a vast and eclectic collection of strange-looking items. He looked up at us with a toothy, horrifying smile.

"Don't look so surprised, my friends. I've dwelled here for a dozen dozen years, just waiting for people like yourselves... the rats are good company in this forgotten pit of darkness."

"Who are you? Why do you call us your friends?"

"My name? It is Zaile. I am ever pleased to meet you. The others, they think me dead. I used to be a slave for His Majesty, but I made my disappearance long ago. Little do they know how close I remain... I've been waiting, FEEDING off of the life around me, in the hopes of giving a little help to anyone who would go in there and show that... Mazell... what it means to be mortified."

Shayla looked a little bit fearful. "We have to go. This corridor; does it lead to the dungeon?"

"Why yes... but please, stay for a bit. Keep me company. I'd be very happy to exchange some of these items, if only you'll give me some..." --he closed his eyes and sighed deeply-- "... life..."

Shayla looked at everyone else sternly. "We don't have time. We must hurry along! This could be a trap!"

Zaile looked almost hurt. "Help an old and frail one- I only wish to help you..."

"Y-you know, it does look like there are some useful items there..." Lily looked hesitant. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to at least check things out before we move on..."

A cry cut through the dead air of the dungeon. There were a bunch of monsters down here in this old path; there was no doubt about that. As we debated what to do with this strange character, time ticked by...
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August 15, 2007

As we left Zaile behind, he called to us in his strange, frail-sounding voice.

"Thank you... for your business. My true hope is that you crush Mazell beneath your heel. I have been waiting... for so long for this day."

"Th-thank you, sir." Veronica said.

"Your weakness is now my strength, and for that, I am truly grateful. You are young and full of vitality... you will recover that that you have lost in little time. Because of the amount of business that you gave me, I will reveal this to you: Mazell, he gains enormous power as he grows weary. His spirit will Protect him when he is in need, encasing him in a Shell of light. And beware, for his wicked spells can bring destruction that is unparalleled. He does, however, carry in his soul something so great that space and time might be unlocked."

"Uh... thank you. Now let's get going!" Shayla urged. After leaving the strange old character behind, the tunnel turned into a murky, dark cave. We knew as we fought our way through the hordes of monsters, however, that we were getting closer to our destination...
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August 28, 2007

The tunnel was dark, with condensation dripping down from what appeared to be overgrown bricks above. We knew we had to be close to the castle- likely right under the foundation. The monsters arose from every which where, but we were strong enough that they didn't stand a chance.

It was after quite awhile, though, before we came to an abrupt halt. The cave ended suddenly before us.

"This can't be it..." Wooley puzzled. "Surely there must be something we're missing!"

Shayla warned everybody to stand back, and took a run at the wall. Her impact had only the effect of causing her to stumble and fall.

"No, everybody, the passage ends here." She got up, brushing dirt off of herself.

Looking above, I noticed that the bricks seemed less overgrown, as if they had been placed much more recently than the rest. Getting Shayla to hammer at them with the blunt end of her sword, it was not long before a waterfall of bricks and sand rained down from above, revealing a dimly lit passageway above.

"Nice work!" Wooley was excited.

Shayla helped to hoist everybody up, and followed behind. We found ourselves in a dark corridor, flickering torches on either side. The walls were jail cells.

"Over there!" Wooley pointed. "Angelina!"

My portly aunt was only a few feet away, waving excitedly. Her colourful clothing was stained with soot and a little bit of blood, but her smile was warmly familiar and appreciation shone in her eyes.

"Cookies! Get over here and get me the hell outta this place!" Aunt Angie looked around quickly. "The big guy's gone right now, so we have to get out!"

"HE'S COMING BACK. ACKSHALLY HE'S ALMOST HERE." A door flew open, and a monster of a woman barged through with a number of frightful monsters. "YOU LITTLE BUGS THINK YOU CAN BURROW THROUGH MY MAZELL'S CASTLE? YOU LITTLE BUGS ARE FUN TO SQUISH!"

"Who on earth?" Veronica stammered. The monster-lady rushed at us with an enormous weapon readied... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 31, 2007

The demon lady was so incredibly strong. We fought on and on, but it felt as though we were fighting an unwinnable battle. More and more weary, we suddenly heard a shrill voice behind us.

"You fight... the demon woman. But hurry! The dark one is getting ever closer... there is not much time..."

"Zaile!" Shayla gave a backwards glance in surprise.

"FOOLS! YOU COULDN'T TOUCH ME IF YOU TRIED, GUH-*Snort*" Gorgant slobbered on the ground as she swung her frightening weapon within inches of my head. I dodged the attack easily.

"Yes... I am much stronger now, thanks to your... transactions. I will be most glad to lend you a hand in this battle. That woman is... shall we say... too big for her britches."

But the room suddenly darkened to such low light that everything seemed invisible. A hollow, horrible voice rang out.

"What is going on here?"

The light returned in a brilliant white flush that seemed almost blinding at first. Before us was Mazell, a strange and frightening smile curling up on his lips. Zaile shrank back in what appeared to be absolute terror.

Mazell gave a confident-sounding laugh. "You live, Zaile, my slave. I am impressed... after your dismal failure, I thought you were done for. Gorgant, my darling... what are you doing?"

"DAR... DESTROYING THESE BUGS, JUST AS YOU WANTEDSHL! THEY'RE QUICK, BUT THEY'RE AHHH NO MATCH FOR ME."

Mazell appeared unenthused. "I see." He brushed his deep, almost blue-black hair backwards. "It looks like you need some help. I don't like uninvited guests... especially when they try to kidnap the ones that are welcome." He gave Angelina a wry smile. Angelina sneered in response, and attempted to spit upon him. The saliva careened through the air and missed him by quite a lot.

"I've had enough. Zaile. Over there." Mazell suddenly gave him an almost inhuman gaze with his ice-blue eyes. Zaile collapsed in a split second to the floor, before slowly animating to life in a strange, alien way. "Kill them."

Zaile had a wild look in his eyes, filled with some newfound strength. He screamed with a bloodcurdling pitch as Mazell raised both of his arms up. "No one will stop the plans that I have set into motion, especially those as absolutely insignificant as yourselves. It is time for you to face the fact that you have no chance at altering the fate that we are destined to reach!"

With Mazell's raised hands, several monsters almost melted into the room. Our adrenaline high, we tried to keep focused against this hideous situation...
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September 12, 2007

The battle seemed hopeless. Mazell was possessed by what felt like superhuman stamina, and he just fought on and on, almost growing in power as the minutes ticked by... or was it hours? Time trickled by so quickly in the intensity of the battle.

We were nearly worn down. Veronica was panting laboriously, and my dad and Aunt both looked flustered. Even Shayla, the battle-hardened knight, looked like she was breaking a sweat. The battlefield was scorched by magic, and the air smelled of burnt metal and sweat. Incredibly, he had summoned some sort of tiny storm, battering down upon us constantly. It reminded me vaguely of the one Arzak had unleashed upon us only days before.

It was at an awkward moment in the battle that the tides turned. Mazell lost his cool and rushed at me. I barely dodged the hit, but Shayla came down on him from above with a shriek as Lily tossed a hyper-powered Fire spell at him. Visibly stunned, Mazell was getting to his feet as a shadow appeared from above.

A soft cry was heard from the background, and a sparkle of light shot from the corner of the room up into the rafters. A male form could be made out, glowing with a soft light. Sly silently leapt down from his previously-unseen spot in the ceiling, and gave three quick shots of his gun. Mazell roared in chaotic anger, but then stood up in sudden composure.

"Sly!?" Shayla was surprised. "What are you doing here??"

"Repaying a favour."

Elia stepped up from the corner. "Did that Might spell do the trick?" Her words were lost by the icy tone of the wounded Mazell.

"SILENCE! Such betrayal, my son." Mazell spoke softly, cutting through the air with a slightly amused tone. He looked from one of our faces to another, to another, until he had given us all an icy glare, faintly smiling all the while. "You fight as though you can win. The forces of nature are undying, though, you see, and it will take more than mere swordplay and magic tricks to stop what I have planned."

"He lies!" Sly stepped forward and gave another blast of his weapon. Mazell lifted his hand and the bullet dropped to the ground. "Even as we speak, you waste your time. Dear lady..." he looked over at Shayla, "... your castle is about to be demolished by the now-awakened Elemental Guardian, Diamante. People that you know and love- they're about to die. What will you do? Continue to fight pointlessly here with me?"

Shayla grimaced. "You evil son of a bitch! What are you doing to the Guardians?"

"I suggest that you spend your time on more useful endeavours. I have had enough of this for now. I suggest that you not overstay your welcome, guests."

Before anything else could be said, he had vanished.

So much needed to be said, yet there was no time for small talk. Why had that thief come to our rescue after so much time? How much time did the people of Moonward have?

Sly spoke. "We really must hurry. My father is Mazell... that's no secret. But we must escape this place and stop Diamante from destroying everything that's dear to you, Shayla!"

Her response was interrupted by a small commotion. A group of guards could be heard, drawing near.

"We don't have much time." Sly pulled out a small rock. "This is a Teleportation Stone- a real one. It'll get us back to the safety of Mendley village at the very least. From there, there are shortcuts to Moonward... it isn't far."

"But Elia!" Veronica piped up. "How did you?"

"I shall tell you the story once we're back in town. Oh, it's so good to see you all!"

Our group united, we placed our trust in our unlikely hero, Sly, as his Teleportation Stone carried us to safety...
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September 13, 2007

We were sitting around Mendley's main eatery, feasting for the first time in days. Seth made sure that the meal was on the house, and we had recounted our story of Mazell and the castle to what seemed like hundreds of very excited people. The crowds had since dissipated some, leaving us to converse among ourselves. Though we knew time was ticking, and Shayla was anxious to get moving, we knew that we needed a break, and time to rebuild our strenghth.

"Why should we trust you? You're really Mazell's son?" Veronica looked up with a skeptical glare.

"Shayla kept me out of jail. She believed in me. As I said, I was returning the favour. My father... he's a twisted man. I don't know what he's planning on doing, but..." he looked at Shayla with his unnaturally crystal-blue eyes, "... I really don't want to see your friends and family crushed."

Shayla grimaced. "And they will be. Do you have any idea what the might of Diamante is? I don't even want to think about it; it could be too late already!" She stood up. "We need to set off soon. I'm worried sick."

"What fools we were," my dad mused, staring off into space as if he was in his own little world. "Trying to control the Elemental Guardians as if they were merely tools? Enslaving the very forces that hold our world together? We- the human race- deserve their wrath."

Aunt Angelina looked over and gave him a frown. "Stop being so depressing. What's done is done, but our job... our destiny is to defend the life of this world. If the Elemental Guardians are allowed to seek vengeance upon humanity? Shucks, it's curtains for us. We have no choice but to fight."

Shayla looked troubled, and gave the rest of us a very desperate look.

"We must be off," Wooley said, "but I sometimes worry that by destroying these guardians... we are destroying the very bonds that hold this world together."

We left in silence, and struck off in the direction of Sly's shortcut. According to him, we'd be back at Moonward as soon as tomorrow...
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September 18, 2007

The cave we emerged from was at least as shallow as the one we had entered. The landscape around us was barren, the sky overcast and grey. An enormous mountain stretched up before us, and the ruins of Moonward castle stared at us from down below.

Shayla was besides herself. "How... could this have happened?"

Elia, the sweetheart she was, took her by the shoulder and pointed to the base of the mountain, near the ruined castle. "Look, Shayla! All is not lost- there are people!"

She was right. It was several hundred feet away, but there were a few people milling about, and it looked like something had been salvaged. It was evident, though, that something unbelievable had happened, and it was obvious that it had something to do with the Elemental Guardian of Earth, Diamante.

Shayla tried to compose herself. "Yes, let us go and see what they have managed to save. Gods... this is more terrible than I could have imagined."

As we approached, it was clear that something extremely powerful had smashed the columns and towers that had held the great Moonward Castle up in the air. Brick and concrete had been tossed every which where, and I didn't want to think about how many people had lost their lives in this disaster.

The people at the edge, dressed in dirty clothing and sitting around burning fires, looked in wonder as we approached.

"Shayla!? We knew you would return!" A small crowd quickly formed around us to hear our tale.

Their celebrated knight, however, was dismissive. "Now is not the time to ask about my tales- how many people have survived? How did you live?! What happened here?"

A man responded, wearily yet quickly: "Diamante... we heard a huge crash just a few days ago, and then there was the most tremendous earthquake. He broke out of his capsule, murdered the guards, and then created this incredible mountain. The tremors- they were way too much for the castle to handle." He sighed. "A few people escaped with their lives, and most of the merchants managed to salvage their wares before the castle came down. We have no place to go now, but things are only going to get worse."

"Get worse??" Seth puzzled. "How could things get any worse??"

An older woman replied. "The guardian- no, the monster- he's on top of that mountain, now. He's wreaking havoc, causing incredible earthquakes, and gaining in strength. If he makes a move on any other nearby cities... they're done for. And it's only a matter of time. You could truly see the rage in its face...a seething hatred for humankind."

A quiet discomforting silence hung over everyone until a small tremor unsteadied our stances. A fire burned in Shayla's eyes. "We have to stop him. We have no choice. He will destroy everything."

"Mazell is responsible for this," my father said. "We must remember who the true enemy is, even during these difficult battles. Let's get going, we have work to do."

And up the mountain we started, determined to stop the Elemental Guardian of Earth from smashing everything to pieces...
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September 25, 2007

We were winded, but we had no choice but to trudge on. We knew we were near the top, but armies of strange mechanical creatures and other monsters of the earth came at us in waves.

"I thought you had some herbs to ward these enemies away, Elia!" Lily said at one point with a frown.

"Alas..." Elia stood back with her staff and nearly got whacked from behind by another foe. "Ahh! Yes, I did, but they were taken away when that big, bad, evil Mazell captured me..."

It took us almost half a day, and the sun was beginning to set as we finally approached the top. Only a few minutes' walk from the summit, we heard a frantic voice from behind us.

"Wait, wait! The King of Moonward sent me!"

Shayla whirled around. A teenage boy, out of breath and carrying a huge sack of things, appeared incredibly relieved. "The king!? He's safe! Thank the gods, I didn't know if he was." Shayla's relief quickly turned to shock, however. "What in the heavens are you doing all the way up here? You could have been killed! This place is swarming with..."

"King's orders. When he heard you were coming up here to try and face down Diamante, he wanted me to send up some goods from the local shops, along with some things from the royal treasury that we escaped with before the castle came down."

Grateful for the aid, we stopped to take a quick rest, and then continued upwards. It was minutes before we reached the top. Boulders scattered everywhere, an enormous figure loomed over us. Lightning struck down from above, illuminating the backside of what looked like a mountain of a creature.

"My god," muttered Shayla under her breath. "I never thought we'd see the day that the Guardian of Earth would be free of his capsule."

The ground creaked and groaned and shook with a terrible tremor as Diamante leapt our way, smashing the mountaintop with what an incredible hammer that had to have weighed more than a ton. At once, a pillar of earth shot up underneath Diamante, and the mountain grew even taller, the fearful Elemental Guardian at the very top. Diamante looked to the sky and gave an ear-blistering roar.
"Kinda melodramatic, isn't he?" Seth attempted to joke, but Shayla shot him a glare that might have killed him instantly in another world. He quieted himself, and my father cleared his throat.
"We are a large group of experienced warriors. We have been through a lot together, and we know each others' strengths and weaknesses. We can work together to stop the rage of Diamante! If we don't succeed..." Wooley braced himself as the earth again shook violently. Veronica and Elia both lost their balance in the tremor. "... he could destroy this entire continent in a matter of days."
"Let's go." I felt a little corny saying the words, but someone had to. As we edged closer, the hulking mass of sentient stone took an incredible leap from above and hammered down in front of us, sending cracks through the surface of the mountaintop, before emitting yet another deafening roar. This battle was for real, and it had just begun.
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October 3, 2007

Obviously, we had developed as warriors. We had to have. We had just succeeded in destroying a moving mountain, after a horrible, strenuous battle of blood, might, and magic. And we felt sick about it. "This is just too much." Shayla stood on the top of the newly-formed mountaintop and stared out over the ruins of her beloved castle. "We just... we just destroyed the guardian of Moonward! How...?" She was dumbfounded. We had a lot to talk about. Quietly, and solemnly, we all made our way back down to the ruins of what had once been the greatest castle in our world.
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October 4, 2007

"I will be staying back. I have to help my people rebuild." Shayla's composure had returned. It was a day after our big battle with Diamante, and we had finally had a decent rest. We were all seated around a quiet table in a bar in the nearby town of Renon, where we could find some decent shelter. The king of Moonward had graciously decided to spend the morning with us. "You know, your people will be so happy to have you working alongside them to get things back to normal," Elia commented. Shayla looked over and gave a frown. "Things will never be 'normal.' But, I have to do what I can. They look up to me, and it's my responsibility to be a leader. So many families have been destroyed- so many homes torn to pieces. This is all the work of Mazell." "We will avenge!" Wooley cried out, putting his fist into the air. Angelina gave him a strange look.

"I'll avenge you." My Aunt made a face and then cleared her throat. "It's about time that we made a confession. It involves you, Daniel, as well as myself, and your father."

Everyone looked over in interest. Aunt Angelina looked to everyone for attention. After a moment of silence, the king spoke up, his voice moistened by his milky tea. "Well, what is it already?"

"Aha. You'll remember that Mazell originally kidnapped and held Wooley and myself hostage, right? Hasn't anyone ever wondered why that is?" Receiving blank stares from everyone, she continued. "You see, we are a special, er, family. I was born with the ability to hear a special voice, and so was your father. So, Daniel, were you. Back on that day, way back in Deonn- the day that your father and I were kidnapped, Daniel, we heard the call. You did too. Do you remember?"

Everyone looked at me, and my face flushed. "Uhhh... " I thought back to that day. I knew what the answer was; I had been messing around outside my apartment building with a friend of mine, when all of a sudden, the strangest headache had hit me. I saw nothing but blue for a split second, and I had nearly fainted, but it passed as quickly as it had started. When I had come to my senses, all hell had broken loose- monsters had swarmed the apartment, and it hadn't been long before my dad and aunt were in the clutches of the demons. "That light, Daniel... that was the Guardian of Light speaking to you." Angelina finished softly. Dad looked a little bit uncomfortable, but the rest of the large group looked somewhat puzzled.

"I don't see what this has to do with anything," said Seth. "Doesn't this just prove that you're all a bit... unscrewed?"

"No." My Aunt shot him a look of death. "This is not a time for cheeky insults."

"It's true..." my dad spoke up. "We knew that day was coming. We knew that this was our destiny. Darkness made its move on that day, and we- the three of us- are the defenders of light. It is our duty to protect life from the force of darkness."

Veronica snorted in pent-up laughter. "I'm sorry, I don't get it." The King looked over uncomfortably. "I really must use the bathroom. I shall return." With dubious glares and murmurs coming from around the table, Lily stood up. "You don't think this is possible? Look what you've discovered over the past month, for heaven's sakes! We've fought DEMONS, we've explored an entire other world, and we've witnessed the very supporters of our world turn against us! Why do you think these three are mixed up in this..." - she gestured to Daniel, Angelina, and Wooley - "... in the first place? If you people aren't going to take them family seriously, then we don't stand a chance. We're a team, here. We've fought hard together, and we aren't about to start treating the CORE of the team as if they belong in some institution somewhere!" Veronica smiled. "I've never... heard you talk like that before. But how can we believe this kind of stuff?"

Finally, I spoke up. "Yeah... and why haven't *I* heard of any of this before? This is all kind of sudden- and a little bit scary." "Why would we lie?" my Aunt countered, putting her hands on her pudgy hips.

"Why would you wait so long to tell us about this?" Sly leapt down from the table he had been sitting on in the background and took a step forward.

"Well," Wooley started, "If we had told you this before, NONE of you would have believed it. After you came to rescue us, Daniel, we knew that you had gathered together a crew of real heroes. You've been so strong, and I'm proud of you. But now that you have all seen what kinds of forces are at work, I think that you can believe." The emotional discussion quieted as we finished our breakfasts; we, including myself, all took the time to absorb this bizarre new information. After a few more minutes, the king walked out and took his seat once more, and my aunt broke the silence.

"What we've really earned is a break. We have a long road ahead of us, but I suggest that we take today to prepare ourselves in the safety of this town."

Sly's icy-blue eyes twinkled. "I know where my father is headed next, so we-"

"We talk about what's next tonight. Everyone, rest your muscles and your brains for now." Angelina's sharp voice rang on a note of finality.

That's the day that I learned that I was far more "special" than I had ever realized. What was the significance? I was about to find out...
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October 9, 2007

The King of Moonward had lent us his personal hovercraft. He had told us just after our conversation the day before, after we had told him the story about the Guardian of Light. Moonward, being a kingdom including a number of small island towns and villages scattered around the continent, used to need the hovercraft for royal visits and the like, but now, he had said, he had no use for it.

"Take care of it!" the King said, standing with a couple of other soldiers and Shayla.

"Don't worry!" Aunt Angelina called back with a wave. We needed to take care of it; the only way to get to the Monument of Light without an aircraft was to cross the shallows of the northeast and head over the small eastern landmass, home to the cities of Adumon and Glacia. However, there was one small problem.

We had been moving along at a fairly good clip, nearing the small, bustling town of Melfort, when Lily cleared her throat to address it. "Mmm- we still haven't discussed one thing. Adumon and Glacia--"

"They're at war," Sly broke in. "Yes, it'll be tough to find our way across."

I had learned in a history class not long ago that Adumon and Glacia have been perpetually at war for the last hundreds of years. The war was, in fact, over the encapsulated Thermos and Frigozo, the Elemental Guardians of Fire and Ice. As the natural climate of the area was very cold, Adumon originally claimed Thermos in order to have direct control over the temperatures of the region. However, only a few years had passed and the people of Adumon realized that the land around them was quickly becoming desertified. After a famine and a panic, a few treaties had been hastily signed with Hillstad Castle, the original bearer of Ice Guardian Frigozo, and Adumon gained possession of *both* Guardians. With both under the control of Adumon, the temperatures were more easily regulated, and a pleasant, tropical environment was quickly attained- one that was highly favourable. Nearby Glacia was, both figuratively and literally, left out in the cold, and it wasn't long before the two cities were bitter rivals. A couple hundred years ago, after a few large-scale battles, Glacia wrenched control from a devastated and weakened Adumon and seized control of them both. Since then, they had been stolen back and forth several times; Glacia was the current holder of them both, if I recalled correctly. As a result, despite the ongoing battles, the city had become a popular resort town for those oblivious to the events around them.

"We've got to be careful," I said. "Gorex battlefield, at the centre of the continent- that's where the tanks and soldiers are lined up. If we're seen in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

"...they might think that we're spies for the other side," Sly finished. "We need to think of a plan before we get there- some diversion- so that we can cross the continent and arrive at the Monument."

"One thing we also need to be careful of," Wooley spoke softly, "is that since this fight is over Elemental Guardians... is it not possible that Mazell could show up there too, to wreak havoc? He's shown up everywhere else we've gone."

Sly brushed his hair back. "If those Guardians go out of control, a whole lot of people could be in grave danger. We've got to be ready to take action if anything goes wrong."

Angelina cleared her throat. "Yes... yes, we do. But, first and foremost, we need to concentrate on getting to the Light Monument. A great seal of Light must be broken there, and then we can finally meet this sacred Guardian. This is the path that we must take if we ever want to end this cycle of destruction- we can't just spend these precious minutes chasing after Mazell and destroying the very creatures that hold our world together."

"Yet," Wooley continued, "We cannot just afford to let the Guardians run amok, either. Thus, we must move as quickly as we possibly can to the Light Monument!"

Sly went into the cabin as I sat out on the deck of the hovercraft, continuing to chat with Veronica, Lily, Seth, my dad, and my Aunt. We had a lot to do...
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October 18, 2007

The hovercraft seemed to have an infinite well of energy as it carried us over a narrow arm of the eastern ocean. We had been traveling for a few days, but only out over the open water for a few hours. It was sometime in the early morning, and a fog had settled, as often happens over the water. Most of the crew was sleeping, with the exception of Seth, who had decided to commandeer the wheel, and Sly, who seemed to never sleep and kept to himself most of the time.

I woke up and emerged from the cabin. The beds had been surprisingly comfortable. As I walked outside, I noticed a terrible chill in the air.

"Man... we must be getting close," I remarked, as I hoisted myself up onto a high bench besides the wheel.

Seth nodded and turned around. "Yeah, that's because you don't got any meat on ya!" He chuckled. "I can't believe how utterly bright this world is. It's hard to get used to, since we're stuck with... well, you've seen it." I shrugged as he continued. "Anyway, we're probably going to reach land shortly, if this map is right. We'd better get everybody up and ready, because we'll want to park somewhere a distance away and out of sight."

The temperature was getting noticeably colder by the minute and the fog was getting very dense. I glanced down and with surprise, pointed. "Look, Dan... we ARE over land, the ground is covered in snow!" The waves and whitecaps had been replaced by damp-looking, dirty snowdrifts, miserable-looking against the foggy air.

"Dan, I'm going to land this thing. Can you get everybody up? Sly was around back." Seth wrestled with the wheel as I jumped down from the bench I had been sitting on. I walked around to the rear of the hovercraft, behind the cabin, but Sly was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had quitely gone inside after all and taken my place on the mattress? I frowned, turned and went back around the front and checked inside. My eyebrows shot up as I found everyone sleeping but him. The hovercraft slowly and somewhat unsteadily drifted to a stop as a knot formed in my throat.

Sly was gone.
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