TRENT

M. S. Schroeder

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter I: The Dream....................................................................................................................................2

Chapter II: World 1-2....................................................................................................................................4

Chapter III: Journey.......................................................................................................................................6

Chapter IV: Goin’ Off the Rails.....................................................................................................................8

Chapter V: Anywhere..................................................................................................................................11

Chapter VI: Crossing...................................................................................................................................13

Chapter VII: Revelations.............................................................................................................................15

Chapter VIII: The Man in Green..................................................................................................................18

Chapter IX: The King of the Boos...............................................................................................................21

Chapter X: Who Ya Gonna Call?................................................................................................................23

Chapter XI: Reunion....................................................................................................................................26

Chapter XII: Enter Maleman........................................................................................................................28

Chapter XIII: Screaming Metal Deathtrap...................................................................................................31

Chapter XIV: The Quest..............................................................................................................................34

Chapter XV: Into the Fire............................................................................................................................36

Chapter XVI: Angels and Demons..............................................................................................................38

Chapter XVII: Paradise City........................................................................................................................40

Chapter XVIII: A Friend Like Me...............................................................................................................43

Chapter XIX: AJ’s Secret............................................................................................................................45

Chapter XX: The Shield...............................................................................................................................47

Chapter XXI: Pirates?..................................................................................................................................50

Chapter XXII: Pirates!.................................................................................................................................53

Chapter XXIII: Dead Man’s Chest..............................................................................................................56

Chapter XXIV: Guys and Dolls...................................................................................................................60

Chapter XXV: Distraction...........................................................................................................................63

Chapter XXVI: Havanna Escapade.............................................................................................................65

Chapter XXVII: Lady Luck.........................................................................................................................68

Chapter XXVIII: Under the Sea..................................................................................................................71

Chapter XXIX: Separate Ways...................................................................................................................73

Chapter XXX: The Final Frontier................................................................................................................75

Chapter XXXI: Cantina Band......................................................................................................................77

Chapter XXXII: The Death Star..................................................................................................................79

Chapter XXXIII: Nightmare........................................................................................................................83

Chapter XXXIV: Fortune’s Gift..................................................................................................................86

Chapter XXXV: Back to the Future.............................................................................................................89

Chapter XXXVI: Enemies, Friends.............................................................................................................91

Chapter XXXVII: Trent Haughn.................................................................................................................95

Chapter XXXVIII: Mission Complete.........................................................................................................98

Chapter XXXIX: Peace..............................................................................................................................100

Chapter XL: Another Side, Another Story (Trent II Preview)..................................................................102

Appendices.................................................................................................................................................103

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CHAPTER I: THE DREAM

There was a flash of lightning and the great crash of thunder echoed through the lifeless halls of the dark castle. The fortress was empty, save for two men in black cloaks standing atop the eastern tower. “Do you feel that?” the one asked as he stared out across the sprawling sea of land that lay before him. “The winds are whispering...something is about to begin. Something...troublesome.” The other man, shorter, hid in the shadows behind his companion. “M-master,” he stammered, an air of fear and panic in his quiet, high-pitched voice, “what is it?” The first man turned to his servant, the gaze from his cold eyes piercing the cowering man. “A powerful force has been awakened. I have feared this day would come...you know what you must do.” “Y-yes, master!” the servant cried. “Anything, for you, my precious!” “Excellent,” his master responded with a devilish smile. “This threat must be eliminated. Alert the troops.” The other gave a shaky salute and scampered off. The Master turned back to his kingdom, threw his head back, and laughed. It was a crazed, maniacal sound. “Fool. They won’t be a match for him. But how far will you make it, Trent Haughn?” There was another crash of thunder and the world faded out of view. Trent Haughn awoke suddenly from a dream he could not remember. Rain pounded against the roof above him, the sound broken occasionally by a sudden blast of thunder. Trent peered across the dark room and found his reflection staring groggily back at him from the mirror above his desk. His bright orange hair, thrown askew by his pillow, fell loosely over his freckled face, his greenish-brown eyes half-closed and yearning to return to their comfortable resting place behind his eyelids. Trent was about to lay back down when suddenly a deep growling emerged from his stomach. He looked at the clock on his bedside table: “3:17” gleamed softly in fluorescent red numbers. Trent shrugged and stepped heavily out of bed. As he trod down the hallway, Trent glanced into the empty bedrooms on his left. His parents and younger brother had left for a month-long vacation the day before. Trent had chosen to stay behind. He didn’t like the idea of taking a month off of work when he was working on paying for college that fall. Besides, he thought with a smirk, having the house to himself meant he didn’t have to worry about waking anyone up when he got up for a midnight snack. Trent stopped when he stepped into the kitchen and looked around. The pantry was fully stocked. The cupboards were also full of snacks...and there was half a pizza in the fridge, Trent remembered. That would do. Trent grabbed the silver door handle and felt a sudden jolt force the door open.

Trent was confused when he looked into the fridge. On the second shelf, right above the pizza, hovered a black sphere. Trent leaned in closer for a better look and found that the orb was slowly expanding. It consumed the pizza in its dark grasp, then the whole second shelf. Trent slowly backed away as the ball enveloped the entire fridge.

Afraid of what the strange sphere was doing, Trent inched backwards toward the front door. As his hand met the doorknob, the orb gave a great flash and began to grow at a much faster pace than before. Trent ripped the door open and dove outside just in time. He scrambled to his feet found saw his entire house consumed by the great mysterious black substance.

And then it vanished. Not just the sphere, the whole building. Gone. Trent gaped in disbelief at the deep crater that now sat where his house had just been moments before.

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Trent rushed forward and peered into the pit, hoping to find some trace of his now-gone home. What he saw amazed him. At the bottom of the crater sat a great marble temple, supported by towering pillars and surrounded by statues of muscular men brandishing swords. Trent slid gingerly down the side of the cavern and carefully entered the structure, worried that its age had made it unstable and likely to collapse.

As he stepped into the wide room he found his fears groundless. The tall ceiling was well supported by many pillars and beams, and, from the inside, the temple looked as though it had just been built.

In the middle of the otherwise empty room stood a short marble altar. It was plain and undecorated, except one odd fact: the end of a sword rose through the top. Trent grasped the dark blue hilt firmly and was overcome by a strange sensation. The sword was pulsing with a warm energy. Trent looked at it curiously. It almost felt...alive?

Trent looked up and scanned the sweeping hall. Suddenly he realized that beams of soft golden light fell gently through the windows. But hadn’t it been pitch black outside? It was three in the morning!

Trent turned his attention back to the sword in his hand. This sword was special. He was sure of it. Trent grasped the weapon with both hands and heaved upward with all his strength – and almost fell over. The sword slid smoothly out of its sheath. The altar had, unexpectedly, offered no resistance. Trent held the sword above his head and examined it. It was beautiful. The golden blade, inscribed with ancient runes, shone brilliantly in the amber light. Trent took a few quick strokes with the weapon and found it to be much lighter than it looked. He continued to slash and lunge, the blade dancing fiercely in mock battle with an invisible foe.

As Trent ended his imaginary assault, he couldn’t help but wonder. Why was this sword here? And who built this temple? He knelt down and placed a hand on the altar. He rubbed his hand across its glassy surface and, to his surprise, found a small button on one of the corners. He pressed the button and waited for something to happen.

No effect. Trent stood up and looked around. Suddenly the ground shook and the back wall of the temple collapsed. Trent jumped back, ready to sprint out of the temple, expecting the whole structure to crumble on top of him any moment.

But the building stood strong. When the tremor stopped Trent slowly approached the pile of rubble. Behind it lay a passageway to a second room.

This room was almost a mirror image of the first. The only difference was that, in place of an altar, two rather large pipes protruded from the floor in the middle of the room, one red, one green.

Trent peered down the tubes and saw nothing but blackness. How long did these go on for? And what was at the bottom? As Trent leaned over the red hole, a sudden gust of wind rushed out of, knocking Trent back with considerable force. He stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet, falling right into the other pipe.

The world around him went black as he plunged into the depths of the earth. This was NOT how Trent had expected his late-night snack to wind up.

4

CHAPTER II: WORLD 1-2

Trent landed with a thud and a groan on the cold stone floor. He continued to lie on his stomach for a few moments before slowly getting to his feet. Miraculously, he’d come out of the long fall without any broken bones. Making a quick scan of the area, Trent discovered that he had landed in some sort of network of underground tunnels. A long, straight path spread out in front of him, with many corridors branching off on the sides. Pipes, like the one he had fallen through, dotted the ground, ceiling, and even the walls, like some sort of metallic climbing plant. As Trent began to make his way down the tunnel, he noticed a strange sound. A muffled tune seemed to be emanating from the walls of the passageway. It was a simple, repetitive melody, but very catchy. Trent strained his eyes against the surrounding darkness as he looked for a source, but found none. Continuing down the corridor, Trent couldn’t help but wonder what he might find down one of the many forking trails on his left and right. He glanced down each one as he passed it, seeing nothing but the dark silhouettes of the sprawling pipes. Part of him wished to explore all the tunnels, but something inside of Trent’s head kept telling him to keep going. The animal and plant life of the underground world was like nothing Trent had ever seen. Small, brown mushroom-like creatures crawled slowly across the floor with stubby legs. Large brown moles poked up from the ground, only to scurry back under the dirt when Trent got close. Occasionally Trent spied a large flytrap-like plant peek its head out of the opening of a pipe. But perhaps most intriguing was the tunnels’ various species of turtles. There were simple, green-shelled ones, larger ones with red shells, some blue ones, covered with thick spikes. There were white ones covered with bone-like patterns that gave the illusion of a walking skeleton. Some, to Trent’s extreme surprise, even had wings! After walking for what felt like hours, Trent finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. Before him was a large, red, metal door. Trent pushed up on the latch and heaved against the door with all his might. Slowly but surely, the door swung open. Trent stepped into the chamber beyond. It was a wide, circular room with a high ceiling. In the center of the hall sat the largest pipe organ Trent had ever seen. A short masked figure stood at the keys, playing a slow, haunting tune that made the hair on the back of Trent’s neck stand on end. Trent took a few more steps toward the man, and suddenly the doors behind him slammed shut. “A visitor?” the pianist said in a high, girlish voice as he continued to play the chilling melody. “How...unusual.” “Who are you?” Trent demanded. “And where am I?” “I am Parker Maas,” the boy replied as he stopped playing and removed his mask. His curly brown hair and feminine face made Trent second-guess his assumption that this person was male. “And this is my domain. For years I have played my music down here, but there is no one to appreciate my masterpieces. But now I have an audience.” “I have better things to do,” Trent said. There was something about this kid that Trent didn’t like. “Tell me how to get out of here.” “Oh, you’re not leaving,” Parker said mischievously. “You’re going to stay here and witness my musical genius.” “We’ll just see about that!” Trent exclaimed as he drew his sword. Parker shrieked as he jumped back in terror. “Now, like I was saying,” Trent said forcefully as he walked toward Parker, “how do I get out of here?”

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“NO!” Parker yelled. “My Master said...he said you must not leave!” He turned to the keyboard and began to play. A sound pierced the room the likes of which Trent had never heard before. As the slow yet powerful tune assaulted Trent’s ears, a great pillar of flame shot up from the pipes of the organ, spraying a shower of blazing fireballs across the chamber. Trent dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged through the flames as he made his way toward the lunatic keyboardist. With each step Trent took, Parker’s panic increased, as did the speed of the music. As Trent continued to avoid the fires, Parker played faster and faster, the music reaching unthinkable speeds, the heat became almost unbearable, and then – The room fell silent. Trent pulled his sword out of Parker’s corpse as it fell to the ground. “Well, I must admit,” Trent said with a laugh, “that was one hell of a show.”

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CHAPTER III: JOURNEY

Trent attacked the door with all the strength he could muster, but it was no use. The door

wouldn’t budge. “There must be another way out,” he muttered to himself. He searched the room carefully,

looking for any kind of switch or key that might reveal a hidden exit. He came upon Parker’s music library. Trent thumbed through the files lazily, not expecting to

find anything of use. He absentmindedly tossed aside sheets of music until he came to a small file labeled “magic.”

Trent looked at the file inquisitively. He knew a little about magic – he could cast some basic elemental spells himself – but he had never heard of magic music. Curious, he flipped through the pages. The pieces all had names like “Serenade of Water” or “Nocturne of Shadow.” One number, entitled “Bolero of Fire,” Trent recognized as the one Parker had played minutes ago during their battle.

And then Trent understood. These songs, when played on Parker’s magic organ, produced spells. Trent continued to scan the sheets, hoping to find something that might help him. At last, he came upon a piece called “Etude of Exiting.”

But there was one problem. Trent had no idea how to play the organ. He sat down at the instrument and stared at the keys. There had to be an easier way.

Trent scanned the organ and found a small slot just below the pipes. A small label above it said “INSERT MUSIC HERE.” Trent took the sheet and slid it into the opening. The organ gave a sudden low hum, like the sound of a computer as it boots up. Suddenly the air was filled with a cheery melody.

The tune was quickly joined by the sound of shifting earth as sunlight flooded into the room. The ceiling opened up as a great stone staircase rose up from the ground.

Trent hurried up the steps, eager to leave the strange place. He emerged in the middle of a grassy field. The sun beat warmly on his back as the fresh air

filled his lungs. There was a small farmhouse on his right surrounded by an expansive cornfield. Trent could see a small town nearby in the distance.

Noticing a farmer working in the cornfield, Trent ran over to the fence and called to the old man. “Oh, hello there!” the farmer said. He had a long gray beard and his forehead dripped with

sweat. “Not often we see travelers around here. Where you headed?” “Well, I’m not sure,” Trent said. “I don’t even know where I am right now.” “Oh, well, that one’s easy enough,” the old man said. “This here’s my farm,” he said, jamming

his thumb over his shoulder, “that there’s the village of Harvaust,” he pointed to the town, “and over yonder is the train station,” he finished as he motioned to a nearby structure.

Trent frowned. He had never heard of Harvaust. How far was he from his hometown? “Where’s the train headed?” Trent asked, staring at the station. He could see a train pulling in. “Anywhere,” the farmer replied. “Huh?” “Y’know, Anywhere. The city of Anywhere. South of here. The Midnight Train’s headed there.

Leavin’ soon, I reckon.” “Oh, right,” Trent laughed as he understood. He had heard of Anywhere, but never actually

been there. “Well, thanks for the information,” Trent said as he headed for the train station. “Anytime,” the farmer called after him.

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When he reached the station, Trent found himself standing in front of a big, black, old-fashioned steam locomotive specked with white stars. It read on the side in big silver lettering, “DON’T STOP BELIEVING.”

“Well, that must be it,” Trent observed as he boarded the train. He found an empty compartment in the back of the train and sat down.

A few minutes later an old man walked in. He was tall, with long white hair and beard, a crooked nose, and half-moon glasses. He wore a long dark blue cloak.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked. “The other compartments are all full.” “Sure, go ahead,” Trent replied, motioning to the seat across from him. The train’s whistle blared as it began to lurch forward. “Attention passengers, welcome to the Midnight Train,” a voice came over the PA. “We will be

arriving in Anywhere in approximately three hours. We hope you enjoy your ride!” Trent gazed out the window at the passing scenery for a few moments before his attention was

redirected by a question from his companion. “So, why are you going to Anywhere?” he asked. “Don’t know where else to go,” Trent said. “My house was destroyed by this crazed dark bomb

thing, then I found this sword,” he pointed to the weapon at his hip, “fell into an underground tunnel, fought a madman, and then wound up here. So now I’m just sort of...wandering.”

“That’s quite an adventure for one so young,” the old man noted. “If you don’t mind, may I see that sword?”

“Sure,” Trent said as he handed the old man the blade. “Interesting...” he murmured softly as he looked it over. “Interesting. If this is what I think it

is...” He looked up at Trent suddenly. “May I ask for your name?” “Trent Haughn,” Trent said. “May I ask for yours?” “Albus Dumbledore. This is a very special sword, Mr. Haughn,” Dumbledore said as he handed

the weapon back to Trent. “And I believe I can help you. But first there are some things you need to know.”

“Some things I need to know? About what?” Trent inquired, confused. “Everything,” Dumbledore said gravely. “Trent, that sword –“

Dumbledore’s words were cut off by a sudden tremor that shook the train almost off its tracks. The sounds of people screaming could be heard from further up the train.

Dumbledore glanced quickly out of the window. “I’m afraid this conversation will have to wait until later,” he said as he reached into his robes and drew out a wand. “We have some unwanted company to deal with first.”

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CHAPTER IV: GOIN’ OFF THE RAILS

Dumbledore sprang into the hallway, wand raised, and rushed for the door to the next compartment. Trent drew his sword and followed suit. “Wait!” Trent panted as he tried to keep up with the surprisingly agile old man, “where are we going? What’s going on?” “I’m not sure,” Dumbledore said quickly, “but keep your sword ready. There’s someone here who shouldn’t be.” As they ran through the other compartments, Trent saw that they were filled with passengers in varying degrees of panic. Some curled up under their seats, shaking violently, while the more calm ones sat still with their heads in their hands. When they reached the final compartment, Dumbledore put out a hand, signaling for Trent to stop. “Stand back,” he said, raising his wand. The tip glowed fiery red. “And be ready.” Dumbledore pointed the wand at the door. A jet of red sparks burst forth, knocking the door off its hinges. Immediately a great cloud of smoke flooded into the compartment. Trent ducked to avoid the smog, but it was too thick to see through. He made his way toward the door and found Dumbledore had already gone through. The smoke subsided as Trent entered the engine. Dumbledore was standing in front of him, wand pointed at a man across from him who was laughing maniacally. The engineer lay unconscious at their feet. The stranger was a skinny and very pale man with long, greasy black hair. He wore a pair of round red-tinted sunglasses and had a very unstable look about him. “ALL ABOOOARD!” The man yelled as his crazed laughter continued. “Trent, be careful!” Dumbledore warned. “This man is Ozzy Osbourne. He’s a notorious train hijacker.” “Wait, didn’t he use to have a successful music career?” Trent asked, confused. “Yes, but he went a little insane in his old age,” Dumbledore answered. “He may not look like much, but he’s highly dangerous.” “I can take him!” Trent yelled confidently as he leapt forward. “No, Trent, don’t!” Dumbledore cried. But his warning came too late. There was a loud crunching of metal as the roof above them was torn away and a massive mechanical hand reached in, grabbing Trent around the stomach. Trent grabbed his sword and swung at his assailant with all his might. However, the arm’s metal skin was too strong and the sword rebounded with so much force that it flew out of Trent’s hand, landing with a clang on the floor. Suddenly Trent felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up out of the train. He wrestled madly with the hand clenched around him, but stopped with a gasp as he got a full view of his captor. Before Trent stood a colossal humanoid robot staring at him with blazing red eyes. It must have been at least fifty feet tall. It was only partially on the train, with one leg placed on top of what was left of the engine’s roof and the other hanging limply over the side. Its other arm was holding on to the smokestack for balance. “What is this thing?!” Trent shouted. He was answered by a deep monotone voice that emanated from the depths of the robot’s chest. “I AM IRON MAN.” “Dumbledore, what should I do?” Trent called down into the engine below. “I’m sorry, Trent, but I’m a little busy!” Dumbledore yelled. “You’re on your own for this one!”

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Looking down, Trent observed Dumbledore dancing madly around Ozzy, who had somehow acquired a large scythe and was attacking Dumbledore with unexpected speed and agility. Dumbledore narrowly dodged the assaults and counterattacked with a flurry of sparks from his wand. “Dumbledore, watch out for-” Trent began. His words were cut short as he collided with the roof of the engine. The Ironman had dropped him. Trent groaned in pain. “You’re in for it now,” he grunted as he staggered to his feet. Trent looked around, desperately hoping for something that would help him defeat the giant. There was a water tower coming up on his right a few miles away, and after that, nothing but water on both sides. They were about to cross a lake. A loud creaking sound gave warning that something was about to happen as Ironman’s chest plates opened, revealing a cavity in his torso that contained an arsenal of missiles of various shapes and sizes. An explosive noise tore through the air as the artillery launched. Thinking quickly, Trent thrust his hand forward, focusing his energy into a spray of ice that froze the missiles, which then fell harmlessly to the ground. Trent laughed victoriously. “Is that the best you’ve got?” Ironman opened its jaws wide in response as a missile the size of a small cow arose from its throat. It gave off a mechanical roar and flooded the air with smoke as the missile fired. Trent glanced behind him and grinned at what he saw. This would work perfectly. He leapt off the side of the train, narrowly avoiding the bomb as it flew past him into the water tower, which exploded in a burst of water. Trent was drenched by the downpour as he grabbed the open window in the engine below him. Swinging himself back up to the roof, he found Ironman’s wet body smoking and covered with dancing sparks. It threw its arm forward, attempting to grab Trent again, but the shorted robot’s movements were slow and jerky. Trent jumped onto Ironman’s outstretched hand and ran up the length of its arm, coming to a stop on its shoulder. He grabbed a strip of metal on the top of the robots head and pulled with all his strength. The piece broke off, exposing the wet wiring underneath. Trent slammed the sharp strip of metal back into Ironman’s head, leaving it sticking out like a lightning rod. Trent jumped off and landed lightly on the roof of the engine. He spun around and focused all the energy he could muster into one final spell. Clouds filled the sky above Ironman’s head, circling him like a deadly crown. The sky grew dark as the spell unleashed its fury in a flash of lightning. The bolt struck the metal strip that rose from Ironman’s head, traveling through his circuitry with a mighty crack. And then, without warning, the robot exploded in a burst of metal and wires. Trent took a great sigh as the scraps fell about him. He could hardly believe that he had defeated the monster. But his celebration was cut short when he suddenly remembered about Dumbledore. Trent dove into the whole in the roof, rolling to a stop on the floor next to his sword. Looking up, he found Dumbledore leaning against the wall, panting heavily. His left side was bleeding. Ozzy stood over him, laughing like a lunatic. “Did you really think you could beat me, old man? You never stood a chance! AHAHAHA!” Trent charged forward, knocked the scythe out of Ozzy’s hands, and then, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, threw him out of the train into the surrounding lake. “SHAROOOOOON!! Ozzy screamed as he fell into the water with a splash. Trent ran back to Dumbledore, who had slid down the wall and was now lying on his back on the floor. “Dumbledore, are you alright?” Trent asked worriedly.

10

“No...no, Trent, I’m not,” Dumbledore said weakly. “Ozzy’s weapon...it was coated in a fatal venom called Swine Flu. I’m not going to make it...” “NO! Dumbledore, you can’t! What about all the things we need to talk about?” Trent pleaded. “Right...I had completely forgotten...Trent, listen close,” Dumbledore said, pulling Trent closer. “In Northern Anywhere, find a man named Steve DeLucia. Show him the sword. He’ll know what’s going on.” “Alright. Northern Anywhere, Steve DeLucia. Got it.” “And one more thing...Trent, good luck. And...goodbye.” And with that, his body was engulfed in a white flame and vanished.

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CHAPTER V: ANYWHERE

Hours later the train slowed to a stop in Anywhere Station. Trent quietly stepped into the noisy crowd on the platform, reflecting on Dumbledore’s final words. This man, Steve, he was the one who could tell Trent what was going on. But where would Trent find him? Trent left the station and headed out into the city. The stench of garbage mixed with industrial smog invaded his senses. On his left the paint peeled off of a faded sign that read, “Welcome to Anywhere, the city where Anything can happen!” Trent chuckled halfheartedly. Looking around, he saw nothing but a hazy city with run-down buildings, most of which were missing windows or had boards nailed across the doors. Sirens could be heard in the distance. “Yeah,” he thought aloud, “anything. anything bad.” “What’s that?” came a voice from behind him. “Oh, sorry, just talking to myself,” Trent said quickly as he turned to face the stranger. The man he found fit in perfectly with the rest of the city. He wore a shabby old trench coat with a hood that covered most of his face. He had five o’ clock shadow and was smoking a cigarette. “Oh, alright,” he said. His voice was deep and gritty, almost like a growl. “But since you’re here, can you spare a few bucks? I could really use a decent meal.” “Sorry, I’m broke,” Trent admitted. “But since YOU’RE here, maybe you can help me. I’m looking for a man named Steve DeLucia. Any idea where I might find him?” The stranger reached up and stroked his chin. “And who are you, exactly?” “Trent Haughn,” Trent replied.

“Never heard of you. What business do you have with Steve?” The hooded man growled. “A man named Dumbledore told me to find him. Said he could tell me about this.” Trent pulled

out the sword as he spoke. The man grinned. “I see. Well, that changes things. Sure, I’ll take you to Steve. But it’ll be a little tricky. Crossing the south side of town is sort of dangerous because of the...” His voice trailed off as he turned to look for the source of the sudden blast of noise across the street. A large group of teens in tattered clothes were fighting raucously. “...Gang fights,” the hooded man finished. “Come on, we better get out of here before they try to-” He was cut off by a gangster who charged toward him, knife extended. “Damn kids!” he growled, grabbing the boy by the throat and hurling him against a nearby building, where he fell limply to the ground. “They can never seem to leave us out of their problems.” “Well, maybe we should make it our problem,” Trent suggested, raising his sword. His companion smirked. “I like the way you think, kid. But I’ve got a better idea.” He reached into his coat and drew out a pistol. He checked to make sure it was loaded and then fired off several rounds into the mob. The yelling only got worse as gang members fell to the ground, bleeding and swearing as the air filled with white smoke and the sulfuric smell of gunpowder. Trent jumped back, shocked. “Was that really necessary?!” “Relax, none of them are dead,” the hooded man growled. “I only aimed for arms and legs. And I like to think that I’m a pretty good shot. Now, come on, while they’re distracted. Follow me.” He took off at a run, away from the mass of confusion and screaming across the street. He was quite fast, despite his appearance, and Trent struggled to keep up with him. Trent followed him around a corner and into an alley. It was empty except for the green dumpster that sat full beside them. “...This is a dead end,” Trent said bluntly.

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“Not quite,” his accomplice said, kneeling down next to a manhole. “Not the most...pleasant methods of travel,” he growled as he flipped the cover off, “but it’ll get us to the north side. Come on.” He was about to jump in when he stopped abruptly, as though he’d just remembered something important. He removed his hood, revealing a pair of cool grey eyes and messy brown hair accented with a green bandana. “Oh, and by the way, kid, you can call me Snake. Solid Snake, at your service.”

13

CHAPTER VI: CROSSING

Trent landed with a splash in the murky water below. He stood up and tried to shake the sludge off, but it stuck fast, leaving him a smelly, sticky mess. The city above may have been a dump, but the stench was nothing compared to that of the dimly lit sewer. The place reeked so strongly that Trent preferred not to think about what the source was. Or, for that matter, what he was standing in. The brownish-yellow stagnancy below him made Trent want to hurl. “Couldn’t we have taken a more...sanitary route?” Trent asked. “Sure, if you wanted to keep getting caught up in fights,” Snake replied. “Not to mention those gunshots probably attracted the police. And I bet they’d be real interested in why an out-of-towner was running around with a sword, getting in violent scrapes with the local gangs.” “Ok, ok. Just thought I’d ask,” Trent apologized. They waded in silence for a few minutes before Trent spoke again. “Snake, is all of Anywhere such a...” “Hellhole?” Snake offered. “Well, I was going to just say mess, but, yeah.” “No, only the south side of town is like this,” Snake explained. “The other side...well, you’ll see when we get there, I guess. Just know that it hasn’t always been like this. What you saw up there is the result of war.” “War? Snake, there haven’t been any wars in centuries,” Trent said, confused. The kingdoms had lived in peace since the Pact of Brotherhood was signed almost two hundred years ago. Surely any damage done then would have been fixed by now? Snake laughed gruffly. “See, kid, this is why you need to talk to Steve. You’re as brainwashed as the rest of this damn world.” “What are you talking about?” Trent questioned. “Wait until we get to Steve’s. This is a long story, and this is no place to tell it. They have eyes and ears everywhere. Even down here, I’m sure.” “They? They who?” “Like I said. Wait for Steve. We’re almost there.” They walked onward for a few more minutes. “It’s this one,” Snake said, coming to a stop and pointing at the nearest manhole. “How do we get up there?” Trent asked. “I keep a ladder hidden in that corner over there. Hold on, I’ll go get it,” Snake growled as he waded down the corridor on the left. “Is this something you do often, then?” Trent asked mockingly. “Quite a hobby, exploring sewers.” Snake yelled something back that Trent couldn’t make out. It echoed across the walls of the sewer, losing volume as it bounced around the tunnels. No sooner had the noise died out than a new sound emerged. There was an ear-splitting screech and a mighty splash as the water in front of Trent erupted. A giant green figure rose from its murky depths. It was the strangest creature Trent had ever seen. It had a slender green torso and short, stubby legs, with two massive leaves sticking out like arms. It’s monstrous head, way too big in proportion to its body, was a great red flower, face blank save for an open mouth full of hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. “Snake!” Trent yelled, “I don’t think this way is as safe as you thought!”

14

Snake ran toward him, ladder in hand. “A piranha plant? Here?” he said, throwing the ladder aside and reaching for his gun, “that’s strange...watch yourself!” Snake’s warning came just in time. Trent dove to the side as the monster lunged at him. He drew his sword as he rolled to his feet and slashed at the monster’s side as it fell past him into the water. The cut was deep. The plant roared in pain as a gooey green liquid spilled from its side. It reared back and then launched forward, arms flailing madly. Trent tried to duck, but was too late – the plant was already on top of him. Trent flew backward as the monster collided with him and landed with a splash in the muck. Snake leapt toward the plant, firing off rounds as fast as his gun would permit. The monster screamed in pain as the bullets buried themselves in its thick green hide. Trent jumped to his feet and charged at the plant, swinging his sword wildly around him. He managed to chop off one of the monster’s arms as well as put a wide gash in its neck. It produced an ear-splitting shriek and suddenly became a dark shade of red. The plant opened its jaws wide and gave a mighty roar as flames spewed forth from its mouth. Trent dove under the sludge as the fireball passed him by. He re-emerged to see Snake jumping onto the monster’s back. It shook wildly, trying to knock him off. Snake held on tightly and reached into his coat. He pulled out a C4 pack, slapped it to the side of the monster’s head, and jumped off. “Get down, kid!” Snake yelled. Trent took a deep breath and plunged back under the muck. There was a bright flash and a loud bang as the explosive detonated. Pieces of plant fell into the water about Trent as he poked his head back above the surface. Snake was standing there, C4 remote in hand, covered from head to toe in the monster’s sticky green blood. “Good work, kid,” he said, wiping the grime off his face. “Now let’s get out of here.”

15

CHAPTER VII: REVELATIONS

Snake positioned the ladder, then climbed up and removed the manhole covering. He stuck his head through the hole and then called back down to Trent, “Alright, all clear up here. Come on up.” Trent followed him up the ladder and onto the street above. As his head rose up out of the sewer, Trent was blinded by the sudden sunlight, blinking several times as he got to his feet. When his eyes finally readjusted to the light, Trent was surprised to find himself in a much different environment than that of the part of the city he had seen before. The street was lined with little houses and wide, grassy fields full of flowers. The amber sunset in the sky drifted lazily overhead, occasionally paid a visit by a passing bird, which chirped its tune happily before taking roost in a tall oak tree. People strolled carelessly down the sidewalks, stopping occasionally to chat with a neighbor. “Looks a lot better than the other side, huh?” Snake growled, noticing Trent’s stares. “For sure,” Trent said. “But how do they keep all the crime and pollution out?” “Well, despite the fact that it’s all one city, there’s a lot of distance between North and South Anywhere,” Snake explained. “Cops keep the edge of the south under pretty tight surveillance, and then there are lots of open fields before you reach this side. Now, follow me,” he added, heading off down the street. “It’s just outside of town.” Trent followed him down the street, attention still heavily focused on the surroundings. How could such a peaceful farm community exist in the same place as a run-down, crime-infested dump? As Trent watched the villagers go about their daily lives, he couldn’t help but think about his own home. How would he explain to his parents that their house was gone? And, more importantly, when would he even get back? They walked in silence for several minutes until Snake finally spoke. “Here it is,” he said, pointing at a big white farmhouse a few yards away. Beside were a big red barn and a wide, grassy field in which a few dozen cows were grazing. They climbed the steps onto the porch and Snake rang the doorbell. A few minutes passed with no answer. A wind chime rang contentedly as a pleasant breeze rolled past. Snake impatiently rang the bell again. “Alright, Alright! Just a second!” came a muffled voice from the other side. The door swung open and they were greeted by a man with curly black hair that Trent assumed to be Steve. He was tan and muscular and spoke with a slight Italian accent. “Oh, Snake! Good to see you,” he said happily, “though I can’t say I expected you. Is something up? And who’s this?” “Show him, kid,” Snake said, jabbing a finger at Trent’s side. Trent drew the sword and held it out for Steve to see. “My name’s Trent Haughn. A man named Dumbledore told me to come find you. He said you could tell me about this sword.” Steve’s eyes were wide as he examined the sword. “Y-yes! Of course!” he said excitedly. “I never thought I’d see...Haha! This is great! Please, come inside, we have so much to discuss!” “Steve, as much as I enjoy watching you salivate over that weapon,” Snake growled sarcastically, “I’m afraid I can’t stay. The kid’s in your hands now. Good luck,” he added with a smirk as he walked off. Steve shrugged. “That man is such a mystery. Well, anyway, come in.” Trent stepped inside and followed Steve to the living room. The first thing Trent noticed was the plentiful amount of electronics that dotted the room. Three separate computers sat in various locations in the room, two of which had two monitors each. A large plasma-screen TV hung on each wall, each on a different news station. Various computer parts and blueprints laid scattered about the floor.

16

“Well, where to begin?” Steve said, shooing a rather large cat off the armchair it had been napping on. “Please, sit down.” “Steve, I really just want to know what’s going on,” Trent said as he sat. “Why is everyone so interested in this sword?” As he asked he laid the weapon on the table in front of them. “Well, Trent,” Steve said, eyes still locked on the glowing blade, “before I can tell you that, you need to know about the war.” “Snake mentioned something about that too. But we’re not at war...are we?” Trent inquired curiously. “We are,” Steve said gravely. “And our biggest weakness is that most people don’t realize it. You see, Trent, there are two supernatural forces that make up our world, Allsphere: The Light, and The Darkness.” “What? Steve, that’s just an old legend made by the ancient tribes of sun-worshipers,” Trent replied skeptically. “No, Trent, it’s true. And that sword is proof. It is Blitzkrieg, the Holy Sword of Light.” Trent laughed. “Don’t believe me?” Steve asked. “See for yourself.” He crossed the room and turned off the lights, so that the only light entering the room came from the window behind where they sat. Sunlight streamed forth, landing directly on the blade. The mysterious runes glowed with a brilliant white light and then transformed into English letters that read, “BLITZKRIEG, SLAYER OF DARKNESS.”

Trent stared at the words in disbelief. “You see?” Steve said as he turned the lights back on, “I told you. It’s all true.” “Ok, but even if it is, what does that have to do with me? Or this supposed war?” Trent

demanded. “Everything. The forces of Light and Darkness coexisted in harmony for centuries, until, about

eighteen years ago, everything changed,” Steve explained. “A man appeared, calling himself the Master of Darkness. He had an unnatural control over The Darkness. He could bend it to his will, use it as a weapon. And he had one goal: the complete destruction of The Light.”

“What? Why?” Trent asked. “No one knows. Maybe he’s just power-hungry. Or maybe he has some bigger plan in mind.

But either way, he must be stopped, before the Realm of Light is wiped out.” “Realm of Light?” “Oh, sorry, forgot to explain that. The world consists of a Realm of Light and a Realm of

Darkness. We live in the Realm of Light. The Realm of Darkness exists in a different dimension which cannot be accessed through any normal means.”

“Normal means?” “Yeah. The Master of Darkness and his troops can traverse the Realms freely. We haven’t

figured out how they do it.” “Ok, but why didn’t I know anything about this stuff?” “Because this knowledge has only recently been discovered through ancient writings and other

artifacts,” Steve explained, “and the Master of Darkness has prevented the information from becoming widespread.”

“How can he do that?” Trent asked. “Because he has the government under his control.” “What?!” “It’s true. Well, mostly. Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius, the kings of the Kingdoms of Earth, Fire, and

Water, respectively, are all under the Master’s control.”

17

“That’s insane!” Trent said angrily. “I’ve been a citizen of the Earth Kingdom my whole life, I think I’d know if my king answered to some evil master.”

Steve shook his head. “Which is exactly what the Master wants. No one knows about any of this except for our organization.”

“Which organization would that be?” Trent inquired. “Solaris. We are a small group dedicated to battling The Darkness. Named after the ancient

Solari people, the ‘sun worshippers,’ as you so eloquently put it.” “Never heard of it.” “Of course not. Your king and his men keep us a secret.” “MY king? What exactly do you mean by that?” “Well, I’m not originally from around here. Neither is Snake. Solaris HQ is in the Air Kingdom.

We’re here undercover doing research.” “OK, NOW you’re talking crazy,” Trent said angrily. “Everyone knows the Air Kingdom vanished

without a trace eighteen years ago.” Steve laughed. “Which is exactly the time...” Trent paused. “That you claim this Master of Darkness appeared,” he said at last.

Steve nodded. “Now you’re starting to put it together.” Trent couldn’t believe it. Was all of this true? “Steve,” he said at last, “you said that the Master could use Darkness as a weapon. Can other

people?” Steve nodded. “Yes. All of the Master’s troops are outfitted with weapons that use Darkness.

Why do you ask?” “I think my house was destroyed by some sort of Darkness bomb.” Steve closed his eyes and stroked his chin. “That confirms it then. They were trying to destroy

you because...Trent, you are the Chosen One.” “Whaaat?!” “There is an old prophecy made by the Solaris people. It says that ‘during the year of the Dark

One, a hero shall be born who shall take up the Holy Sword and save his people.’” Trent was silent. The Chosen One? Him? “Ok, one more question,” Trent said at last. “The Master has an army. He has Darkness-

powered weaponry. And hardly anyone knows he exists. So why doesn’t he just make his big attack now? Doesn’t he have the power he needs to just destroy us now?”

Steve shook his head. “No. He doesn’t. The Realm of Light is safe as long as the Air Kingdom remains out of his reach. And until he can break our defenses, he’ll remain in the shadows, silently using his power only to silence those that would oppose him. The last thing he wants is to alert people to his existence. That could lead to larger resistances, and possibly his downfall.”

“So why don’t we spread the word?” Trent asked desperately. “The world’s a big place, Trent. If we get vocal, the army of Darkness will crush us before we

have a chance to make any difference. They have eyes and ears everywhere.” “Hmm. Snake said the same thing.” “We only have one choice.” Trent fell silent. He knew what Steve was thinking. It was the same thing Snake and

Dumbledore must have thought when they saw him holding the sword that now lay on the table beside him. They all expected him to fight the Master of Darkness. And to win. But could he? HOW could he?

“Trent, it’s getting late, and I’m sure you’re tired,” Steve said at last. “I’ll take you to the guest room if you’d like.”

“Huh? Oh...yeah,” Trent said, breaking away from his train of thought. “Yeah, thanks. I’m exhausted.”

18

CHAPTER VIII: THE MAN IN GREEN

Trent wandered lazily through a vast, open plain dotted with wildflowers. Strange balls of light danced merrily around the field. Upon closer examination, Trent found that each was a tiny sprite, encased in a beautiful aura.

“Could all this be true?” he thought to himself. “Am I really the ‘Chosen one’?” Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, a bright, womanly silhouette descended from the sky.

She had long, green hair crowned with a flowery tiara and wore a dress woven from ivy and moss. “Hello, Trent,” she said in a soothing, almost motherly voice. “I am the Great Fairy, messenger of

The Light. I am here to help you recover from your wounds while you sleep.” “Why me?” Trent asked. “Because you are the Chosen One,” she replied calmly. “It is your destiny to defeat the Master

of Darkness.” “How do any of you expect me to believe any of this?” Trent snapped angrily. “I have no combat

training. My magic is nothing special. Even if this ‘Master of Darkness’ does exist, how can you expect me, of all people, to beat him? I’m no Chosen One! I’m just Trent! Nothing else!”

The Fairy was not fazed by his anger. “Trent, I’ll tell you something, to prove that you are the Chosen One,” she said. “Focus your mind on shaping the light around you. Not just the light from the sun, but all the Light around you. Every living creature, every plant, every animal, has Light. You can use this Light in beautiful yet powerful ways that will help you on your journey.”

Trent wanted to yell at her that she was wrong and what she was suggesting was absurd, but his anger had dissipated. Trent focused his mind, reaching out to all the life around him. He felt every fairy, every flower, every blade of grass. A ball of golden light materialized in front him and morphed into a glowing image of Allsphere.

Trent could hardly believe what he was seeing. Was it true? Was he the Chosen One? The Great Fairy smiled at him. “You are beginning to understand. Remember this skill, someday

it may be vital to your success.” Suddenly she let out a girlish, echoing giggle, and vanished.

Trent was awoken by the brazen crowing of a rooster somewhere in the distance. He rubbed his

eyes, stretched, and jumped out of bed. As Trent descended the stairs he was surrounded by the warm aroma of bacon and suddenly realized how hungry he was. After all, he hadn’t eaten since he left on this little adventure. “Morning, Trent!” Steve said with a smile as Trent walked into the kitchen. “Take a seat and help yourself, bacon’ll be done in a minute.” Trent seated himself at the lavishly prepared table. His mouth watered as he heaped eggs, sausage, biscuits, and pancakes onto the plate in front of him. “Wow, someone’s hungry,” Steve said with a chuckle as he watched Trent shovel the contents of his plate into his mouth. Steve set the plate of bacon on the table and sat down. “So, Steve,” Trent said through a mouthful of food, “I’ve thought about this whole ‘Chosen One’ thing.” “And?” Steve asked eagerly, a piece of bacon hanging out of the side of his mouth.

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“Well, I mean, what should I do?” Trent said, swallowing a large gulp of orange juice. “Waltz into the Master’s fortress and say, ‘Oh, hello Mr. Master of Darkness, would you please stop trying to destroy us’?” Steve laughed. “No, no, that’s not it at all. What you need to do is go to the Air Kingdom and speak to the leader of Solaris.” Trent eyed him skeptically. “And how exactly do I get there?” “Well, the entrance to the Kingdom is just north of here,” Steve explained. “But you can’t just walk across the border. There are guards patrolling the area. And they’re not likely to let you pass.” “So how do I get there?” Trent inquired. “Fortunately for us, there’s one way into the Air Kingdom that isn’t guarded: the Forest of Illusion.” “Why isn’t it guarded?” “No one’s ever made it through,” Steve said, pausing for a moment to take a bite of toast. “It’s called the Forest of Illusion for a reason, you know. Once inside, people get lost very easily. Not only that, there’s an abandoned mansion in the heart of the forest that’s supposed to be haunted. The forest’s reputation is enough to keep most people out.” “But you think I can get through?” “I know you can,” Steve said, eyes sparkling. “I have complete confidence in you.” “Alright. Well,” Trent said, setting down his fork, “I guess I’d better go, then.” “I guess so,” Steve said, standing up. “Could you help me clean up first, though?” “Of course,” Trent said, grabbing a plate. “What do you want me to do with the leftovers?” “Just dump it down the garbage disposal,” Steve said distractedly, “I’m leaving for a few days anyway, they’ll just go bad.” “Oh? Where are you going?” Trent inquired. “The Air Kingdom.” “You’re coming with me?” Trent asked, surprised. “Well...no. I’m taking a different route. One you can’t.” “What? How’s that?” “You’ll find out,” Steve said mysteriously. “Umm...Ok,” Trent said as he dumped a plate of toast down the sink. “Which switch is the disposal?” “One on the left.” Trent flipped the switch. There was a sudden gurgling and the sound of metal scraping against metal, then a spout of water erupted from the drain. “Uh, Steve?” Trent said nervously. “Gah, again?” Steve said angrily. “That’s three times this month. I guess it’s time to finally call a plumber.” Ten minutes later there came a knock on the door. Steve opened it to find a tall mustached man with a big nose, wearing a green shirt with blue overalls and a green hat with a big “L” on it. “Luigi Mario of the Mario Brothers plumbing service,” he said, tipping his hat. He had an Italian accent. “Where’s the problem, sir?”

Steve led him to the kitchen. Luigi opened the cabinets under the sink and inspected the pipes. “Yeah, this is in need of some pretty serious work,” he said, grabbing a wrench out of his

toolbox. “Y’know, this is the second time this week I’ve seen a sink like this. They just don’t make pipes like they used to, I guess. What with how often they’ve been breaking lately.” “You’ve been keeping busy, then?” Steve asked.

20

“Oh yeah,” Luigi said from under the sink, “especially with my brother gone. I’ve got twice as much work as usual.” “Oh? Where’s your brother?” Trent asked. “A few days ago he went to fix a toilet in a house on the edge of the forest. He never came back. I’m starting to get worried,” explained Luigi. “You don’t think he wandered into the forest?” Steve said worriedly. “I hope not. But Mario’s a little...adventurous. I wouldn’t put it past him.” “Well, I’m headed for the forest myself,” Trent said. “I’ll keep an eye out for him.” “Hmm...y’know what, I’ll come with you,” Luigi said, coming out from under the sink and putting his wrench away. “All done,” he said to Steve. “Bill’ll be in the mail in the next few days.” He turned to Trent. “So, shall we be off?” “Sure. I don’t see any reason to stick around any longer,” Trent shrugged. “Great!” Luigi exclaimed. “Let’s get going!”

21

CHAPTER IX: THE KING OF THE BOOS

Trent and Luigi, after saying their goodbyes to Steve, left the farmhouse behind and traveled down the old dirt path that led to the forest. Standing on its edge, Trent stared into the deep forest. He failed to see what was so threatening about it. Apparently Luigi didn’t feel the same way. “This place is kinda spooky,” he said nervously. “Look! The trees are so packed that they block out all the light! Who knows what’s creeping around in there...” “We’ll be fine,” Trent assured him. “Let’s go. We’re wasting daylight.” Luigi gave a weak laugh at the attempted joke. “Alright. After all, I’m doing this for my brother. Gotta be brave.” As they continued into the forest along the now almost invisible path, Trent began to agree with Luigi’s opinion of the forest. An eerie silence hung thickly over the woods, occasionally broken by a sudden rustling of leaves or the whining cry of a raven. More than once, Trent swore he heard a distant, high-pitched laughter. Eventually they came to a point where the path ended. Trent gazed off into the distance. They just had to keep going straight. They’d be fine. He stepped off the path. And then discovered how the forest got its name. As soon as his foot hit the ground, Trent felt a strange, dizzying sensation flow through his body. The entire forest seemed to spin around him. A chilling laughter filled Trent’s ears as he struggled to keep his bearings. Trent closed his eyes and clamped his hands over his ears, but the spinning and the laughter would not stop. He felt like he was going to throw up. And then, without warning, it ended. Panting, Trent steadied himself and looked around. The path they had been walking on was gone. And worse, Trent had no idea which direction he was facing. Luigi was crouched with his head in his hands, shaking violently. “W-w-what just happened?” he stammered quietly. “The forest just scored a point,” Trent said, drawing his sword. “Time to even the score.” He turned to the tree in front of him and cut a deep X into its trunk. “I’m going to mark all the trees we pass,” he explained. “It’ll make a trail. That way we don’t get lost.” “Oh! Good thinking!” Luigi said as he sprang to his feet. They walked for what felt like hours, Trent marking the trees as they went, but the end was nowhere in sight. There was also no sign of the supposed haunted mansion. Suddenly Trent stopped, horrified by what he saw in front of him. A long line of trees ahead of them were all marked with Xs. “Damn it!” Trent yelled angrily. “We went straight the whole time! How are we back at the beginning?” “Beats me,” Luigi said tiredly as he sat on a nearby stump. “But this IS called the forest of illusion. We could have been walking in circles the whole time and never realized it.” Trent took a deep breath and leaned against a tree. “I guess. But then how the heck are we supposed to get out of here?” “I don’t know,” Luigi said. “I guess we’re stuck.” Suddenly a voice echoed through the trees. “Luigi! Is that-a you? Luigi!” Luigi jumped at the sound of the voice. “That’s Mario! Come on, Trent!” he yelled as he ran toward the source of the noise. “Luigi, wait! I’m not sure this is a good idea!” Trent called as he ran after him. As they ran through the woods, Trent began to notice that there were words carved into some of the trees. They said things like, “This way!”, “You’re almost there!”, “Come save him!”

22

“Luigi, this is really suspicious! We should turn back!” Trent yelled. He was quickly losing sight of Luigi, who was much faster than Trent. “No! We’re almost there! I-I can see it!” He came to a stop in a wide clearing. The moon shone high in the night. But was it really night? Or was it just another illusion? And there, in the middle of the clearing, loomed the mansion. It stood three stories high, with two towers on either side on the roof. It was almost more of a castle than a mansion. The whole place had a very ominous feel about it. “Well, Luigi, your call,” Trent said. “Should we go in or turn back?” Luigi thought it over for a few moments. “Let’s go in,” he said at last. They opened the wide doors and stepped into the foyer. It was apparent that no one had lived there for a long time. A thick layer of dust covered the room. Spider webs hung in the corners. The furniture was falling apart. “So, do you really think this place is haunted?” Trent asked amusedly, walking toward the stairs. Suddenly the doors slammed shut behind them and a high-pitched laughter like the one Trent had heard in the forest filled the air. “Y-Y-YES!” shrieked Luigi. Trent turned around and found Luigi face-to-face with a small, orange, transparent being that floated in midair. It joined in the laughter. The ghostly chorus was quickly joined by dozens more spirits of various sizes and colors that floated through the walls into the room, surrounding Trent and Luigi. The sound was deafening. And then it stopped. The ghosts fell silent and turned to look at a spot at the top of the stairs. A large, round, white ghost with short, stubby arms and a jeweled crow atop its head materialized in front of Trent. “BWEE HEE HEE HEE!” it laughed. “Welcome, intruders, to the domain of the great King Boo! I hope you will find your stay sufficiently...TERRIFYING! BWEE HEE HEE HEE!”

23

CHAPTER X: WHO YA GONNA CALL?

Trent drew his sword and lunged at the spirit. The room erupted with a roar of laughter as he passed through King Boo’s ectoplasmic body and slammed into the wall behind. “Look, boys, this one’s a fighter!” King Boo screeched. “Just like Red. And is that Green cowering in the corner? Bweee! This is even better than I expected. Attack!” The multitude of ghosts began closing in on Trent. Their transparent bodies surrounded him in a phantasmic circle. “Trent! R-r-run!” came Luigi’s voice from somewhere in the room. “Relax,” Trent called back coolly. “If I can’t hit them, then that means they can’t –“ WHAM. A fist collided with Trent’s jaw, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling down the stairs. “That’s not fair!” Trent yelled angrily as he scrambled to his feet. The ghosts were returning for another assault. Trent threw his hands over his head and braced himself for the imminent attack. But it didn’t come. A sudden light erupted from somewhere behind him. Trent looked up to find his spiritual assailants screaming and shielding their eyes from the light. Trent spun around and found the source of the light. Luigi was standing nervously with a flashlight in hand and a vacuum cleaner strapped to his back. Luigi grabbed the vacuum’s hose and positioned it at the ghosts, flicking the power switch on. The ghosts shrieked at the realization of what was happening and tried to flee, but it was no use. Each apparition was sucked into the appliance with a small pop. King Boo screamed as his subjects were captured. “What do you think you’re doing? S-stop that! EEEEE!” He turned and flew through the wall behind him. Trent scanned the now empty room. Luigi was standing confidently, twirling the flashlight and whistling happily. “Wow! That was cool!” he said amusedly. “Where did that all come from?” Trent asked. “Well, the flashlight was in my toolbox,” Luigi explained, pointing at the red box at his feet. Trent had forgotten that Luigi had brought it. “As for the vacuum, well, when the ghosts began to attack I ran into the closet to hide, and there it was. I’m a little surprised it actually worked.” “Well, it’s a good thing it did. Now, let’s go find your brother.” They entered the main hallway and found it eerily silent. “Where should we start?” Trent whispered to Luigi. The hall was long, and had many doors on either side. “I don’t know. Let’s start checking rooms, I guess.” Trent turned to the nearest door. He grabbed the knob and slowly turned the cold metal handle. He cracked open the door. The hallway echoed with a sudden laughter as ghosts flooded out of the room. Trent jumped back, instinctively firing off a lightning spell as he did so. The bolt bounced wildly around the room, vaporizing the ghosts in a puff of smoke as it made contact. The hall fell silent once again. “Well, that worked well,” Trent noted as he stuck his head into the room. It was just an ordinary bathroom. “Nothing special here,” he said, closing the door. “Come on, let’s keep looking.” The pair traveled up and down the floors of the mansion, searching each room carefully. There were many ghosts, but not much else.

24

Finally they arrived on the roof. In the middle of the terrace sat a few benches surrounding a fountain adorned with a large, marble unicorn. Withered potted plants populated the outer edge of the roof. “Let’s head back,” Trent said, noting the emptiness. “There’s nothing here. We must have missed something downstairs.” They turned back and headed for the stairs.

Suddenly a now familiar chorus of ghostly laughter pierced the air, and Trent and Luigi found themselves trapped in a ring of round, white ghosts.

“We are the Boos!” they chanted in unison. “We are here to have some fun with you.” The ring began spinning around Trent and Luigi. “Won’t you play with us?” The spinning grew faster as the Boos closed in. “Yes! Play, play!” Faster. Closer. “LET’S GO!” The Boos leapt into the air. There was a flash of light as the ghosts collided with each other.

When the light subsided, one giant Boo came crashing down in front of Trent and Luigi. “We are Boolossus!” it boomed. “Time to play!” Boolossus leapt into the air and came crashing down on top of Trent and Luigi. Trent held up his

sword, bracing for the impact. But it never came. Boolossus warped away at the last second. He was now floating a few yards away, eying Trent

nervously. Trent shot a glance at Luigi, who shrugged and readied his vacuum. Trent charged at Boolossus, taking a wide swing with his sword. He nicked Boolossus’s side as

the ghost tried to flee. There was a small pop and a single Boo flew out of the spot Trent had just cut. Luigi reacted quickly, pulling the screaming ghost into his vacuum.

“No! You cheat!” shrieked Boolossus, charging at Luigi. Luigi jumped out of the way and Trent shot a fireball at the ghost. When it made contact, Boolossus screamed and three Boos flew out of it. Luigi quickly sucked them up.

“They will not hit us again!” yelled Boolossus as it vanished. It reappeared behind Trent and charged him, knocking him to the floor. Luigi leapt toward Boolossus, but it disappeared and he also got a face full of floor.

Boolossus appeared again in front of Trent as he was getting up, ready to strike again. Trent took his sword in both hands and lunged upwards with all his might, but the mammoth ghost vanished at the last second.

Trent spun around and fired a bolt of lightning. He predicted correctly: Boolossus reappeared right in the path of the spell. It his him square in the face, releasing a dozen Boos.

The small ghosts scrambled to remerge with their partners, but Trent thought quickly. He fired off a barrage of ice spells at the Boos. Each one hit its target. The Boos froze instantly and fell with a thud to the floor, where they were greeted by Luigi’s vacuum.

By this point Boolossus had shrunk in size considerably. He was now about the same height as Luigi. It was getting even angrier, rapidly warping around the roof, each time violently charging forward before vanishing again.

“Trent!” Luigi yelled, jumping sideways to dodge an attack, “I’ve got an idea! Get me an opening!”

Trent watched Boolossus carefully, looking for a pattern in his movement. Suddenly it materialized in front of him, ready to strike. Trent acted without thinking: he

punched Boolossus in the face, sending it flying across the roof.

25

Luigi acted equally quickly, turning on his vacuum at full power, catching Boolossus in its beam of suction. It struggled violently to free itself, but Luigi held tightly. He dragged Boolossus to the fountain, positioned himself, and swung Boolossus into the horn of the unicorn statue.

There was a loud bang and Boos flew everywhere. Trent froze each one and let Luigi finish the job with his vacuum.

Trent panted and dropped onto a bench. “Whew. That was intense.” Luigi looked around frantically. “Trent, we’ve searched the entire building and there’s no sign of

Mario or King Boo. What do we do?” Trent thought for a moment. “Wait. There’s one place we haven’t tried yet.” “Where?” “The basement. Come on, let’s go.”

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CHAPTER XI: REUNION

The staircase creaked nervously as Luigi barreled down the steps to the basement, Trent following close behind. Trent drew his sword as he jumped the last few steps, wary of an ambush by the ghost king’s minions. To his surprise, though, the hall they emerged in was completely empty, save for a single door positioned at the opposite end of the passageway. Luigi sprinted across the room, wrenched it open, and sprang through the door. Trent likewise followed into the next room and found himself in the boiler room. The large furnace sat lifeless in the corner of the small chamber. In the middle of the room stood a tall throne, gilded with jewels and covered in a red, silky material. On the wall behind the chair hung a painting of a short, mustached man garbed in red. “Mario!” Luigi shouted. “What has he done to you?!” A familiar laughter filled the room. “BWEE HEE HEE! Do you like my new piece of artwork? But I’m afraid I’m missing the full set.” King Boo materialized in the center of the chamber and began waving his arms in a circular pattern while he chanted rhythmically. A menacing red glow emanated from his body. “Trent, what do we do? I don’t want to be a painting!” Luigi squealed frantically. Trent didn’t fancy the idea either. He scanned the walls. There had to be something that could help. “And now, my dear friends,” King Boo taunted, “you shall become-“ Click. To Trent’s surprise, the light switch was still functional. King Boo screamed as light flooded the room, stubby arms flailing madly. “BLEE! Turn it off! Please! The light, it burns! AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!” King Boo’s body hissed as phantasmic goo dripped off of him, creating an ethereal puddle of ectoplasm. “The...Dark...neeesss...” he wheezed. “...you...cannot...wiiiiin...” And then he vanished. The room shook with a loud creaking of metal as the boiled kicked back up. All throughout the house the lights flicked on, and Trent heard the screams of the ghosts that were still inside. The painting behind the throne glowed brightly, and then suddenly Mario fell out of the canvas, leaving an empty frame hanging on the stone wall. “Mario! You’re ok!” Luigi exclaimed. “Luigi! You-a saved me! Thank-a you! Thank-a you very much!” his brother replied. “Well it’s a good thing I did,” Luigi scolded him, “because we have a lot of plumbing work to do.” Mario laughed. “Oh Luigi, lighten up.” Trent threw open the doors to the mansion and the foyer was flooded with sunlight. He stepped squinting out into the clearing. The whole forest was full of life. The decaying trees were now green and lush. Squirrels and rabbits danced playfully through the brush, and birds could be heard singing joyously from their perched atop the branches. Trent peered into the forest ahead. A clear path was visible through the trees. The illusion had been dispelled, and the curse of the mansion ended. “Thank you so much for helping me,” Luigi said as he and Mario exited the mansion as well. “If you ever have a pipe that needs fixing, you know who to call.” He and Mario each gave a quick nod and then headed down the path back to Anywhere. Trent turned and started down the path in the opposite direction.

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After an unexpectedly short walk, Trent arrived at the edge of the forest. But on the other side of the woods was not the bustling utopia of the Air Kingdom he had expected to see. It was nothing but an empty field. One that stretched on for as far as the eye could see in every direction. Had Steve sent him on a wild goose chase? Logic told Trent that he should turn around now and give up the charade of finding the Air Kingdom. But something in his gut told him to keep going. Trent stepped warily out of the forest and began his trek across the great plain. The red sun hung low in the sky as Trent continued to plod across the wasteland. He’d been traveling for hours with no sign of anything or anyone. No buildings. No trees. No landmarks at all. Trent fell to his knees as his weariness finally caught up with him. He couldn’t keep this up. Who knew how much farther he had to go? And with no food or water, how long could he last? His stomach growled desperately as the thought occurred to him. Trent flopped onto his back and stared up at the fiery sky. The biggest cloud he had ever seen floated overhead. In fact, it was so big, Trent couldn’t see where it ended. Trent sat up suddenly. Had this cloud been above him the entire time? He hadn’t noticed the shadow when he stepped out of the woods. A thought popped into Trent’s head. Could that cloud...could it? Suddenly everything around him was flooded in a white light, and Trent felt his body jerked upward, as if grabbed by some invisible force. Wind rushed against his face as he careened into the sky, the bright world spinning around him dizzyingly. Trent thought he was going to be sick. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Trent blinked a few times. Bright, mid-day sunlight assaulted his eyes as his sight returned. Trent gasped at what he saw. Before him loomed a vast city of tall skyscrapers and wide roads. Despite the urban feel, trees and flowers lined the streets, happily greeting visitors with their green warmth. People were everywhere, walking in and out of buildings, sitting on benches with a newspaper and a cup of coffee, chatting in the nearby park. Trent looked down at his feet. He was standing on the puffy whiteness of a cloud. The entire city was floating on the cloud he had seen down below. Trent looked back up and found a familiar face smiling at him. “Glad to see you made it alright,” Steve said happily. “Welcome to Kloudnein, capital city of the Air Kingdom, Trent Haughn.”

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CHAPTER XII: ENTER MALEMAN

“What the heck just happened?” Trent asked. “I was lying in a big empty field, and then, next thing I know, I’m up in the sky. What gives?” “Yeah, sorry it took so long,” Steve said sheepishly. “It took forever to get your name through clearance. The guys wouldn’t believe that you were really the one.” “What guys?” Trent inquired, confused. “Well, you see, not just anyone can get into the Air Kingdom. We have to be certain that you’re not an agent of the Darkness before the folks in the Transportation Department will turn on the teleporters and beam you up. And they’re really meticulous, which leads them to be...well...slow.” “Oh. Why am I here again?” “Solaris, remember? HQ’s just a short drive from here. Let’s go,” Steve explained, motioning to the car parked behind him. “So the Air Kingdom is really in the sky?” Trent questioned as he stepped into the passenger’s seat. “That it is,” Steve responded as he slipped inside and put the key in the ignition. “About twenty years ago, when the war against the Darkness first began, our king ordered that every precaution be taken to keep the Darkness out of our home. So he called upon an order of powerful mages know as The Protectorate to perform a then unheard of task: lifting the entire kingdom into the sky.” “And they put it on a cloud?” Trent said in awe. “Well, no. This ground is actually a magical substance called cumulusoil. It looks just like a cloud, but has all the same properties as regular old dirt. That’s why we still have trees up here,” Steve explained. “And by the way, the kingdom isn’t all on just one ‘cloud.’ There are lots of islands, if you will, that are all connected to this city via teleporters.” “So, I suppose if the average person looked up at the sky, all they would see is clouds, and have no idea what was really up here,” Trent deduced. “Precisely,” Steve said. “I don’t expect that the enemy has no idea that we’re up here, but at least they don’t know how to get up here. There’s no way to activate the teleporters from the ground.” As he finished the sentence, Steve pulled into the parking lot of a tall building and stopped the car. “Here we are,” he said, stepping out of the vehicle. “Solaris headquarters.” They went inside and Steve led Trent to the front desk, where the receptionist greeted them with a smile. “Nice to see you, Mr. DeLucia,” she said happily. “And who is your-“ Her words were cut short as she cupped her hands over her mouth, a look of shock on her face. Her gaze was directed at the sword that hung loosely from Trent’s belt. Steve leaned over to Trent and whispered in his ear, “Oh, right. I forgot to mention, people might find you to be a bit of a...celebrity.” He turned back to the lady at the counter. “Nora, did you get my note?” “Y-yes, sir!” she squeaked back, still watching Trent. “I notified all the people you listed. They’re waiting in the conference room.” “Excellent. Come on, Trent, we have no time to lose,” Steve said as he headed for the elevator. They stepped inside and Steve pressed the button for the twelfth floor. The elevator dinged as the doors closed and they began to rise. “This is it, Trent,” Steve said. There was a twinge of anxiety in his voice. “Now that you’re here, we can begin our plans.” “Our plans to fight the Darkness?” Trent guessed. “Yes. Plans, I might mention, that you play a vital role in.”

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The elevator eased to a stop and the doors opened slowly, revealing a wide, circular room with a large round table in the center. Tall windows on the opposite wall gave a sweeping view of the bustling city. All but three seats at the table were filled. They were occupied by a very mismatched bunch. Some were in suits, chatting away on cell phones. Others donned lab coats and typed furiously at their laptops, pausing occasionally to check something in the stack of files beside them. Some were dressed much more casually, tan, muscular men and women, each with some sort of weapon at their side or strapped to their back. Everyone looked up at Trent as he approached the table. Many had looks of surprise on their faces, others nodding approvingly. One, a particularly buff swordsman, stood up and announced loudly, “This punk is our hero? What stunt are you trying to pull, DeLuicia?” The table erupted in response, some in agreement, others vehemently arguing. “Hey! All of you! SHUT IT!” Steve yelled angrily. The room fell silent as the debaters composed themselves. “Now the Superior should be here any minute. We’ll let him decide whether this ‘punk’ is really the one.” “Did I hear someone say my name?” a voice came from nowhere. Suddenly a man materialized in a small green vortex at the head of the table. He was tall and skinny, with short black hair, and wore a suit. “Speak of the Devil,” Steve said happily. “Trent, I’d like to introduce you to the head of this organization, Matt Ricker. And by the way,” he added, “that’s the ‘other method’ for getting here. Sorry you had to take the forest.” “Don’t worry about it,” Trent said quickly. “So, you must be Trent, huh?” Ricker said, grabbing Trent’s hand and shaking it vigorously. He spoke casually and was very energetic. “About time we got a proper hero around these parts. Sorry I’m late, I just came from the dig site. You’ve gotta check it out some time, it’s really something.” “The dig site?” Trent asked. “I haven’t been getting a lot of news lately,” Steve said. “I’m equally confused.” “Oh, my bad, guys,” Ricker apologized. “Take a seat, I’ll explain.” Ricker spread a map across the table. It was largely blank, save for some mountains and a river that cut across the northwestern corner. “This is a map of the area down below the Air Kingdom,” he explained. “A few days ago, a worker was down on the ground while the Transportation Department ran some routine tests of the teleportation system. Suddenly an earthquake tore a rift in the ground a few hundred feet away from him. When the quake stopped, he went to check it out. Inside he found the entrance to a ruined temple. We’ve sent a team to excavate the rest of the temple, and to search the area around in hopes of finding another.” “Did they find anything?” Trent asked. “Yes. In fact, we think we’ve discovered an ancient Solari acropolis.” Steve’s eyes lit up. “Amazing! Did you find anything useful?” “We did. One of the temples had a depiction of a man holding the holy sword standing stop some vanquished monster. There’s also some writing in the ancient language, we’re working on translating it.” “What do you think it says?” Trent inquired. “Based on the breakthrough we made this morning, I can say confidently that I believe it is the key to defeating the Darkness.” The room exploded with shouts of joy and surprise. Ricker let the jubilation carry on for a few moments and then quieted the craze with a wave of his hand. “I know this is exciting, but we can’t forget our duties. The full translation should be done tomorrow, but in the meantime, please, focus on your jobs just as you have up until now. And as for

30

you,” he added, turning to Trent, “Please, feel free to explore the city. I’ll have a room prepared for you to sleep in tonight. I’m sure Steve will be happy to act as your guide.” “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass,” Steve said. “I’d really like to go see the excavation.” “Oh, that’s a good idea,” Ricker said. “You can probably help with the translating. Let’s see, who would make a good...Oh! I know!” Ricker pressed a button on the intercom on the table in front of him and said into it, “Agent Maleman, report to the conference room. I’ve got a job for you.” A voice responded, “On my way, sir.” “He’s one of my best operatives,” Ricker explained. “He’ll take care of you.” A few moments passed and the elevator clicked open. Out stepped a young man, about Trent’s age but not quite as tall, with bushy brown hair and glasses. Two swords were sheathed across his back. He gave a quick salute. “Matt Schroeder, reporting for duty.”

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CHAPTER XIII: SCREAMING METAL DEATHTRAP

“Matt, I’d like you to meet Trent Haughn,” Ricker said. “I’d like you to keep him entertained tonight.” Matt gave a quick salute. “It would be my pleasure. And besides,” he added with a smirk, “I could use a day off.” Ricker laughed. “Yeah, sure. Just try not to kill him, alright?” Matt rolled his eyes. “You just can’t let that go, can you? Yeah, I forgot to feed your fish when you were on vacation and it died. I’m sorry. That doesn’t mean I’m COMPLETELY irresponsible.” “Alright, alright. I’m just messing with you,” Ricker joked. “Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work to do.” There was a flash of green light, and he vanished. “Can you do that, too?” Trent asked Matt hopefully. Matt shook his head. “It’s not a trait we all share. Some people are just born with it, and at varying degrees. There are a handful of teleporters who can actually use their power to transport others. But few, if any, of them are still around this area.” “Oh,” Trent remarked, slightly disappointed. “So how are we getting around, then?” Matt reached into his pocket and removed a large ring on which hung dozens of car keys. “We drive,” he said with a grin. Matt led Trent out of the building and into the parking lot. The sun was still shining brightly overhead as they crossed the lot to a row of cars near the side of the building. “Matt, what time is it?” Trent asked suddenly. Matt looked at his watch. “About eight. Why do you ask?” Trent looked at him confusedly. “Eight a.m.? When I was beamed up here, the sun was setting. How is it suddenly morning again?” Matt laughed. “Well, it’s not so much ‘again’ as it is ‘already.’ Your trip up here took a few hours.” “A few hours?!” Trent exclaimed. “It only felt like a few seconds!” “That’s the magic of teleportation,” Matt said with a shrug. “I mean, how boring would it be if you were conscious for the whole twelve hours?” “Huh? I was conscious the whole time,” Trent said, puzzled. “No, you actually slept through most of it,” Matt corrected him. “It just didn’t feel like it because, well, like I said. The magic of teleportation.” Trent shrugged. “If you say so. Anyway, which one are we taking?” “Which what?” Matt said distractedly. “Oh, cars! Right! Well, take your pick. These ones are all company owned, and I’ve got all the keys.” Trent glanced down the line. A silver impala was the closest. “This’ll do,” he said, motioning toward it. “But can I drive?” “Sure thing,” Matt said, removing a key from the ring and tossing it to Trent. Trent spent the rest of the morning cruising around town as Matt pointed out important buildings or locations. After a short stop at the small park in the center of town Matt said suddenly, “Hey, you hungry? There’s this great seafood place called The Octopus’s Garden on the corner of Abbey Road and Penny Lane. I think you’ll like it.” Upon arrival to the restaurant, Trent quickly discovered that Matt was right: the food really was great. “Wow, you’re an eating machine,” Matt said with a laugh as Trent polished off his fourth plate.

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Trent shrugged. “I was hungry,” he said through a mouthful of lobster. Matt laughed again. “If you say so.” A few minutes later the waiter brought the bill and handed it to Matt, who scanned it over. Suddenly a painful though occurred to Trent. “Matt, I haven’t got any money,” he admitted. “Don’t worry about it,” Matt said, reaching into his wallet and removing a crisp one hundred dollar bill. “With what Ricker pays me, it would be a crime not to cover this.” “Do you really make that much?” Trent wondered. “I mean, how does Solaris make money anyway?” “Well, being a non-profit organization, all of our funds come from donations,” Matt explained as he handed the money to the waiter. “And our biggest contributor is none other than the King of the Air Kingdom.” “Wow. I guess he really wants to see you guys succeed, huh?” Trent said. “Yeah. Sometimes I think he wants it even more than we do,” Matt said. “King Scorpio is a great man. He was the one that founded Solaris. And he leads the Protectorate. He’s the wisest man I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” “Do you think I’ll ever meet him?” Trent asked. “Probably,” Matt said. “King Scorpio is a very busy man, but I’m sure he’d be happy to take some time out of his schedule some day to meet with the Chosen One.” “Yeah. Probably.” Trent stared down at his shoes. It made him feel uneasy when people called him “The Chosen One.” Matt must have noticed Trent’s mood because he said quickly, “But, hey, enough about that. There’s this big nature preserve just outside of town you’ve gotta see. The moonbeam river cuts right through it, there’s a waterfall like you’d never believe. Wanna go check it out?” They took the main road out of the city. Trent was surprised at how quickly the buildings gave way to a vast expanse of fields and forests. “You’ll want to turn left up here,” Matt said, pointing a ways down the road. “That’ll take us straight there.” “Oh, yeah, I see the sign,” Trent noted. “By the way, what-“ Trent cut himself off as his attention was redirected to a sudden movement in the woods on his right. A lone deer, a buck with antlers almost as wide as Trent was tall, darted out of the Trees. It was closely followed by a man garbed in camouflage and carrying a shotgun. The hunter swore furiously as he threw the firearm to the ground, enraged by his escaped prey. “LOOK OUT!” Matt yelled as the stag leapt out in front of the car. Trent swerved to the left to avoid the animal...and crashed right into the side of a passing semi. Trent and Matt screamed as the back end of the trailer crunched over the hood of their car. A mighty tire crashed through the window, sending shards of glass flying and narrowly missing both of them.

Trent threw the steering wheel in the opposite direction and the car popped out from under the semi. It spun out wildly, smashing to a halt into a telephone pole.

Trent’s body jerked forward upon collision and immediately was greeted by the punch of the airbag. The Semi screeched to a halt somewhere behind them.

Trent sat in silence as his racing heart slowed down, breathing heavily. Looking over, he found Matt equally still.

Trent heard the sound of rapid footsteps quickly approaching. “Oh my God, are you alright?” a voice said frantically as a hairy man’s face appeared in the

window.

33

“Yeah, I think we’re alright,” Trent said weakly. “I’m really sorry about your truck, I didn’t mean to hit it.” The trucker shook his head. “Nah, these things happen. Besides, damage is pretty light. Insurance oughtta cover it. Your car, though,” he added with a chuckle, “I ain’t so sure about.”

He gave a small nod and walked back to his truck. Trent turned to Matt, readying himself for the inevitable reprimand. “Matt, I’m so sorry, I didn’t

mean to wreck the car, I swear I’ll make up for it somehow.” Matt slowly turned to Trent. There was a wild look in his eyes. Trent braced himself. “That. Was. AWESOME.” “Wait, what?” Trent said, confused. “Seriously, what a thrill!” Matt said, grinning widely. “I haven’t done anything that exciting

since, well, I don’t even know when!” “You’re not mad?” Trent asked, surprised. “No, I’m not mad at all,” Matt said. “Ricker might be, though. This really isn’t going to help my

reputation...I’ll take the heat, though, don’t worry. In the meantime,” he added, taking a cell phone out of his pocket, “I’d better call someone to come pick us up. I don’t like the idea of walking back to HQ.” Their ride arrived within a few minutes. Trent and Matt hopped into the car and their chauffeur took them back to the Solaris building. When they arrived, Matt asked the receptionist to get someone to take Trent to his room.

“Sure thing,” she said cheerfully. “Oh, and by the way, Mr. Schroeder, Mr. Ricker wanted to speak with you right away.”

Matt sighed. “I was afraid of that. Well, Trent, have a nice night. I’ll see you at the briefing tomorrow if Ricker doesn’t kill me.”

When Trent arrived at his room, he thanked the man who led him there and went inside. It looked like a typical hotel room. There was a bed, a TV, a desk, and a small bathroom. A small fridge sat in the corner. Trent opened it and found it full of snacks and beverages.

A handwritten note was lying on the desk. Trent read it. It was from Ricker.

“Trent, Sorry we couldn’t get you a nicer room. The suites are all on the sixth floor, which is temporarily closed due to a sudden electricity malfunction. Power should be back up tomorrow, I’ll try to get things sorted then. Meeting’s at nine in the conference room, don’t be late. See you in the morning, Matt Ricker”

Trent shrugged. A bed was a bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid down, and immediately fell asleep.

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CHAPTER XIV: THE QUEST

Trent awoke the next morning feeling completely refreshed. He took a shower, ate a few donuts from the fridge, and then headed out to explore the building. Trent went down to the first floor and asked the receptionist if there was anywhere in the building he could get something to eat. She directed him to the cafeteria on the second floor. Trent found that the cafeteria served free, all-you-can-eat buffets. The workers stared at him in shock as he loaded up three plates with sausage, eggs, pancakes, bacon, waffles, hash browns, and a number of other food items. After he’d had his fill, Trent wandered back out into the lobby on the first floor. Trent looked up at the large ornate clock hanging above the receptionist’s desk. It was five ‘til nine. Good timing. Trent took the elevator to the top floor and stepped out into the conference room. It was full of people, even more than during the meeting the day before. Ricker was sitting at the head of the table, conversing with the man next to him. Steve was sitting amongst a group of lab-coat wearing men, looking over some papers. Matt sat a few chairs down from them, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table. When he noticed Trent walk in, he smiled and shot Trent a quick two-fingered salute. Ricker, also noticing Trent’s entrance, stood up. “Ah, and here’s the man we’ve all been waiting for,” he said as the room quieted down. “Come in, Trent, there’s a chair here next to me. Alright, I think everyone’s here now? Great, let’s get started.” A silence fell over the room as everyone turned to look at Ricker, waiting for him to speak. “Well, as we all know by now,” he said happily, “this is a great day for Solaris. No, this is a great day for all the people of this realm. We have worked for eighteen long years to defeat the Darkness, and at last we have the key to victory. We have in our company a very special young man. Trent Haughn, the Chosen Hero of Light.” The room burst with applause. Ricker waited for it to die down before he resumed speaking. “Not only that,” he continued, “we have recently made a great discovery in the form of an ancient Solari acropolis. These are great triumphs for the Air Kingdom.” More applause. “Now, the translation team has finished decoding a very important text. A text that is the key to defeating the Darkness once and for all.” The room fell silent. Everyone, including Trent, was on the edge of their seat. “Steve, the floor is yours,” Ricker said, sitting down. Steve stood up. “It would seem,” he said, “that in order to defeat the Darkness, there are three important steps. First, we need the Chosen One. Fortunately, here he is. Second, however, we require four Solari artifacts spread across the Kingdoms. Only with the combined might of these objects can our young hero defeat the Darkness. Third, and finally, we must find a way into the Realm of Darkness, locate the Master of Darkness, and defeat him.” Trent knew what this meant. He was the hero. He had to find the artifacts. He had to defeat the Master of Darkness. “Unfortunately,” Steve continued, “the tablet gave very little description of the artifacts. What we do know, however, is enough to get us going. The first artifact is referred to as ‘The Heart of Death.’ The second is called ‘The Depths of Glass.’ The third, ‘Fortune’s Gift.’ And finally, the fourth artifact is said to be ‘The Hero’s Proof.’” “But what does it all mean?” Trent spoke up at last. “An excellent question,” Steve replied. “I believe each title refers to the location of the artifact. I’ve been working on possibilities all morning, and I believe I have the first one. In the center of the Fire

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Kingdom lies a volcano called ‘Death’s Peak.’ If my theory is correct, the first artifact rests in the heart of this volcano.” “And so, this is where we all come in,” Ricker said, getting to his feet again. “We’ll work on tracking down the Master of Evil. I need every possible entrance to the other Realm explored, and expect full reports on my desk ASAP.” The table burst with a explosion of activity. Men and women scrambled to pull out maps, research files, and charts covered with strange symbols Trent didn’t recognize. “As for you,” Ricker said, leaning toward Trent so he could be heard above the noise, “I need you to track down these artifacts. It will be difficult, I know. But we have faith in you. After all, you are the Chosen One. Will you accept this quest?” Trent was silent. All of this had happened so fast. He was just beginning to come to grips with the grim reality Steve had revealed to him days ago. A week ago he was just Trent, a boy with no worries except what to eat for dinner. Now, he was the Chosen One. He was supposed to save the world from this evil force he didn’t even know existed. Was it destiny? And if so, could he defy fate? Trent took a deep breath. “I’ll do it.” Ricker smiled and nodded. “I knew you would. Trent, I know you’ve been thrown into all of this very unexpectedly, but I know you’ll do fine.” “I won’t let you down, Ricker,” Trent said. “Well, I guess I’d better get going. Thanks for everything.” “Woah woah woah. Wait a minute,” Matt’s voice floated up from behind him as he placed a hand on Trent’s shoulder. “You don’t really think I’m gonna just let you leave like that, do you?” “Trent, this is your fight, but I would never ask you to do it alone,” Ricker said. “That’s why I’ve asked Matt to go with you.” “Really?” Trent said, turning to Matt. “Yeah, that’s what he wanted to talk to me about last night. Turns out he wasn’t too upset about the car,” Matt said with a smile. “And all of us here are supporting you, too,” Steve said as he joined Trent, Matt, and Ricker at the head of the table. “Matt, you’ve got my number. Call if you need anything. We’ll do whatever it takes to help you guys out.” “Well, you two,” Ricker said, “I don’t have much left to say. I don’t know what exactly you’ll be up against out there, but I know you can handle it. And just remember, you have allies even in the other kingdoms. You just have to find them.” “We’ll be fine, Ricker. After all, Trent’s got me to keep him in line,” Matt said jokingly. “And that’s what worries me,” Ricker said with a laugh. “Now go on, get out of here.”

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CHAPTER XV: INTO THE FIRE

“So, what’s the plan for getting into the Fire Kingdom?” Trent asked as he and Matt crossed the parking lot. “I dunno. I figured we’d just make it up as we went along,” Matt said, coming to a stop. “Here, this car’ll do. Ricker said not to let you drive anymore, though. Sorry.” Trent laughed and got into the passenger seat. “What do you think these artifacts are?” he asked as Matt pulled out onto the highway. “Beats me,” Matt said with a shrug. “Maybe some really powerful weapons? Or even, like, Darkness-proof armor or something. All I know is, if we need ‘em, we’re going to get them. I’ll do whatever it takes to defeat the Darkness.” Trent admired his determination. Even if Trent was uneasy about the whole saving-the-world thing, every other member of Solaris was confident that he was going to succeed. He was just going to have to give it everything he had. Trent looked out the window, taking in the city’s beauty one last time. “Y’know,” he said to Matt, “I really wish I could have gotten to see more of the Air Kingdom.” “I wish you had too,” Matt replied. “There’re so many awesome places I’d have liked to show you. But hey, maybe when this is all over we can come back and go on a cross-country trip.” There was that confidence again. When this was all over. When Trent defeated the Darkness. Trent clenched his hands into tight fists and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and then said, “Matt, I’m going to defeat the Master of Darkness.” Matt chuckled. “Well, yeah, that was the plan.” Trent didn’t mind the joke. It felt good to hear himself say it. It was reassuring. A few minutes later Matt brought the car to a stop outside a small building on the side of the road. A big sign outside the wide, dome-shaped complex read, “KLOUDNIEN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.” “Is this where the teleporter is?” Trent asked as he stepped out of the car. “Yup,” said Matt, doing the same. “When you got beamed up, you just came straight up from where you were on the ground. Going down, though, we have the ability to choose our destination.” Trent followed Matt into the building. The lobby was very clean. Almost TOO clean, Trent thought. He had been expecting a messy, dimly-lit laboratory filled with men in white coats carrying blueprints from computer to computer around a giant gate-like mechanism. It was almost disappointing how incorrect his sci-fi inspired assumption was. “Captain Matthew Schroeder of the Solaris defense team,” Matt said to the man at the front desk, flashing a badge as he did so. The man gave him a quick salute. “We were told you would be coming, sir,” he said. “Your pod is ready and waiting. Down the hall there, last door on the left.” Matt thanked him and led Trent down the long hallway. “I didn’t know you were a captain!” Trent said excitedly as they passed the first few doors. “Details,” Matt said offhand. “Don’t think you have to act any differently toward me. I’m still your friend, and expect to be treated as such.” Trent laughed. “You got it, Cap,” he said with a mock salute. Matt rolled his eyes as he came to a stop at the last door. “Well, here it is.” He opened the door. The room within was so small Trent could barely call it a room. It was more like a small closet. It consisted of a small computer next to a glass tube that took up most of the space. Matt tapped a few buttons on the computer and the front of the tube slid open like a door. “In we go,” he said, motioning to the tube. Trent stepped inside and Matt followed. It was a tight fit.

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“These really aren’t meant for more than one person,” Matt explained as the door slid shut again. “People really don’t go down very often, and never in large groups.” The computer began making a loud buzzing noise. “Here we go,” Matt said. “See you in twelve hours.” The buzzing grew even louder and there was a bright flash of light. The world turned into a swirling blur of colors and sounds as Trent felt his body falling. Suddenly he noticed himself becoming very tired. Looks like Matt wasn’t kidding about the twelve hours thing. Just as Trent closed his eyes there was another bright flash and everything stopped. He was standing in a grassy field, the setting sun glowing a bright orange-yellow overhead. A long mountain range loomed in the distance, its peaks obscured by a hazy ring of smog. “Hmm, we’re a bit off from where I intended us to land,” Matt said, shielding his eyes from the sun as he stared at the mountains. “That’s the Phlogiston Range,” he added. “It marks the border between the Air and Fire Kingdoms.” “So we have to cross it, right?” Trent asked. “Yeah. I hope you like climbing,” Matt said with a sigh. “And walking. We have a way to go before we even get there.” A few hours later the foothills of the mountain were drawing quite close. A narrow river split two of the hills, forming a small pool in the valley between them. “Great, I’m parched,” Trent said, noticing the water. As they approached the bank, though, they found that they weren’t alone. A short, bald man in ragged clothes was leaning over the pond. A pile of dead fish lay next to him. Suddenly his arm darted into the water, emerging with a wildly struggling fish. He smacked it against a rock and it immediately stopped moving. He looked at the dead fish with his big, yellow eyes and grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp, pointed teeth. “These will feed us for a week!” he squealed. His voice was like a high-pitched growl, almost more animal than human. “The Precious would be proud. Yes, very happy.” Suddenly a fish jumped out of the water in front of Trent. The man looked up when he heard the noise. Spotting Trent and Matt, he quickly stood up and threw the fish onto the pile behind him. “Oh! Hello, didn’t see you there,” he said. His voice was normal now and he spoke very calmly. “My name is Andrew Burwell, but you can call me AJ if you’d like. Can I help you?” “I’m Trent, and this is my partner Matt,” Trent said. “We’re trying to get into the Fire Kingdom. Do you happen to know any good paths through the mountains?” AJ nodded vigorously. “Of course, of course! But not through the mountains, we must go UNDER the mountains. There is a tunnel near here that leads to an abandoned mine. It takes you right into the Fire Kingdom, in a small cave no one but me knows about. I’ll show you the way!” He motioned for Trent and Matt to follow him, then grabbed the pile of fish and walked off toward the mountain. “Do you really think we can trust this guy?” Matt said quietly as they followed him. “Maybe,” Trent whispered back. “But it’s the best choice we have, and besides, if he tries anything funny, I think we can take him.” “It’s not him I’m worried about,” Matt said ominously. “It’s whatever he might be hiding in that mine.” “We’ll be fine,” Trent assured him. “You think so?” Matt asked skeptically. “Yeah.” “Alright. You’re the Chosen One.”

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CHAPTER XVI: ANGELS AND DEMONS

AJ led Trent and Matt to a small grouping of bushes at the foothill of the nearest mountain. He pushed them aside, revealing a flight of stone steps leading down deep into the earth. They began their descent. It was a very long staircase, and it took a good ten minutes to reach the bottom. Finally they emerged in a small, round chamber surrounding a wide stone door that stood at least ten feet high. The door was very decorated. Inscribed on its face was an ornate star surrounded by short, bearded men with pickaxes. On each side of the door stood a statue, a huge, marble angel almost as tall as the door itself. “Well, this doesn’t look so bad,” Trent said to Matt, who was inspecting the door. “Hmm...it says something here in the old dwarvish language,” Matt said, running his fingers across the door. “Can you translate?” Trent asked. “A little,” Matt said, eying the runes more closely. “The dwarvish language pretty much died out with the dwarves, and that was hundreds of years ago. But it takes root in Hylian, which is still used in some parts. Let’s see...well, that word is ‘mine,’ but we already knew it was a mine. Hmm...ok, that’s ‘earth,’ ‘stars,’ ‘beautiful’...I think it’s referring to the gems dug up here. Umm...” His voice trailed off as he looked over the rest of the text. “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” said AJ, dropping his pile of fish next to the door. “I take this way all the time. It’s fine.” “Yeah, calm down, Matt,” Trent said, pushing open the door. “Let’s go.” Inside was a wide hall with a high ceiling, full of statues of short, bearded men Trent assumed to be Dwarf Kings. Each wore a crown and held a jeweled battle axe in one hand, a large gem in the other. The tall ceiling was supported by countless stone pillars. “Try not to make a lot of noise,” AJ said in a low voice. “We don’t want to attract them.” “Them? Them who?” Matt hissed. “Trent, I knew this was a bad idea.” “Yeah, well, we’re already here, and besides, it’s our only way in. But AJ, I’m curious too. Who are ‘them?’” “Don’t worry about it, we’ll stay away from them,” AJ said nervously. “Shouldn’t have brought it up. Come on, this way.” As he said it he turned down a corridor on the left. They came out in a smaller room. This one looked like one of the main mining halls. Rough, chiseled walls traveled maze-like through the room. Gems sparkled brightly about five feet above them. They must have been too high for the dwarves to reach. Trent knew from the little dwarf history he’d been taught that they weren’t fond of heights, so they probably gave up on the taller gems instead of using ladders. AJ led them down tunnel after tunnel, mumbling directions to himself as he went. “Just a bit farther now...let’s see, right, left, right, another right...then two lefts. Or was it three? No, it’s two.” Eventually they emerged a vast canyon with a massive bridge spanning the mile-wide crevice. “The exit’s just on the other side,” AJ whispered as they began walking across. “Just don’t fall in.” Trent glanced over the edge. He couldn’t see the bottom of the pit. They were about halfway across when suddenly a large stalactite detached from the ceiling with a loud crack and came plummeting down on top of them. “WATCH OUT!” Trent yelled, grabbing Matt and AJ and diving forward. The rock crashed into the bridge right where they had just been standing. The sound of the impact echoed across the room, and was quickly joined by a cacophony of roars and the beating of drums. “NO! They heard us!” AJ screamed frantically. “Quickly, we must get out of here!”

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They ran as fast as they could, the noise growing louder and louder behind them. Trent quickly glanced behind him and saw nothing. “They should be here by now,” AJ said nervously. “Why are they staying away?” AJ’s question was answered by a sudden explosion of rock behind them. Up through the bridge crashed a hundred-foot body covered in flame. It reared back its horned head and let loose a roar that shook the room. It rose its arm, revealing a flaming whip, with which it was about to strike. “What the heck is that thing?!” Trent yelled as he drew his sword. “A Balrog!” Matt answered, drawing his own blades from the sheathes on his back. “A demon from the depths of Hell itself. We’re in for it now!” Trent did a double take when he saw Matt’s swords. They looked like musical instruments. The one he held in his right hand was golden, with a curved hilt that rounded off like the bell of a horn. The blade was covered in circular metal pads, and the tip was pointed and black. It looked like a cross-bred sword and saxophone. The other weapon looked like an elongated trumpet, with a blade that widened at the top and valve-like decorations on the hand guard. “I’ll leave this to you guys!” AJ screamed as he continued to run away down the bridge. The Balrog brought its whip crashing down upon them. Trent and Matt leapt backward as it tore through the stone beneath them. Trent fired a barrage of water spells at the burning monster. It screamed when each impacted, raising its arms for another assault. Matt preempted this strike with one of his own. He pointed the trumpet-like blade at the demon. A melodious sound filled the room as a powerful shockwave emitted from the sword, knocking the Balrog off balance, sending its whip hurdling down the pit to the side of the bridge. The stumbling monster grabbed the bridge to steady itself. Trent seized this opportunity and thrust his sword into the back of the Balrog’s hand. It howled in agony, then lunged its head forward and roared. A stream of white-hot flame erupted from its jaws. Trent leapt in front of Matt and focused his mind. He pulled a mass of Light from both of their bodies and surrounded the two of them in a shield of white energy. “Woah! I don’t know what you just did, but, man, did it work!” Matt remarked as the flames passed them by harmlessly. He leapt out from behind the magic shell and blasted the monster with a simultaneous blast from both horn-blades. The shockwave was so powerful that it knocked a group of stalactites off of the ceiling, crashing down on the beast’s head with a sickening crunch. The Balrog howled in anger, flames erupting all over its body. It grabbed the bridge and pulled itself up onto it. Trent and Matt inched backward as the monster drew near them. They were almost at the end of the bridge. “Any ideas?” Matt asked nervously. “Just one,” Trent answered. “I just hope it works.” Trent held his sword high above his head and yelled, “Demon! You shall not pass! Do you hear me? YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!” He thrust his sword into the stone in front of him and focused all the magic and Light he could muster through it. The rock broke away with a mighty crack, sending the Balrog hurtling down the pit. The room fell silent as the demon’s screams faded away. AJ slowly climbed out from the rock he was hiding behind and looked out over the now bridge-less canyon. “Well,” he said with a weak laugh, “I guess I’ll need to find a new way to get into the Fire Kingdom.”

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CHAPTER XVII: PARADISE CITY

Trent, Matt, and AJ ascended the stone staircase at the end of the hall. It seemed to be just as long as the one they had entered the mine from. “AJ, thanks for leading us here,” Trent said as they climbed. “I owe you one.” “Don’t worry about it,” AJ said offhand. “I’m sure you’ll repay me soon enough,” he added in a soft mumble. “What was that?” Matt asked. “Oh, nothing!” AJ said quickly. “Just, um, don’t worry about it. I’m glad to help.” Matt shot a look at Trent that clearly said “I-still-don’t-trust-this-guy,” but Trent shrugged him off. “AJ, I know you’ve taken us this far,” Trent said, ignoring Matt’s glare, “but could I ask you to lead us a little farther? We’re headed for Death’s Peak. Do you know a good way to get there?” AJ screwed up his face in a look of strained thought. “Death’s Peak...Death’s peak...yes, I think that will work nicely,” he said softly. “I’d be glad to take you there,” he added much more audibly. The air freshened with a gentle breeze as they neared the top of the stairs. Trent heard the roar of rushing water as he felt a cool mist against his face. They emerged in a small, cold cave, the entrance hidden by a wall of tumbling water. They were behind a waterfall. “So how do we get down?” Matt asked curiously as he peered over the edge. “We jump, of course,” AJ said bluntly. Matt shrugged. “Fair enough. Looks pretty deep. You jump first, though.” AJ chuckled. “What, do you think the bottom is full of sharp rocks or man-eating sharks or something? Alright, if it will make you feel better.” He turned to the wall of water, put his toes at the edge, and fell into a graceful swan dive, plummeting with a splash into the waves below. A few seconds passed and his head popped back up. “See? Nothing to worry about,” Trent said. He gave Matt a quick salute. “See you at the bottom.” Wind rushed against Trent’s face as he plunged toward the depths below. He landed in the cold froth and swam back to the surface. Matt splashed in next to him a second later. Trent turned to look at the shore behind him and was shocked by what he saw. Trent had expected the Fire Kingdom to be a desolate wasteland full of volcanoes and rivers of lava, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Before him stretched a beautiful beach, spanning for miles of white sand and lush palm trees. Vacationers sat at cabanas sipping fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them as a small band played calypso music at the amphitheater nearby. A jungle could be seen in the distance, and beyond that rose a lone volcano, smoke wafting gently from its peak. “Nice place for a swim,” Trent remarked as they climbed out onto the beach. “No time to relax, though,” Matt pointed out. “We’ve got work to do.” “Yes, the volcano,” AJ said. “We’ll have to cut through the jungle, it’s the fastest –“ He was interrupted by a sudden burst of screaming from the nearest cabana. Trent grabbed his sword and turned to the hut. A geyser of sand was erupting from the ground. A massive hand shot up from its base and grabbed the ground in front of it, followed by another. Then a tall, muscular man with some sort of device attached to his chest pulled himself up from the depths of the sand. AJ jumped back. “Oh! Well, what do we have here?” he said, a quiver of excitement in his voice. “People of the Fire Kingdom!” the man roared. “I am Sandman, and I claim this beach as mine. Who among you is man enough to challenge me for it?”

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“I am!” Trent said confidently as he charged toward Sandman. Trent plunged his sword into Sandman’s side, which, because he was so tall, was about at Trent’s eye level. Sandman looked down at him scornfully as sand gushed out of the wound. “Hahaha!” he laughed deeply. “What a pitiful attempt by a weak little man. Did you really think that’s all it would take?” As he said this he grabbed the blade and removed it from his body. The wound immediately vanished. A mass of sand rose from the ground and surrounded Sandman’s fists, giving the appearance of discolored boxing gloves. He swung a massive fist and a force like a charging rhino drilled into Trent’s stomach. Trent skid to a halt on his back in the sand, gasping for breath. Matt leapt over him, swords drawn, and slashed at Sandman in a flurry of dancing blades. Like Trent’s initial strike, each wound disappeared quickly, as though it had never even been there. Sandman laughed again and threw a punch at Matt’s head. Matt ducked, dropped one of his swords, and slammed a punch of his own into Sandman’s outstretched arm. But it was no normal punch – Matt’s fist glowed with magic electricity as it collided with Sandman’s. Sandman’s arm became encased in glass as the spell penetrated his sandy skin. Matt grabbed the crystal arm with both hands and threw his weight against it. Sandman grunted in pain as it snapped off at the shoulder. Matt threw the arm behind him. It landed in the sand next to Trent, who grabbed it and charged at the now one-armed giant, holding it above his head like a battering ram. Sandman’s former arm slammed into his head, knocking him into the sand with a sickening crunch. “That was a lucky shot,” he panted as he stumbled to his feet. A stream of sand crawled up his body and down his shoulder, reforming his arm. “Now, time to stop playing around.” Sandman plunged his arms into the sand beneath him. A swirling vortex of sand erupted from the ground, whipping up a fierce sandstorm. Trent’s body was pelted with flying sand. He stared into the whirlwind around him, searching for his foe, but couldn’t see past his own hands in front of him. “Matt, where is he?” he yelled. He was answered by a groan somewhere on his left. Trent turned to find the source and quickly let out one of his own as a giant fist rose from the ground and collided with the side of his head. Another hand rose up and grabbed his ankle, pulling him under the sand. Trent struggled against his captor’s grip as he was engulfed in darkness. Trent racked his brain for a solution as sand crept into his mouth and nose. He desperately cast a powerful water spell, surrounding himself in a bubble. Trent plunged his sword into the side of the bubble, popping it and spewing water all around him. Trent gasped for breath as he pulled himself out of the mud pool he had just created. “Matt, water!” he yelled as he jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding another hand. “His weakness is water!” Trent heard the sound of splashing and was hit with a sudden burst of water. Matt was casting spells in every direction, trying to find his target. Trent did the same. Sandman yelled and the sandstorm dissipated. As Trent’s vision returned, he found Sandman up to his chest in mud. One of their spells must have hit him in the legs. He clawed desperately at the sand in front of him, struggling to keep himself from slipping deeper into the pool. “You have not won yet!” Sandman roared furiously. “I will not die alone...thanks to this gift from my Master!”

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He pressed a button on the contraption on his chest. It lit up with a dark purple light and began beeping. “Nighty-night,” Sandman said devilishly as he ripped the machine off his chest and hurled it into the ocean. As he did he slipped into the puddle of mud and vanished. The beachgoers slowly emerged from the hiding spots they had taken when Sandman appeared. They looked around the wrecked beach, and seeing Sandman nowhere to be found, began cheering for Trent and Matt. They erupted into a great roar of applause. Trent smiled. “I could get used to this hero thing, I guess,” he said cheerfully. Matt stared at him in horror. “Trent, that device...it was a time bomb. A Darkness time bomb.” Trent felt the color drain from his face as a loud explosion echoed in the distance. A sphere of black energy rose from the sea, growing in size and speed as it charged toward the beach. Trent stared at the oncoming force in disbelief. He had failed. Sandman was a distraction. And now the innocent vacationers were doomed. “TRENT! We’ve got to get out of here!” Matt yelled, grabbing AJ from behind the bush he had been cowering under. “But all these people!” Trent groaned as the panicking beach patrons ran screaming around him. “We can’t help them now! Matt yelled, grabbing Trent’s arm. “COME ON!” “And leave them here to die?” Trent argued, staying rooted to the spot. “THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO!” Matt roared, forcing Trent off his feet. “We need to get out of here! I’m sad about these people too, but if we lose you everything will have been for nothing!” Trent knew the truth in his statement and reluctantly ran after Matt, who had AJ thrown over his shoulder. They charged across the road and headed toward the forest, the Darkness at their heels. “Keep running!” Matt yelled as AJ struggled to release himself from Matt’s grip. “It has to stop eventually!” “Running is futile!” AJ screamed. “Let me down! I accept my fate!” “No! You’re coming with us!” Matt yelled. “Just a little more-“ Suddenly a great tremor shook the ground, tearing a wide rift beneath them. The Darkness passed narrowly over them as they fell, preventing any light from entering the crevice. AJ screamed madly as they fell. “I told you to give up!” he squealed. “Now we are dead anyway!” They fell for longer than Trent had imagined possible. Hundreds of feet below, he slammed into the stone ground and lost consciousness.

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CHAPTER XVIII: A FRIEND LIKE ME

“Trent? Trent, you alright? Trent!” Trent awoke with a splitting headache. Matt was leaning over him, and AJ sat silently in the corner. Trent slowly sat up scanned the dark room around him. They had landed in a small, round chamber. It was completely empty and no doors or passageways. “Morning, princess,” Matt said with a grim smile. “Well, we escaped the Darkness, but now what?” “We get out of here, that’s what,” Trent said boldly. “We have to prevent that from ever happening again.” “Why are you fighting it?” AJ piped up, a twinge of anger in his voice. “There’s nothing you can do. Just give up.” “Shows what you know,” Matt said hotly, leaning against the wall behind him. “Once Trent gets the stuff we’re looking for, he’s going to – woah!“ Matt fell backward as the wall crumbled away, opening a doorway to another room. Trent stepped gingerly over the rubble to examine the new chamber, AJ slowly following him. Before him spread a vast underground lake. A stone path just above the water led to a pedestal on which sat a dusty old lamp. “Is that it? The thing we’re looking for?” Trent asked hopefully. “Doubtful,” Matt answered, getting back to his feet. “We’re nowhere near the volcano.” “Well, I’m gonna check it out anyway,” Trent said defiantly, taking a step down the stone path. “What if it’s a trap?” AJ said. He seemed almost more excited than nervous. “Relax, what’s the worst that could happen?” Trent responded, stopping at the pedestal. He grabbed the lamp with both hands and lifted it off the stand. Nothing happened. Trent turned back to Matt and AJ. “See? I told you it was fine,” he said, starting back down the path. Suddenly the room began to shake violently. A huge chunk of rock crashed down from the ceiling over the lake, landing with a splash in the water. Out from the hole it left erupted a stream of molten lava. There was a loud hissing and steam filled the room as the magma mixed with the cold water below. Three more rivers of liquid flame poured out into the lake as the tremor continued. Trent dashed forward, running for the shore as fast as his legs would allow as pillars of fire fell from the ceiling around him. As he neared the water’s edge, the stone below him suddenly crumbled. Trent felt a strong hand grab his arm as he plunged into the lake, pulling him back onto the shore. Matt pulled Trent to his feet and yelled, “Let’s get out of here!” They turned to exit the room and heard a loud crash as the ceiling collapsed in front of them, blocking up the doorway. Lava spewed out and began to flow toward them. “What do we do, Trent?” Matt asked, backing away from the approaching magma. “What can we do?” AJ exclaimed frantically. “We’re trapped!” Trent glanced down at the lamp in his hand. If this thing had any hidden powers, he thought, now was the time to show it. Looking closer, Trent spotted some writing on the side of the lamp, partially obstructed by a thick layer of dust. He rubbed it off. Suddenly the lamp glowed a bright gold a billowing blue smoke erupted from its spout. It materialized into a chubby, blue man with a short, black ponytail and matching goatee. He had earrings and golden bands around his wrists, and below his torso his body became a whispy tail that remained attached to the lamp. “Master!” he boomed, his voice echoing throughout the room, “You have summoned the Genie of the Lamp!”

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He looked around the room and let out a yelp. “Looks like I’m just in time! Quick, kid, make a wish!” “I wish we were somewhere else!” Trent blurted out desperately. “It’s vague, but it’ll work!” the Genie declared. He grabbed Trent, Matt, and AJ, and they vanished in a puff of smoke. They reappeared in a room much like the one they had first fell into. The Genie looked down at Trent, who was on his knees, panting heavily, heart racing from the near-death experience. “Man, that was a close one!” the Genie said excitedly, grabbing Trent with a large hand and pulling him to his feet. “Now, where was I? Let’s see...oh! I remember. Ok, so, since you rubbed the lamp, that makes you my master, kid.” “Really?” Trent said in disbelief, pulling Matt to his feet in the same fashion. “Really really,” the Genie replied. “What’s your name, master?” “Trent Haughn,” Trent answered. “So what exactly does having a Genie do for me?” “That’s the best part,” the Genie explained. “I’ll grant you three wishes. Well, two, since you kinda just used one. Sorry.” “And he can wish for ANYTHING?” Matt asked hopefully. “Well, almost,” the Genie admitted. “There are a few rules. I can’t kill anyone, I can’t make people fall in love, and I can’t bring people back from the dead. Oh, and don’t try any of that wishing for more wishes stuff.” AJ’s eyes lit up. “Trent, I know what to wish for! Wish for fish! Lots of fish!” Trent glared at him. “AJ, I only get two wishes. I’m not wasting one on fish.” AJ looked offended. “Wasting? WASTING? Clearly you don’t understand the greatness of fish.” Trent rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Now let me think.” “Oh, I’ve got it!” AJ said again. “Wish for something ridiculous, like, umm...a whistle that summons dinosaurs when you blow it!” “What the heck is your problem?” Matt said, smacking him upside the head. “Pipe down and let him think!” “Alright, I’ve got it,” Trent said. “I wish for-“ “A fancy hat!” AJ blurted out. “Wish me a fancy hat!” “AJ, I WISH YOU WOULD SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE!” Trent roared angrily. The Genie snapped his fingers and AJ fell silent, his eyes wide as he mouthed words soundlessly. “Shoot. That wasn’t supposed to be an actual wish,” Trent said regretfully. “But at least now I can think. Is that permanent?” he added, looking at AJ. “It’ll wear off eventually,” the Genie said. “Um, I think. After all, you DID say ‘a minute.’ Anyway, have you decided what to wish for?” “Well, I was going to wish for some important artifacts that we’re searching for. But now I only have one wish left, and even if I got those things, we’d still be stuck down here,” Trent said sadly. “That is a problem,” the Genie said emphatically. “If I can’t get these objects for you, maybe I can at least get you close to them?” “Hmmm...he could send us to the volcano,” Matt offered. “I guess that’s a start,” Trent admitted. “Genie, I wish my companions and I were at Death’s Peak.” “Alright, one one-way trip to the volcano coming up!” the Genie replied, cracking his knuckles. “Please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all time...BOMBS AWAY!” There was a flash of light and Trent, Matt, and AJ vanished in a puff of smoke.

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CHAPTER XIX: AJ’S SECRET

Trent blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the dim, red light. Looking around, he found himself atop an island of rock in the center of a wide pool of lava. A light steam hung in the air around him. Looking up, he saw the tall sides of the volcano’s crater rising above him. They were in the heart of the volcano. Before them loomed a great temple similar to the one Trent had found the sword in so long ago. “This must be it. It has to be in here,” he said. “Well, let’s hurry up and get it, then,” Matt said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “I’m burning up in here.” “Alright, let’s go,” Trent said, taking a step toward the temple’s entrance. He was stopped by a sudden shriek behind him. Trent spun around to find AJ on all fours, snarling angrily. His yellow eyes flashed menacingly and his pointed teeth were bared. “How have they survived this long, precious?” he said in the same high-pitched growl he used when they first saw him. “We were supposed to get them killed,” he spat angrily, “but we failed...the precious will not be pleased. No, we will not let them go any farther.” He began pacing, eyes still on Trent. Matt drew his swords. “I knew he wasn’t to be trusted,” Matt said darkly. “He’s nothing more than a servant of the Darkness, easily enslaved by a weak mind and heart. But a trapped animal is the most dangerous...get ready.” Trent drew his sword. “AJ, don’t make us hurt you. We can help, if you’ll just join us-“ “NO!” AJ screamed, lunging at Trent. He was incredibly fast. Before Trent even had time to think of defending himself, he was on his back, AJ crouched over him and clawing at his chest. Matt grabbed AJ by the neck and pinned him to the ground. He took both his blades in his free hand and drove their hilts into AJ’s face with incredible force. There was a sickening crunch and a blood-curdling scream pierced the sky. AJ threw Matt off of him and stood up. His nose was out of place and oozing blood all over his face. AJ hurtled toward Matt with intense speed. He opened his jaws wide and brought them crashing down on Matt’s forearm. Matt yelled in pain and punched AJ’s already bleeding face, but he refused to let go. The two began wrestling furiously, rolling across the ground toward the lava. When they reached the edge of the lake of fire, Matt had freed his arm and had both hands around AJ’s throat. He stood up, dangling AJ’s small body over the ocean of lava. AJ clawed frantically at Matt’s hands, trying desperately to free himself. “Oh, you want me to let go?” Matt taunted. “Fair enough.” He released his grip and AJ fell toward the boiling pit. AJ screamed as he fell, landing with a molten splash in the fiery depths. “What a terrible way to die,” Trent said, rising to his feet. “He brought it on himself,” Matt said smugly. “You alright?” “Yeah, I’m ok. Come on, let’s get that-“ Suddenly the lava splashed again as AJ’s body was hurled out of the pit, landing with a crunch on the rock. He was surrounded by a dark aura and appeared to be unharmed. He staggered to his feet, shaking violently. “W-what?” he said, confused. “We are alive...WE ARE ALIVE! The precious has given us another chance...NOW WE ARE INVINCIBLE!” He charged toward Matt, who rushed to defend himself but was too late. AJ slammed into him, sending him flying, landing with a smack on the rock just inches away from the lava. Then he turned and aimed at Trent. Trent threw out his hand and caught AJ’s still-bloody face. He closed his eyes and focused all his Light through his arm. AJ screamed. “What is it doing? HELP US, PRECIOUS!”

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Trent opened his eyes and unleashed the Light in a powerful blast. The dark aura surrounding AJ vanished, and, a second later, so did AJ. Trent fell to his knees, leaning on his sword to keep himself up. “What the hell did you just do?” Matt asked, shocked, as he climbed to his feet. “I think I just warped him somewhere,” Trent responded, unsure. “I didn’t really think about it, I just sort of...did it.” Matt shrugged. “Well, it worked. Now can we just get this artifact and go already? I think I’m burnt in places I didn’t even know I had.” “Yeah, let’s go,” Trent replied, making for the temple.

47

CHAPTER XX: THE SHIELD

A soft red light filled Trent’s sight as he and Matt entered the temple. Around the walls stood statues of armored men with swords. In the middle of the hall was a lone pedestal, atop which floated a shield, held aloft by some unseen force. It was made of a brilliant red metal, plated in the front with gold, which had ancient runes inscribed within it. Matt stepped forward and inspected the shield, walking all the way around the pedestal and stopping to read the inscription. “What’s it say?” Trent inquired curiously as Matt murmured quietly to himself. “No clue,” Matt replied. “It’s written in Solari. I can read, like, three words in that language.” “Oh. Well it’s probably not important,” Trent suggested, stepping forward. “This is obviously what we came here for.” He grabbed the shield in both hands. It was warm. Trent lifted it carefully from its resting place and attached it to his left arm. It was much lighter than it looked. Trent could barely tell it was even there. “Matt, attack me,” Trent said suddenly. “I’ve gotta see what this thing can do.” Matt shrugged. “You asked for it.” He drew his saxophone-sword and dove at Trent. Trent hurled the shield with all his might against the oncoming weapon. When it made contact, there was a bright flash of red light and Matt’s sword flew out of his hand, landing with a clang on the other side of the room. Matt whistled. “That’s no ordinary shield. I didn’t even leave a-“ He was cut off by Trent’s counterattack as the shield slammed into his chest. Matt flew across the room, landing with a thud next to his sword. “Cheap...shot...” Matt wheezed as he struggled to his feet, clutching his chest. “Don’t...do that...again.” Trent laughed. “Oh, relax. I didn’t hit you that hard.” “Seriously? I’d hate to see you swing that thing at full power, then,” Matt said after catching his breath, “’cause I’m pretty sure I’m nursing a few cracked ribs here.” “Oh. Sorry,” Trent said sincerely. “I guess this thing must augment my strength. I really thought I didn’t hit you very hard.” “I guess so,” Matt said, getting to his feet. “And I’ll feel a lot better about that when someone else is on the receiving end of that thing. Now let’s get out of here, we’ve got three more artifacts to find.” “Sorry,” Trent said again. “Yeah, let’s go.” They walked back outside and Trent looked up at the mouth of the volcano. It was at least a mile up. “So how do you suppose we get out of here?” Trent asked. “I...don’t know,” Matt said worriedly, searching the walls of the volcano. “I really don’t know.” Trent sat down on the warm rock. “Just our luck. We get one of the objects that will help me beat the Darkness, and now we’re stuck.” Matt sat down next to him. “Yeah. The Solari didn’t think this through very well,” he agreed, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. “Can we just call for a private jet to come get us or something?” Trent asked. Matt shook his head. “No service. Figures.” He put the phone back in his pocket. “Too bad I can’t teleport.”

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“Yeah, that would be a lifesaver,” Trent admitted. “Which reminds me. Why didn’t someone just warp us here in the first place? That would have saved us a lot of trouble.” “It’s not that simple,” Matt explained. “Steve told me once that you can only teleport somewhere you’ve actually been to before. No one could have gotten us here. And besides, there are very few people who can do multi-person teleports.” “Do you know any?” Trent asked curiously. “Two, actually,” Matt replied. “One is a friend of mine living in the Water Kingdom. We might pay him a visit if our quest takes us there. The other is a man by the name of Albus Dumbledore. But no one’s heard from him in years.” “Really? I just met him a few weeks ago,” Trent said, surprised. “Whaaat? When? Where? Where is he now?” Matt said, eyes wide. “Sheesh, calm down,” Trent said, taken back by his sudden energy. “It was on the Midnight Train, on the way to Anywhere. And, um, Matt, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...he’s dead now. He died helping me fight a madman who had hijacked the train.” Matt stared down at his feet. “Oh. That’s too bad, he was a great man. Did you know he used to be a member of the Protectorate?” “That group of mages?” Trent asked. “The ones that lifted the Air Kingdom off the ground?” “Yeah. He was one of the most powerful members,” Matt said. “Until they kicked him out.” “What? Why did they do that?” Trent asked, surprised. “No one knows. They said that he had ‘compromised the safety of the kingdom.’ The other six members stripped him of his title and banished him from the kingdom. Even King Scorpio agreed to it.” Trent couldn’t believe it. Dumbledore had seemed like such a nice old man. Could he really have done something so terrible that he got kicked out of the Air Kingdom? “Personally, I think it was some sort of conspiracy,” Matt continued. “I’d known Dumbledore when I was little, and he would never do anything to endanger our people. The rest of the Protectorate are a little...well, to be honest, power-hungry. I bet Dumbledore was standing in the way of something important they wanted, so they fed King Scorpio some lie and got him banished.” Trent looked out over the sea of lava, contemplating Matt’s theory. It was bubbling strangely. Suddenly a tremor shook the rock they sat on. “Matt, is this volcano still active?” Trent asked nervously. “I don’t think so,” Matt said. Trent caught a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Another tremor. “What if it is?” Trent pressed. “Then we’re in for a bumpy ride,” Matt said. It happened in an instant. The volcano erupted, sending rocks and lava flying. The rising magma propelled the rock island Trent and Matt sat on up and out of the mouth of the volcano. As they flew through the air, Trent could see the Fire Kingdom passing below them. Behind him loomed the volcano, and in the distance beyond he could make out the wrecked remains of the ill-fated beach they had landed on earlier that day. Trent felt a pang of guilt as he thought of all the innocent lives that had been lost. They sailed on over miles of untamed jungle before passing over another beach and landing with a splash in the ocean, far away from the shoreline. Trent gasped for breath as he rose to the surface. Matt was treading water next to him. “I guess we picked a good place to land,” he said, pointing above them. Trent looked up. Directly in front of them towered a great ship, a galleon with tall sails, beautifully decorated. A tall redhead with glasses leaned over the side of the ship. Judging by his suit and hat, he was the ship’s captain.

49

“Ahoy, mates!” he called down, tossing a ladder over the side of the ship. “Did you really just come from the volcano?” “We did,” Matt called up. “Hard to believe we’re not dead.” “Hard to believe you’re not insane, being inside an active volcano in the first place,” the captain pointed out. “But enough about that. Climb aboard, boys, welcome to the White Pearl, humble vessel of yours truly, Captain Kurt Westhoven.”

50

CHAPTER XXI: PIRATES?

Trent stepped off of the ladder and onto the main deck and was thoroughly confused by what he saw. Muscular men with tattoos and eyepatches tended the sails, swabbed the deck, and performed other such tasks of ship maintenance. But that wasn’t the weird part. On the far side of the sprawling ship was a swimming pool, filled with lounging guests and surrounded by sunbathers on deck chairs. Beyond that were a fenced-in tennis court and a small kiosk that appeared to be serving refreshments. “Captain Westhoven, if you don’t me asking,” Trent said, “what exactly is this ship?” “Please, call me Kurt,” the captain insisted. “The White Pearl is one of five ships that make up Seasalt Cruise Lines,” he explained. “It’s a luxury cruise ship decorated like an old-fashioned pirate ship. The crew all dress and act like swarthy sea-dogs, and we even hold mock battles with other ships at scheduled times. It’s great fun.” “Sounds like it,” Matt agreed. “I could have sworn this was actually a pirate ship before we got on board.” “Fact. It’s pretty legit, huh?” Kurt said proudly. “But it’s all on the surface. Belowdecks everything is just what you’d expect from a cruise ship. Which reminds me, you’re in luck. We had a guest cancel just before we shoved off, so there’s an extra room. You guys can stay there.” “Thanks for the offer,” Trent said, “but we don’t have any money.” Kurt shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll find some way to repay me,” he added with a laugh. “Fair enough,” Matt accepted. “So, where are we headed?” “Well, the cruise is a week-long trip from Kiwi Beach in the Fire Kingdom to Port Royal in the Water Kingdom,” Kurt explained. “We’re only a couple days in, so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy your stay.” “Can we really afford to take a vacation like this?” Trent asked Matt. “We need to find the other artifacts.” “We don’t have much of a choice,” Matt admitted. “We’re in the middle of the ocean, and besides, we’re not even sure where the next artifact is. We may as well relax while we can.” “That’s the spirit,” Kurt interrupted. He whistled and called over the nearest deck hand. “Take our new guests to room A108,” he said, removing a key from his pocket and tossing it to the rough man. The sailor nodded. “This way, gents,” he grunted. “Feel free to explore the ship,” Kurt called after them. “And most importantly, enjoy your stay!” The “pirate” led Trent and Matt to their room, three floors under the main deck. As they walked past restaurants, gyms, and even a dance club, Trent realized that Kurt hadn’t been joking about the pirate theme only being on the surface. When they reached the door marked A108, their guide handed Trent the room key and walked back up to the deck. “Well, shall we explore?” Trent asked, slipping the key into his pocket. “Yeah. I’m starving, let’s find somewhere to eat,” Matt said, rubbing his stomach. They walked down the hallway and came to a dining lounge with a big sign outside that read: “THE YELLOW SUBMAIRNE: The Best Sandwich Shop on the High Seas!” “Probably the ONLY sandwich shop on the high seas,” Matt pointed out. They walked in and sat down at the nearest booth. A waitress brought them their menus. Trent browsed his absentmindedly, paying more attention to the night’s musical entertainment. Up on the stage a man with a guitar sat on a barstool, playing and singing for the audience. He had long, dark hair and nimble fingers that danced across the strings with ease.

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“This guy’s really good,” Trent said to the waitress, who was setting down a glass of limeade in front of him. “He sure is,” she said, taking out a pen and a pad of paper. “Mr. Cheeseman is one of the biggest attractions on this ship. Ready to order?” Matt’s eyes lit up at the waitress’s words. He looked up at the man on stage and a smile came to his lips, but he said nothing. Trent and Matt placed their orders and the waitress walked back to the kitchen. A few minutes later she brought out their food. The sign was right, it was amazing. As Trent finished eating, Cheeseman ended his last song and took the microphone. “Well, that’s it for tonight,” he said, standing up as the applause died down. “You’ve been a wonderful audience. Tomorrow at four o’clock I’ll be playing on the main deck, don’t miss it.” Most of the guests began to leave. “Here’s our chance, come on,” Matt said, standing suddenly. He walked toward the stage and called out to the singer. “Cheeseman! Hey, Matt Cheeseman, is that really you?” Cheeseman, who was just about to walk backstage, stopped and turned around. He looked at Matt curiously for a moment and then a look of realization popped onto his face. “Matt Schroeder?” he said slowly as the name came back to him. Matt nodded vigorously. “Woah, man, I haven’t seen you in years.” “Not since you left Solaris,” Matt acknowledged. “So this is what you’ve been doing since then, huh? Pretty sweet gig, I must say.” “Yeah, it’s not bad. I get to play every night, and hey, free meals,” Cheeseman said simply. “What about you? Still fighting the good fight?” “Yep. In fact, you’ll never guess who I have here,” Matt said, pointing to Trent. Cheeseman studied him carefully. His eyes fell on the sword at his side. “Did you finally find the Chosen One?” he guessed. “That’s right,” Matt said proudly. “Right now we’re on a mission to find four artifacts that Trent needs to defeat the Master of Darkness.” “Well, best of luck,” Cheeseman said. “You guys here all week? Guess I’ll see you around.” He turned to leave backstage. “Wait!” Matt said. “You don’t want to come with us?” Cheeseman sighed. “I had a feeling this would turn into a re-recruitment. No, Matt, I won’t join you. I made it clear when I left that I wasn’t coming back. I’m sorry.” Matt shook his head as Cheeseman left. “What a shame. He could help us so much. Come on, let’s go back to the room,” he added, turning to Trent. “I’m exhausted.” “Matt, why did Cheeseman leave Solaris in the first place?” Trent inquired as they walked back to the room. “He just couldn’t deal with the stress,” Matt explained. “Cheeseman was working in one of the most dangerous branches of Solaris. You see, a long time ago, before I had even joined the organization, Solaris obtained a large store of Darkness-based weaponry. Guns, bombs, even a few lasers. It was the result of some intricate espionage mission, I think, but that’s beside the point. Cheeseman was on a team devoted to disassembling the weaponry to find out how it worked. The goal was to ultimately design our own Light-based weaponry.” “Why was that so dangerous?” Trent asked as they reached their room. “You have to realize, they were working with an extremely volatile substance,” Matt explained as Trent turned the key and unlocked the door. “Pure undiluted Darkness. Many researchers lost their lives in their work. Entire labs had to be torn down because of the damage from some of the accidents. Cheeseman narrowly survived such disasters more than once. I’m sure it finally became too much for him.”

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“So he quit? Didn’t ask to be moved to a different branch or anything? Just quit?” Trent asked as they entered the suite. “Yeah. We did everything we could to make him stay,” Matt said, kicking off his shoes and flopping onto the sofa. “Offered him promotions, pay raises, Ricker even told him he could take a year-long paid vacation. But he wouldn’t change his mind. He left, and, until now, no one has seen him since.” “Wow. That’s too bad,” Trent said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and taking a seat on the couch as well as Matt flicked on the TV. They sat in silence for a few moments before Trent spoke again. “So where do you suppose we find the next artifact?” he asked. “Well, let’s see,” Matt said, thinking. “The other three are called ‘The Depths of Glass,’ ‘Fortune’s Gift,’ and ‘The Hero’s proof.’ Hmm...where could those be referring to?” Trent contemplated for a moment. “I lived in a small town called Fortune Hills,” he said suddenly. “You think we might find a ‘Gift’ there?” “Maybe,” Matt said, unsure. “After all, the Solari lived hundreds of years ago, I don’t know if your town existed back then.” “Oh. True,” Trent said, disappointed by his failed theory. Matt closed his eyes and stroked his chin. “I feel like I should know the ‘Depths of Glass’ one. There’s something about the word ‘Glass’...but I can’t for the life of me remember why it’s important.” They sat in thought for a while. “Well, I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually,” Trent said at last. “For now, let’s get some sleep.”

53

CHAPTER XXII: PIRATES!

Trent awoke at sunrise. He rolled over and noticed Matt still passed out on the couch. Trent got out of bed, dressed, and he went up to the main deck to see if anyone else was up. Kurt’s men were hard at work as usual, but no guests were to be found. Trent walked to the side of the ship and leaned over the railing. The blue waves below rocked rhythmically, crashing gently on the ship’s hull. Trent closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The salty sea air filled his lungs. It felt good. For the first time in a long while, Trent felt he could relax. Too bad the feeling would only last a few more days, he though. Looking up, Trent spotted Kurt standing at the front of the ship, a telescope to his eye. Trent climbed the wooden steps leading to the prow and leaned against the railing near where the captain was standing. “Morning, cap’n,” Trent said lazily. “What’cha lookin’ at?” “Oh, hello, Trent,” Kurt said distractedly. “You sleep well?” “I slept great, thanks for asking,” Trent replied. “That’s good,” Kurt said. “We’ve got a battle with the Green Pearl scheduled for later this morning, but I don’t see it anywhere. I’m worried it might be late, that’s all.” “Oh, cool!” Trent said excitedly. “I was hoping I’d get to see a fight.” “Yeah, should be fun,” Kurt said, still looking out to sea. “If they show up, that is,” he added under his breath. “Well, I’m gonna go get some breakfast,” Trent said, stomach growling. “See you around, Captain.” Trent turned to leave but stopped when he heard a crackling sound coming from Kurt’s pants. Kurt reached into his pocket and took out a radio receiver. “This is Captain Kurt Westhoven of the White Pearl. Say again, over.” A voice crackled back over the speaker. “Kurt this is Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. Do you read me, over?” came a lazy voice with a crisp British accent. “I read you loud and clear, Jack,” Kurt replied. “What’s up?” “Kurt, I don’t expect you’ll be seein’ the Green today,” Jack’s voice answered. “Why’s that?” Kurt asked. He sounded worried. “She’s sunk, mate.” “What?! Is everyone ok? What happened?” Kurt asked frantically. “Calm down mate, everyone’s fine,” Jack’s smooth voice assured him. “Got ‘em all onto my ship. It’s pretty tight, but we’re ok.” “That’s a relief,” Kurt said, taking a deep breath. “But what happened?” “Pirates,” Jack said simply. “You don’t mean...real pirates, do you?” Kurt asked slowly. “Aye.” Kurt swore loudly. Hearing the noise, the deck hands turned to see what was going on. As they gathered around, Kurt spoke back into the radio. “Which way are they headed?” he asked solemnly. Trent had a feeling he knew the answer. “”Twenty-seven degrees west of north...straight toward you, mate,” Jack answered. “I see,” Kurt said emotionlessly. “Thanks for the heads-up, Jack.” “You want I should come lend a hand?” Jack asked. “No. Get the passengers to safety,” Kurt replied. “We can handle ourselves.” “Fair enough. Jack Sparrow, over and out.” Kurt looked around at his men as the radio clicked off. “Well, I suppose you all heard that.”

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“What are we gonna do, Cap’n?” one of them asked. “We’re going to fight, that’s what!” Kurt said with a sudden fierceness. “This is OUR ship, mates. And we’ll defend it to the bitter end!” The men roared in agreement. “Biggs! Get the ammo out of the storeroom,” Kurt said to a man on his left. “No blanks today, mates. We don’t have a lot of live rounds, though, so we’ll need to ration carefully. Winch, there’s cannonballs and gunpowder down there too. Gather a crew and get them brought up as well.” “Aye aye, captain!” yelled Biggs and Winch as they ran down to the storeroom. “As for the rest of you,” Kurt said, eyes flashing, “take your battlestations. And remember, the guests are to believe this is all part of the show. Make sure everyone knows that! We don’t want to start a panic. Trent!” he said, turning to himself suddenly, “I see you’ve got a sword. You any good with it?” “I like to think so. I’m not bad with magic, either,” Trent said humbly. “Excellent! And your partner?” Kurt said excitedly. “Matt? Yeah, he’s good too.” “Great, the more the merrier,” Kurt said. “Go let Matt know the situation and come back up here when you two get prepared for battle.” “Aye aye!” Trent said with a salute. He ran down to his room and threw open the door. “Matt was getting dressed. “What’s the emergency, chief?” he said with a laugh as he pulled his shirt on. Trent explained. “I see,” Matt said seriously after Trent finished. “C’mon, I know someone who can help us.” They ran down the hall to the lobby. “Excuse me,” Matt said to the receptionist, “can you tell me which room Matt Cheeseman is in? It’s important.” She checked her computer. “Mr. Cheeseman is in room E317, four floors down. I don’t know if you’ll find him there, though, he’s a very busy man.” “Thanks for the tip,” Matt said. “Let’s go, Trent!” They ran down to floor E and found the door. Matt knocked loudly. “Alright, alright!” came a muffled voice from within. A lock clicked and the door swung open. “Oh, hey guys. What’s up?” Cheeseman said sleepily. He was in pajamas and his hair was askew. “Cheese, we’re going to be attacked by pirates,” Matt explained. “Real pirates. We need your help.” Cheeseman sighed. “You’re not going to give up on this helping you thing, huh? Alright, gimme a minute to change.” He closed the door. “Is Cheeseman a good fighter?” Trent asked curiously. “You’d better believe it,” Matt said. “Is he a swordsman, too?” “No, he – you know what, I’ll let you see for yourself,” Matt said cryptically. The door opened a minute later. Cheeseman was dressed and had a guitar in his hand. It was a bright blue, covered with silver runes. The strings were most curious. Instead of metal of nylon, they appeared to be composed of a mysterious dark blue liquid, held together by some powerful magic force. “Boy, I haven’t used this thing for a long time,” Cheeseman said, turning it over in his hands. “I forgot how good it felt.” “Well, you’ll have time to reminisce later,” Matt said. “Let’s get up to the deck. After all, you promised your fans a show today.”

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When they reached the top of the stairs they found that many of the guests were now up and wandering the deck or lazing in the pool. Little did they know, they were in for the show of a lifetime. Trent, Matt, and Cheeseman ran to the captain’s quarters and found Kurt looking over a sea map that was sprawled across his desk. He looked up when they entered. “Good, you’re here,” he said. “Mr. Cheeseman, you too? I didn’t know you were a fighter.” “I surprise even myself sometimes, captain,” Cheeseman said. “Well, either way, glad to have you on board. They should be here any minute,” Kurt said, standing up. “They should be here any minute. We’ve got to be ready.” They went out onto the deck and stood at the prow. Trent noticed that Kurt’s men were placed all over the boat, guns and swords in hand, waiting. Kurt took his telescope and searched the horizon. “I don’t get it,” he said, confused. “They should be here by now, but I don’t see any sign of them.” He put down the telescope and leaned over the railing. “Where are they?” His question was answered by a sudden violent shaking that almost threw him overboard. Directly in front of them, the ocean began to froth and bubble, large geysers erupting from the sea. Suddenly a ship’s mast pierced the water’s surface and rose to full height. Three more masts followed. Then the prow. The main deck. Finally an entire ship floated beside them. How it stayed afloat was a mystery to Trent. The hull was full of holes, barnacles clung to its sides, and a wide gash tore through the front of the prow, making it look like a gaping mouth, ready to swallow up anything in its way. A man walked to the edge and leaned over the railing. If you could call him a man, that is. His head looked more like an octopus than a human head. The locks of his hair were actually tentacles, he had two small slits for a nose, and he beady eyes scanned over the Pearl, darting to and fro. He had one peg leg and a hook on one hand. The other arm was a giant crab claw. The ship’s crew began popping up, and Trent found them similarly constructed. Some had heads like sharks, some like crustaceans, some had claws while others had long, slimy tentacles in place of arms. The octopus-man called out to the Pearl. “White Pearl!” he shouted. There was a strange gurgling sound when he talked. “Surrender now, or be destroyed!” “Who are you, to make such demands?” Kurt yelled back. “Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman! Terror of the high seas!” he howled. “Be that as it may!” Kurt responded. “I, Captain Kurt Westhoven, shall not surrender! To arms, men!”

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CHAPTER XXIII: DEAD MAN’S CHEST

The crew leapt to action, firing unmercifully at the Flying Dutchman. Unfortunately, only a very few found their targets. The antique muskets were designed for show, not for accuracy. But the Dutchman had bigger plans than bullets. The windows on the side of the hull flew open, and out of each emerged a long, hollow barrel. “Trent!” Kurt called from the prow, “find a way to stop those cannons! If they get a shot off, we’re sunk!” But his warning came too late. There was a loud bang and the smell of gunpowder filled the air as two cannonballs hurtled toward the Pearl. Screams of terror broke out as the ship shook violently. Trent leaned over the side to see a large dent in the Pearl’s side. The hull had survived the blast, but surely it couldn’t take many more. “Trent! The shield!” Matt yelled from across the ship. Trent looked down at the red metal on his arm and instantly knew what Matt was thinking. He jumped over the railing, shield held out in front of him.

The timing was perfect. The next cannon fired just as Trent fell past it. The ball ricocheted off his shield and smashed into the Dutchman, tearing a massive hole in its side.

Trent landed with a splash in the water below. As he resurfaced he saw Matt diving over the side of the Pearl and through the hole created by the cannon’s misfire. The sound of steel on steel rang through the air as the blasts stopped. Matt was distracting the cannon operators.

Suddenly the water underneath Trent erupted in a powerful geyser, which sprayed him into the air, landing with a thud back on the Pearl. Trent looked up to see Cheeseman in front of him, playing a tune on his guitar. When he stopped, the geyser vanished. “Did you do that?” Trent asked in wonder as he jumped to his feet. Cheeseman nodded proudly. “This is no ordinary guitar,” he explained. “Any song I play produces a unique magical effect. That one controls water.”

“Useful,” Trent said, turning back to the railing. The Dutchman had pulled closer and its crew was laying planks. They were going to board.

Trent jumped over the railing, landing with a crash on board the Dutchman. He quickly jumped up and began slashing furiously at the pirates about him. The fishmen seemed to be made of a tougher stuff that normal skin and bones. Not so much a problem for Trent’s sword, but he guessed that it would mean trouble for the rest of Kurt’s crew.

The sailors on the Pearl proceeded to lay boards themselves, and Trent was soon joined in combat by countless accomplices bearing swords, guns, knives, chains, and a plethora of other assorted weaponry. One particularly muscular man was even wielding one of the Pearl’s anchors, and finding considerable success with it.

As the battle continued a loud splash roared over the confusion of the fight. Trent looked over the edge to see all of the Dutchman’s cannons sinking beneath the surface of the water. Matt leaned out of one of the windows, flashed Trent a quick thumbs-up, and then returned back to the ship’s interior.

Trent spun around and parried a blow from a pirate who had tried to attack him from behind. He bashed the man’s face with his shield, then grabbed him by the throat and hurled him overboard. Looking around the ship, Trent found that his team was clearly winning. The corpses of dead pirates decorated the ship, the Pearl’s men gloating loudly over them, hands soaked in blood.

“Is this all the fish-men have t offer?” one of the sailors proclaimed brazenly. “Hardly!” roared a voice to his left. A pirate with the head of a hammerhead shark sprang up

from belowdecks, swinging a massive warhammer. It came crashing down on the braggart sailor’s head, instantly rendering him lifeless.

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He took another swing, horizontally this time, sending almost a dozen of Kurt’s men tumbling over board as the mighty hammer knocked them off their feet. Then he turned to Trent. The towering shark-man loomed over Trent threateningly. “Do not question us, humans!” he snarled. As he said it he brought the hammer down over Trent’s head in a powerful overhead swing. Trent threw his shield over his head to intercept the blow. It blocked most of the damage, but the force was enough to knock him off balance. The pirate raised his hammer for another strike. Suddenly Cheeseman lunged through the air, smashing his guitar into the man’s face. The pirate groaned as he fell to the ground. Cheeseman began to play. A wall of water shot up through the deck, forming into a great liquid hand, which grabbed the sharkman, holding him tightly in place. Trent leapt forward and rent a wide slash down the pirate’s chest. He howled in pain, but the wound was not fatal. Trent attacked again and again, but the sharklike skin absorbed the damage each time. “Magic! Use magic!” Cheeseman yelled, still playing his magical melody. “Oh, right!” Trent said. He thrust his sword into the air. There was a loud crash of thunder as a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, tearing through the shark’s body. He dropped lifeless to the ground as Cheeseman ended his song. “About time,” Cheeseman said, kicking the pirate’s corpse. “First rule of battle: if brute strength won’t work, try magic.” “I’ll remember that,” Trent said, plunging his sword into the heart of a pirate who lunged at him on his right. He focused a blast of magic through his blade and the fish-man’s body exploded. “That’s probably a little overkill,” Cheeseman said with a laugh, slamming his guitar into a pirate who had confronted him as well, “but at least you get the idea.” As the battle raged on, it appeared that neither side had a clear lead anymore. Trent, Cheeseman, and the rest of the Pearl’s crew cut down every pirate that came their way, but more just kept coming from the depths of the ship. Trent was beginning to worry about Matt. He hadn’t been shown himself again since he darted back into the ship. And, to make matters worse, it started to rain. “They just keep coming!” Trent yelled to Cheeseman as a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky. “I know,” Cheeseman replied, “and we’ve been at this for hours. Our men are getting exhausted.” “At least the tourists are enjoying this,” Trent muttered as he removed his sword from the corpse of the pirate he had just been fighting. The crowd back on the Pearl roared with applause and cheering. “Y’know,” said Cheeseman, ducking an attack and retaliating with a sudden burst of magical music, “I bet if we can get rid of their captain, the crew will surrender.” “Good thinking,” Trent agreed as he cut down another pirate. “You keep this up, and I’ll go fight Davy Jones.” “Fair enough. Dance, water, dance!” Cheeseman shouted as a tidal wave crashed over the side of the ship, knocking out a large group of pirates. Trent fought his way up to the prow, where he found Kurt and Davy Jones locked in combat. “You cannot defeat me, fool!” Davy laughed as he blocked one of Kurt’s blows. “That’s what you think!” shouted Kurt as he lunged forward. Davy blocked the attack with ease and took a slash of his own. Kurt jumped sideways to dodge and threw another attack of his own. “Trent! Help me!” he shouted, noticing Trent approaching.

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Trent charged forward, ducking under Davy’s sword, and thrust his blade deep into the pirate’s chest. “HA!” Trent laughed triumphantly. “Is that all you’ve got?” But Davy wasn’t dead. In fact, he wasn’t hurt at all. He laughed as he wrenched the sword out of his body, throwing Trent to the ground. “Like I said,” he declared menacingly, “you cannot defeat me.” “But how is this possible?” Kurt demanded. “Because,” came Matt’s voice behind them, “Davy Jones made himself immortal by locking his heart inside a chest.” Trent, Kurt, and Davy Jones all turned to see Matt walking up the steps to join them, a wooden chest in his hands. “This one, to be exact,” he said. Davy’s squid-like face became pale. “How did you find that?” he demanded. “Well, Davy Jones,” Kurt said victoriously, “will you surrender?” “Never!” the pirate yelled angrily. “My heart is safe so long as it’s in that chest. You don’t have the key!” Trent glanced nervously at Matt, hoping he had something up his sleeve. Matt returned a furtive look, shaking his head. Davy threw Trent aside and thrust his sword toward Matt, who blocked the blow with the chest. “Trent, you know that thing you do when we get into really bad situations?” Matt called to Trent as he dodged another strike by Davy Jones. “Now would be a great time to pull something like that out!” Trent closed his eyes and focused, drawing Light from himself, Matt, Kurt, Cheeseman, the crew members, and even the tourists. He drew the energy into a great sphere in front of him, which shone brilliantly and began to change shape. Suddenly a bright key appeared in Trent’s mind. He reached out to it with his thoughts. The sound of a lock clicking open entered his ears. Trent opened his eyes to see Davy Jones watching in horror as the chest in Matt’s arms glowed brightly and then, without warning, shattered like glass. A still beating human heart fell onto the ground. Davy Jones dove for it. Matt kicked the heart before Davy could reach it, sending it sailing over the side of the ship into the waters below. “NO!” shouted Davy. “What have you done?” All four of them ran to the side of the ship and looked over the edge. The heart was floating on the surface, unharmed. “Hah! It’s fine!” Davy yelled, raising his sword. “Is it?” Matt said slyly, pointing to the heart. A shark rose from the water and closed its jaws around the organ, tearing it to pieces with its razor-like teeth. Davy Jones screamed, writhing on the ground. And then he became silent. The ship shook violently and tourists screamed in the distance. Trent looked back over the edge of the ship. A massive whirlpool had formed around the Flying Dutchman. “ABANDON SHIP!” Kurt yelled to his crew. They scrambled to climb back on board the White Pearl. “Everyone gather around me!” Cheeseman yelled. Trent, Matt, Kurt, and the crewman who were still on the ship huddled around him. Cheeseman began playing his guitar, and a geyser shot up through the ship, lifting them all into the air. They were lowered onto the deck of the Pearl as the Flying Dutchman was swallowed up by the ocean. It vanished beneath the waves and the sea became calm. “Well,” Kurt said, turning to the audience, “I do hope you’ve enjoyed the show.”

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The crowd erupted with applause. “And now that the entertainment’s over, I think it’s time for some relaxation,” Kurt announced. “Mr. Cheeseman, it’s almost four. Don’t you need to get ready for your show?” “I’d better be getting paid extra for this,” Cheeseman whispered to Kurt. “Deal. Just put on a good show,” Kurt replied. “Do I ever not?” Cheeseman joked. He walked off to get the stage set up for his show. Meanwhile, Trent turned to Matt and said, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Matt laughed. “Trent, you’re ALWAYS starving. C’mon, let’s go get some dinner.”

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CHAPTER XXIV: GUYS AND DOLLS

The remainder of the trip passed with much less excitement. Trent and Matt spent their free time exploring the ship, watching Cheeseman’s shows, or lounging around the pool. The evening of the day they were to reach port they were on the main deck, leaning against the railing and staring out to sea. Cheeseman had joined them. “So you see, we really don’t know where to go next,” Matt told him, finishing his explanation of their quest. Cheeseman contemplated his words for a bit. “You know,” he said at last, “a long time ago, Lake Hylia, in the Water Kingdom, was referred to as ‘The Sea of Glass.’” Matt snapped his fingers. “THAT’S why that sounded familiar! I had completely forgotten! Thanks, Cheeseman!” “Glad I could help,” Cheeseman replied. “But if what you’re looking for is at the bottom of the lake, how do you plan on getting to it?” “Oh. Good point,” Matt said worriedly. “That’s going to be a problem.” “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” Trent assured him. “We always do.” “Hey, boys,” Kurt called to them as he climbed down from the prow, telescope in hand, “we’re just about there. I hope you enjoyed your trip.” “Well, it was certainly exciting,” Matt said. “Yeah, about that,” Kurt said. “Thanks again for helping us out. If you hadn’t been here, I’d be sunk. Literally.” “Don’t mention it,” Trent said. “Saving people is kind of our thing.” Kurt laughed. “Sounds like a promising career.” “Yeah, too bad it doesn’t pay well,” Trent joked. Matt laughed. “Well, it kind of does, actually. But I lost my wallet sometime while we were in the Fire Kingdom. I’m sorry we can’t pay you for our stay, Kurt.” Kurt waved him off. “You’ve more than made up for it. It’s too bad you don’t have any money, though. Hopefully you’ll find the Water Kingdom full of opportunity. Speaking of which, there’s the port. Prepare for disembarkment, men!” he shouted to the crew. “Shoot! Matt, how are we going to get off?” Trent said suddenly. “Huh? Well, usually they put down some stairs...” “No, I mean, how are we going to get through customs?” Trent asked frantically. “Don’t you see the soldiers down there? It’s been days since AJ ran off, if he’s told the Master of Darkness about us-“ “Then the whole world is probably looking for us!” Matt realized. He swore loudly. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Hmmm...think, Matt, think...” He looked out over the crowded seaport that sprawled before them. Something must have caught his eye because he quickly turned back to Trent with a smile on his face. “I know what we’re doing,” he said, grabbing Trent’s arm. “Cheeseman, last chance. You coming?” Cheeseman shook his head. “I told you I wouldn’t change my mind.” “Have it your way then,” Matt said, disappointment obvious in his voice. “Hopefully we’ll see you around.” He turned back to the crowd and pointed his finger out at the port. There was a loud bang and a bright flash of light. The confused mob turned to look for the source of the disturbance. “Hold on,” Matt said to Trent. As he said it Trent spotted a group of soldiers rushing through the crowd to the ship. Suddenly a man in a pinstriped suit materialized in front of them. He nodded at Trent and then grabbed the front of Matt’s shirt.

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The next thing Trent knew, he was standing on the side of a crowded street. Around him rose tall buildings decorated with bright neon lights. The sounds of big-city traffic filled the sky. Trent looked at the suited man beside him. He had short, blond hair atop which rested a grey fedora that matched his suit. “Welcome to the city that never sleeps, boys,” the well-dressed man said. “Theatris, busiest city in all the Water Kingdom.” Matt whistled. “Some place,” he said, staring up at the skyscrapers around them. “By the way, Trent, this is David Langhals, one of my colleagues at Solaris. He’s been working undercover here in the Water Kingdom. David, this is none other than Trent Haughn.” “I know who he is,” David said simply. “Why do you think I was at the port in the first place? I had a tip that you guys would be here.” “Oh. I guess I didn’t need to get your attention like I did, then,” Matt said. “Actually, that was a good idea,” David said. “I bet by now half the army is at the port searching for you. Makes things safer for us here.” “Good point,” Trent agreed. “So, David, we think the next artifact is at the bottom of Lake Hylia. Got any ideas how we can get there?” “As a matter of fact, I do,” David said, surprised. “Come with me,” he said, leading them down the street. They came to a small newsstand on the side of the road. A short, dark-haired man, also in a suit, was handing out newspapers to customers. When he saw David approaching, he waved off the customers and stepped out of the stand. “David, hey!” he said, waving them over. When they reached him, he leaned in towards David and said quietly, “So, did you talk to Joey?” “I did,” David replied in a low voice. “He said you can use the garage if he gets a thousand in advance.” “A thousand?” the man said in disbelief. “I ain’t got that kind of money! Just my luck...” “Don’t worry, we’ll think of something,” David assured him. “But enough about that, I’ve got some men here I’d like you to meet. Gentlemen, this is Nathan Detroit. Nathan, I’d like you to meet my good friends and colleagues Matt Schroeder and Trent Haughn.” “Nice to meet you, guys,” Nathan said, shaking their hands. “David, what did you mean by ‘colleagues?’ You ain’t got a job.” David winced. He’d slipped up. “Unless you meant...” Nathan continued, leaning in and saying in a low voice, “are they looking for some action?” “Uh, umm, yeah!” David stammered. “That’s it.” He shot a furtive look at Matt, who exhaled deeply and wiped his forehead. Crisis averted. “Well,” Nathan said, “as I’m sure you’ve heard, Nathan Detroit’s floating crap game is one of the largest and most distinguished in all the Water Kingdom. You’ve come to the right place. I don’t have a spot for tonight’s game just yet, but my boys will let you know when we do.” “Actually, Nathan, there’s something else we need to discuss,” David said. “You see, these guys are trying to get something from the bottom of the lake.” “Oh, I see,” Nathan said. “Then they need this magic ring of mine.” He reached into his pocket and removed a gold ring. “This thing lets its wearer breath underwater. Useful, huh? I won it from a guy on a bet. Been thinking about using it to propose to my girl.” “Mr. Detroit, is there any way we can borrow that ring?” Trent asked hopefully. “Well...,” Nathan said, thinking. “I guess I could lend it to you...if you gave me a thousand in collateral.”

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“Um, actually, we’re broke,” Trent admitted. “Huh? Then how the heck did you plan on shooting crap tonight?” Nathan said, confused. “Um, I was going to lend them some cash to get started,” David piped up. “Oh. That...doesn’t make much sense,” Nathan said, scratching his head. “Well, anyway, is there any other way we can get that ring from you?” Matt said, changing the subject. Nathan sighed. “Look, it’s not that I don’t trust you guys,” he said, slipping the ring back into his pocket, “but there’re a lot of weird characters around here lately, and I just want to be safe. I can’t let you use this ring unless you give me the thousand. Sorry.” “Alright. We can understand that,” Trent said. “Thanks anyway.” Nathan went back to his stand as Trent, Matt, and David walked away down the street. “Well, now what?” Matt asked. “We find a thousand dollars and get the ring,” Trent said simply. “How do you expect to do that?” Matt asked. “I mean, unless David is really going to lend us some cash...” “Hey, I’m broke too,” David said. “I just said that to stop Nathan from asking questions. Which reminds me, you may have gotten the idea from our conversation that I’m involved in some, um, questionable activities...” “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything,” Matt said. “I’m sure Ricker would be upset if he heard you were gambling instead of conducting research like you’re supposed to.” “I’m glad you understand,” David said, relieved. “Anyway, let’s split up and search the city,” Trent suggested. “I’m sure we’ll find some way to make money.” “Good idea,” Matt agreed, looking at his watch. “Let’s meet back here in an hour. Hopefully someone’s found something by then.”

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CHAPTER XXV: DISTRACTION

Trent meandered down the sidewalk, scanning the city around him for anything that might bring in some cash. He stopped at a small shop with a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window. Trent sighed. Getting a job wasn’t going to help him unless he could convince the owner to pay him a couple hundred dollars an hour. Suddenly a reflection in the window caught Trent’s attention. He spun around and found the source walking down the other side of the street. She was the most beautiful woman Trent had ever seen in his life. Her lush brown hair fell softly on her unblemished face, out of which her big brown eyes stared intensely forward. Her expression was a clear look of focused determination. She was wearing a long, red dress covered with a matching jacket and was walking briskly toward a small building, which she quickly entered. Trent ran across the street, narrowly avoiding the oncoming traffic, and came to a halt in front of the building the mystery women had just gone into. ‘Save-a-Soul Mission’ was printed in big red block lettering above the door. Acting completely on impulse, Trent opened the door and calmly walked in. The room he entered looked almost like a church, with multiple wooden benches facing a raised dais adorned with a speaker’s podium. Behind that, a hallway led to a small office, in which Trent could just make out the woman’s figure sitting at a desk. “Oh! A visitor!” came a surprised voice on Trent’s left. He turned to see a woman standing in a doorway that he hadn’t noticed when he walked in. She was older, and was wearing the same outfit Trent’s mystery woman had donned. “What can our humble mission do for you?” she asked politely. “I’m not sure,” Trent admitted. “I’m new in town, and I was intrigued when I saw your building, so I decided to come check it out. What is the purpose of this mission?” “We are here with one important goal,” she explained. “This town is full of evil sinners and gamblers. We must reach out to these poor souls and change their ways, before it is too late.” “And how’s that going for you?” Trent asked curiously. “Not very well,” she admitted sadly. “We spend all day out on the streets, trying to build interest. But it just doesn’t seem to be working.” “Well, there’s your problem right there,” Trent said with a laugh. “You’ve been out all DAY. Do you really expect to find the filth of society during the daylight hours? Try campaigning at night. I bet you’ll be ten times more successful.” “That’s a brilliant idea!” the woman exclaimed. “I’ll go tell Miss Hoffman, we’ll set out right away!” She ran down the hall in the back to the office. Trent inched closer to the door to listen in on their conversation. “...and so he said we should go out at night instead, what a great idea!” the old woman finished excitedly. The other woman was silent for a moment. “I guess that’s a good idea,” she said at last. Her voice was soft and sweet, yet at the same time strong and independent. “Tell the others to get ready, we’ll set out at sunset.” “Yes, ma’am!” the older lady replied. Trent stepped away from the door a moment before she hurried out of it. “Thank you so much for your help!” she said to Trent as she ran past. Trent poked his head around the door and caught a glimpse of the mystery woman sitting quietly at her desk, scanning over some paperwork lying in front of her. He stood there, contemplating whether or not to go talk to her, until suddenly the phone on her desk rang.

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“Save-a-Soul Mission,” she answered. “Sergeant Jordan Hoffman speaking.” Trent couldn’t make out the words on the other end of the receiver. Apparently the other speaker was someone important, because Jordan said suddenly, “Oh! General! It’s good to hear from you! You’ll be glad to hear that we-“

She cut off suddenly and Trent heard the muffled voice crackle through on the other end. A look of shook suddenly came to Jordan’s face as she listened. “B-but,” she stammered into the receiver, “we’re doing so well! Yes, really! We are! In fact, tonight we’re going to – W-what? You’re coming here yourself? N-no! That’s not a problem. We’ll be happy to have you. See you tomorrow, General.”

She hung up the phone and buried her face in her hands. Trent finally gathered his courage and entered the room. “Sorry for eavesdropping,” he said as

he walked in, “but I couldn’t help but overhear. Is something wrong?” She looked up and quickly composed herself. “No, nothing’s wrong. What gave you that idea?

And just who are you?” she demanded. “Woah, relax. I’m just trying to help,” Trent said, surprised by her sudden forcefulness. “I’m

Trent Haughn, I gave your friend the suggestion to go out at night.” “Oh,” she said, relaxing slightly. “Well, thank you for your contribution. I hope it works...I was

just on the phone with General Cartwright, the head of our mission. She‘s coming to our meeting tomorrow to see how well we’re doing. If we don’t give a good report, she’ll close us down and move us somewhere else.”

“Is that really such a big deal?” Trent asked. “Of course!” she said. “The people here really need us! And besides, do you know how much of

a failure I’ll be if we get shut down? I could even get kicked out of the mission! Oh, this is terrible...” “Sounds like you could use some more of my help,” Trent said confidently. “I bet I can get you some sinners.” “Is that so?” Jordan asked skeptically. “It is,” Trent assured her. “I’ve got connections with some gamblers who would be happy to attend.” “Oh, now I get it,” Jordan said angrily. “You’re a gambler. I should have known. Look, Mr. Haughn, I don’t know why you’re here, but I can assure you that we don’t need your help.” “Really? Because it looks to me like you do,” Trent said, slightly annoyed by her sudden change in tone. “And for the record, I am NOT a gambler. But I would be willing to make a small wager with you, if you’re interested.” “I don’t bet,” Jordan said simply. “Fine, call it a proposition, then. I bet I can get you a dozen or more genuine sinners for your big meeting tomorrow.” “And in return?” Jordan asked. “Oh, you don’t have to do anything big,” Trent said. “You could, say, go to dinner with me tonight.” “That’s it?” “That’s it. Do we have a deal?” She thought for a moment. “Yes. I agree to your terms,” she said at last. “Great. I’ll pick you up at six,” Trent said happily. “Where are we going?” Jordan asked curiously. “Don’t know yet. I’ll surprise you.” “I don’t like surprises.” “That’s too bad, ‘cause I’m full of ‘em,” Trent said seriously. “See you at six.”

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CHAPTER XXVI: HAVANNA ESCAPADE

“We sent you to find money, and you got a DATE?” Matt said in disbelief as Trent finished his story. “I swear, Trent, if you weren’t the chosen one I might kill you right now.” “Hey, it’s not his fault,” David argued. “No man can resist the charms of a nice dame.” “Yeah, well, what about the ring?” Matt said. “We don’t have the thousand.” “What do we have?” Trent asked. “Well, I collected four hundred from a guy who owed me,” David said. “And I managed to get a hundred for my watch at a pawn shop,” Matt said. “That gets us halfway there.” “Well...” Trent thought for a moment. “You two go to the crap game tonight. Maybe if you win enough, he’ll still sell you the ring.” Matt sighed. “Well, it’s not the best plan, but it’s all we’ve got, I guess. Let’s just hope luck is on our side tonight.” “So, where you takin’ the doll, Trent?” David asked. “I...have no idea,” Trent admitted. “What’s the nicest restaurant you know of, David?” “Well, there’s this place in the Fire Kingdom I went to once,” David said, a nostalgic smile on his lips. “Took a doll there myself...too bad she left me when I made her pay the bill,” he added with a smirk. “Great, but how am I supposed to get there?” Trent asked rhetorically. “I can take you,” David said simply. “Oh, but we can do it all secretive so she thinks you’re the one with the powers.” “Uh, sure,” Trent said halfheartedly. He wasn’t sure he wanted his first impression to be that of some kind of psychic freak. “It’ll be fine. Trust me. Oh, and let me lend you a suit. You can’t expect to win over a lady in that.” Trent arrived at the mission building just before six o’ clock, wearing one of David’s pinstriped suits. Jordan was waiting outside for him in the same red dress and jacket she’d been wearing earlier. “Well, don’t you clean up nice,” she said bitterly. “Oh, don’t be like that,” Trent said. “Don’t forget our deal. After what I’m doing for you, I’d think you could at least PRETEND to enjoy yourself tonight.” She sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.” “Great,” Trent said. “Now, we’re going to a little place that I think you’re really going to like. But our transportation is a little...different.” “Different how?” Jordan inquired. “Take my hand, and I’ll show you.” She looked at him skeptically. “It’s fine. Just trust me.” Jordan slowly reached out and took Trent’s hand. Immediately Trent felt a hand on his back and the cityscape around them vanished. Jordan gasped audibly as the white beach appeared. “What did you just DO?” she exclaimed shakily, staring out across the ocean. “Well, I told you I was full of surprises,” Trent said simply. As he said it he felt David slap something against his back and then heard a small pop as he warped off again. “I didn’t think you meant...wait, are we in the Fire Kingdom?” Jordan asked excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to come here! Ooh, it’s even more beautiful than I expected!”

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“That it is,” Trent said distractedly, reaching behind him and grabbing the note taped to his back. He scanned it over quickly.

You’ve got two hours. Meet me back here then.

-David Trent crumpled up the piece of paper and crammed it in his pocket as Jordan turned to him. “So where’s the restaurant?” she asked. Trent scanned the beach. “It’s right over there,” he said, spotting a large cabana adorned with a big neon sign that read ‘El Cafe Fuego.’ They entered the hut and took a seat in the nearest booth. The room was lit dimly by dozens of tiki torches that were placed sparsely about the room. In the center of the room was a large empty space where many couples were dancing to the music being played by the band in the back of the restaurant. “So...do you have other powers?” Jordan asked hopefully after the waiter brought them their menus. “Oh yeah, lots,” Trent said. “All kinds of magic. And there’s this special thing I can do with Light.” “What, like turning on lamps by clapping?” Jordan joked. “No, not THAT kind of light,” Trent explained. He leaned in closer and said quietly, “THE Light. One of the supernatural forces that governs our world.” “Alright, now you’re joking. There’s no such thing,” Jordan said with a laugh. “Jordan, listen-“ Trent started. “Please, call me Jo,” she insisted. “Fine, Jo, then,” Trent continued. “Look, I know you’re not going to believe this, but...” Trent spent the next several minutes explaining his quest. When he finished, Jo was staring at him, mouth hanging open wide. “...And now I’m here,” Trent concluded as the waiter brought them their food. “Alright, I’m not saying I completely believe you,” Jo said slowly, “but if what you’re saying IS true, where does our date fit into all of this?” “Well, nowhere, to be honest,” Trent admitted. “I saw you walking down the street and, well, I just couldn’t take my eyes off of you.” Jo blushed. “Really? Aww, that’s so sweet,” she said sheepishly. “But, um, if you don’t mind me asking, is there any way you could...prove that all this Light and Darkness stuff is real?” “Of course,” Trent said. “Check this out.” Trent closed his eyes and drew a small sphere of Light from Jo’s body. He shaped it with his mind, morphing it into a shining, golden rose, which floated gently over his outstretched hand. “Presto,” he said with a grin, opening his eyes and seeing her shocked appearance. “That’s amazing!” she whispered. Trent handed her the flower. “So, you believe me, then?” “...I do,” she said, nodding. Trent smiled. “I knew you would.” The band began playing a lively tango as Trent took a bite of his food. “Hey, want to dance?” Jo asked suddenly. “I’m not much of a dancer,” Trent admitted. “Let me get this straight. You’re some kind of all-powerful Chosen One who’s going to save the world, and you can’t dance? Pssh, some hero you are,” Jo mocked. “Come on, you can learn,” she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the dance floor.

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An hour later Trent and Jo strolled out of the cafe. Trent was sweating profusely and had his coat thrown over his shoulder. Jo was leaning on him, her fingers intertwined softly with his.

“See? I told you dancing was easy. You’re not bad at all,” Jo said. “Yeah, I guess,” Trent shrugged. “Well, I really enjoyed myself tonight,” Jo conceded. “I told you you would,” Trent said. “Aren’t you glad you agreed to this?” “Yeah. Which reminds me, don’t forget about your end of the bargain,” Jo reminded him. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” Trent replied. “I’ll get on that as soon as we get back, I promise.” “Are we going back the same way we got here?” Jo asked excitedly. “Yeah, in just a minute,” Trent said, scanning the beach for any sign of David. “Let’s just, um,

enjoy the scenery for a while longer.” “Oh, sure, we don’t have to leave just yet,” Jo said, snuggling closer to him.

Trent turned his head to face her. Their foreheads touched. Jo closed her eyes. Trent followed suit and went in to kiss her.

...But was interrupted by a sudden explosion that knocked them off of their feet. Trent jumped to his feet and looked around through the smoke that billowed around them. Jo screamed and grabbed Trent’s leg.

“W-what’s going on?” she yelped. “I’m not sure, stay down!” Trent warned her. It looked like he’d picked the wrong day to leave

his sword and shield at home. The smoke cleared and Trent found himself surrounded by a ring of men in red armor holding

spears. Directly in front of him stood a familiar short, bald face. “We are back, just like we promised!” AJ snarled. “And this time, with friends...the royal army

of the Fire Kingdom, precious!” “You got away alive last time,” Trent said angrily, “but this time you won’t be so lucky!”

Trent hurled his fist at AJ, who leapt aside and signaled for the soldiers to attack. The first one to reach Trent was met by a lighting-charged punch and dropped to the ground. Trent wrenched the spear out of his hands as he fell, spinning it around his body in a wide arc, knocking several oncoming soldiers off their feet.

“Do not let him escape!” AJ screamed. “Kill him! KILL HIM!!” Trent parried several more attacks with his spear, Jo still clutching tightly to his ankle. He desperately searched for David. They needed to get out of there before Jo got hurt.

Finding David nowhere to be found, Trent closed his eyes and tried something dangerous. He drew all the Light he could from his surroundings and focused it into a wide ball that enveloped himself and Jo.

“What is it doing, precious?” he heard AJ squeal. “STOP HIM!” His screams died out as the world went black around them.

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CHAPTER XXVII: LADY LUCK

Trent landed with a thud on the hard concrete as the buzz of a distant siren filled his ears. He slowly rose to his feet, clutching his head with one hand and using the other to help Jo up. “That was close,” Jo said shakily. “Just who was that guy?” “That was AJ,” Trent explained as his sight slowly came back to him. “One of the Master of Darkness’s right-hand men.” As the world reappeared around him, Trent realized that they were standing outside of the mission building. The moon shone dimly in the cityscape above. The streets were unusually quiet. “Good thing you can do that...thing you can do,” Jo said, struggling for an appropriate word. Good thing indeed, Trent thought through his splitting headache. It was a desperate move, and Trent was still in shock that it had worked. “I think I’m done with that for a while,” he said weakly. The warp had left him completely drained. “Yeah, maybe you’d better lay low for a while,” Jo agreed. “Oh, look, there’s the others!” she added, noting a handful of men and women garbed in red heading toward them down the street. “Good evening, Miss Hoffman,” one of the ladies said tiredly as they approached. “Hello everyone,” Jo replied. “How did it go?” “Not bad,” one of the men said with a yawn. “If we’re lucky, we might be in good shape for the general’s visit tomorrow.” “Well, that’s good to hear,” Jo said contentedly. “If Trent keeps his word, I don’t see any reason to-“ She was cut off suddenly by a man in a purple suit who ran through their small group, stuck his head inside the mission building, and yelled at the top of his lungs, “COPS! RUN! COOOOPS!” The door flew open and out barged a couple dozen men in suits, each with a large wad of cash in hand, yelling frantically. They raced down the street away from the building. Trent noticed Matt, David, and Nathan amongst the mob. A group of police officers ran toward them. “STOP THEM!” one shouted. He came to a halt when he reached Trent, Jo, and the other missionaries. The rest of his fleet continued on after the escaping crowd. “Lieutenant, what is going on?!” Jo asked him hysterically. “Nathan Detroit hijacked your building here for his crap game tonight, that’s what!” he replied angrily in a crisp Irish accent. “W-what? A crap game?” she repeated in disbelief. “Aye, lass,” the cop responded. “Likely he couldn’t find any other spot. Not with my squad on his tail, that is!” he added proudly. Jo turned on Trent. “You! I knew you were one of them!” she spat angrily. “No! I swear, I had nothing to do with this!” Trent pleaded. “Don’t you remember everything I told you at dinner? Don’t you believe me anymore?” “I...I...I don’t know what to believe any more!” she yelled. She shoved Trent out of the way and rushed into the building. Trent could see tears running down her cheeks as she sped out of sight. The cop eyed Trent suspiciously. “Listen, Mister,” he said forcefully, jabbing a finger into Trent’s chest, “If you had ANYTHING to do with this, you’d better believe I’ll be findin’ out. I always get my man.” He pushed Trent out of the way and then ran down the street after the rest of his squad. The other missionaries walked into the building, throwing Trent angry looks as they went. “I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with this!” Trent yelled angrily after them. The street was still with silent response. Trent sighed. “I can still make this right,” he said confidently.

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Trent ran down the street as fast as his legs would carry him, looking for any sign of where the gamblers might have gone. Suddenly he spied David standing nervously under a lamppost. When he saw Trent, he smiled and waved him over. “David, what are you doing here?” Trent asked. “This place is crawling with police goons!” “Don’t you think I know that?” David said worriedly. “Look, I’m just here to deliver this,” he said, holding up an envelope. “Nathan said it was your reward.” Trent took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a bright circle of cold, golden metal. “The ring?” Trent said, confused. “But why? I never got him the money.” David shook his head. “But you did get his a spot for the game tonight,” he explained. “If you hadn’t emptied that building, he’d be in a load of trouble right now.” “Yeah, well, now I’M in a load of trouble,” Trent said irritably. “Where’s Nathan run off to? I still have business with him.” “Well, a lot of the guys refused to end the game this early, and seeing as our previous location is now unusable, Nathan had no choice but to find a new one.” “And that would be?” Trent implored. “The sewers,” David said simply. “The...sewers?” Trent repeated. “Yeah. Not the best venue, but it was the first place he could think of,” David said with a shrug. “I’ll lead you there, come on.” David lead Trent down an alley and stopped to lift a manhole cover. “It’s right down here,” David said, throwing the cover aside and heading down the ladder. Trent followed. When they reached the bottom David lead him to a wide, open area, raised above the sludge below, where they found Nathan and his gang gambling loudly. Matt noticed him come in and ran up to greet him. “Hiya, Trent!” Matt said cheerfully. “I made a killing, check it out!” he said happily, holding up a fistful of cash. “Good for you,” Trent said disinterestedly. “Hey, give me back my stuff, will you?” “Lighten up, man,” Matt said as he handed Trent his sword and shield. “Here, I’ll give you a couple hundred and you come shoot for awhile. Go on, try your luck.” “No thanks,” Trent said, shoving away his outstretched hand. He walked toward the center of the room and shouted, “Hey, listen up! All of you!” “Hey, Trent!” Nathan called. “Come to join us? Did David give you my gift?” “He did,” Trent said, “and I appreciate it, but there’s one more piece of business I’d like to address tonight.” “It better be important!” a man behind him yelled. “Yeah, let’s get back to the game!” another agreed. “Hey! We owe this guy,” Nathan said angrily. “Shut up and let him talk!” “Look, I’d like to ask a favor of you guys,” Trent explained. “You see, the Save-a-Soul mission is having this meeting tomorrow, and if they don’t get a good turnout, it’s getting shut down.” The men began cheering. “About time!” one guy yelled. “One less doll off our backs!” jeered a second. “No! No!” Trent shouted over the din. “That’s bad! You need to all go to the meeting!” Now the men began to laugh. “I was afraid of this,” Trent muttered. “Ok, fine!” he shouted. “I see you need some convincing, so we’ll play by your rules. Hand me the dice!”

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“What, are you gonna roll us for it?” Nathan said with a laugh. “As a matter of fact, I am!” Trent said confidently. “One thousand dollars against each of your souls. If I win, you all show up to the meeting tomorrow.” “And if we win, we each get a thousand bucks?” David said. “Sounds fair. I’m in.” The other gamblers mumbled to each other and, one by one, piped up in agreement. “Good, everyone in?” Trent said, counting the men. Well over two dozen. Perfect. “Trent, stop!” Matt hissed. “You’re broke! What if you lose?” “I won’t. Hand me the dice.” The gamblers circled around him as he raised his fist over his head and shook the dice. Trent closed his eyes and infused the dice with a generous helping of Light. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered to himself as he tossed the dice. The dice rolled across the floor, echoing loudly in the still silence. They slowly came to a halt. A three and a four. “Seven! Ha, I win!” Trent proclaimed triumphantly as the gamblers groaned in protest. “Do we seriously have to go to this thing?” David asked defiantly. “Yes! We made a bet, and I won,” Trent said impatiently. “Now you all have to hold up your end of the bargain. And that includes you,” he said to Matt, jabbing a finger at him. “I need all the numbers I can get.” Matt sighed. “Fine. But you owe me.”

Trent led the men out of the sewers and back to the mission. “Alright, now, everyone had better act appropriately,” Trent said. “And don’t forget why we’re here.”

“Because we lost a bet?” David said stiffly. “No, because we’re sinners who want to change our evil ways,” Trent corrected him. “Now,

come on, it’ll be starting soon.” He opened the door wide and led them inside. The others followed resentfully.

“Hey, I hear you’re looking for some sinners!” Trent announced as he walked in. “Why, yes we are!” said an old lady standing in the back next to Jo, who was sitting on a bench,

eying Trent darkly. “Ah, you must be the lovely General,” Trent said, bowing deeply. “I hadn’t expected someone

so young.” She giggled. Jo rolled her eyes. “Well, anyway,” Trent continued as the gamblers shuffled in and sat down, “I’d love to stay, but

I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve got important business at Lake Hylia.” He turned to the men. “As for you guys. I’m leaving Nathan Detroit in charge in my absence. Nathan, make sure these guys conduct themselves appropriately.”

Nathan sighed. “Yes, sir,” he said halfheartedly. “Good. Well, I’m off,” Trent said, giving the General a quick salute. He exited the building with

a smile on his face. Now he just needed to wait it out.

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CHAPTER XXVIII: UNDER THE SEA

Trent sat down on the curb outside the mission, thinking of a way to pass the time. He’d said he was going to the lake, but Trent had no idea how to get there. He gazed lazily across the street and something caught his eye. A sleek black sports car was parked on the other side of the road. The license plate read ‘DTROIT1’ and a pair of fuzzy dice hung from the rearview mirror. It must have been Nathan’s. Trent strolled over to the car and peered inside. He chuckled softly to himself as he spotted a long keychain hanging limply from the ignition. Trent opened to door and got in. Searching the glove compartment, Trent stumbled across a crumpled-up map of the Water Kingdom. “Bingo,” he said to himself, unfolding it. He scanned the paper and was surprised to discover that he could reach the lake by simply taking one of the main roads south out of town. The engine purred contently as Trent turned the key. He shifted into drive and sped off. About ten minutes later he arrived at the edge of the sprawling lake. The water stretched on for miles, shimmering brightly in the morning sun. The noisy whining of gulls could be heard overhead, but otherwise the cool air was silent. Trent stepped out of the car and slipped the ring out of his pocket, twirling it between his fingers. It looked like a normal band of metal, but Trent could sense a great power somewhere deep within it. Trent removed his shoes and shirt, emptied his pockets, dropped his sword and shield, and slipped the ring on his finger. Immediately he was overcome by a strange sensation, which crept down his spine and quickly faded. Trent took a deep breath, and dove under the water. It was freezing. The shock of the cold water caused Trent to inhale sharply, and to his surprise, and relief, only oxygen entered his lungs. Trent breathed deeply a few more times as his body adjusted to the coldness, and then took off, swimming toward what he perceived to be the center of the lake. The underwater world was like nothing Trent had ever seen before. Fish darted to and fro out of forests of seaweed. Occasionally an eel or snake slithered out from under an algae-covered rock. Strange aquatic plants Trent had never seen before made colorful gardens for the lake’s many citizens. Trent dove deeper and deeper. The water around him grew darker and darker as he descended. Finally he found what he was searching for. A great marble temple loomed in front of him on the lakebed. Trent swam inside. A soft blue light filled the inside of the structure. In the center of the room a large blue-green chest sat on a short pedestal. Trent swam to it and undid the latch. Bubbles erupted from the chest as Trent flipped open the lid. He reached inside and pulled out a silver cloak. It didn’t feel like any material he was familiar with. It was silky to the point of feeling almost like water. It was smooth and lightweight, yet incredibly tough and durable. Wondering what unseen powers it held, Trent slipped it on and exited the temple. Trent looked around as he emerged from the structure and found himself alone. The multitude of fish that had previously inhabited the area around the temple had all vanished. Suddenly Trent heard an ear-splitting screech behind him. He flipped around and found himself face-to-face with a gigantic, multi-tentacled sea monster. The kraken screeched again and propelled one of its arms at Trent, which wrapped around his waist tightly. Trent struggled to free himself from its grip as the kraken drew him in toward its beak-like mouth. Trent, not thinking, pointed at the beast and cast a weak fire spell. The water in front of him bubbled as the jet of heat traveled through it, but no fire appeared. The kraken shrieked and released Trent from its grip.

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Trent was confused. The water hadn’t warmed enough to burn the kraken. It eyed him tentatively with its beady eyes, arms drawn back. Was it afraid of his magic? Whatever the reason, Trent decided to use the opportunity to make his escape. He began swimming upward as fast as he could go – and found that that was much faster than he had imagined. The kraken shrieked again. Trent looked over his shoulder and found that it was chasing after him. Trent spun around, quickly fired an ice spell, and then resumed his ascent. Hearing no reaction from the kraken, Trent assumed that the spell had no effect. It didn’t matter though, he was almost out. Trent burst through the surface of the water, a flurry of tentacles rocketing up after him. Trent braced himself for the kraken’s assault. But it never came. Trent looked around. He was hovering in the air about ten feet above the reach of the monster’s arms. Trent stared at the silky material wrapped around him in disbelief. The cloak had given him the power of flight. That was why he had been swimming so fast. Trent dove toward the kraken, firing lightning spells in every direction. The monster screamed as the spells made contact. Trent pulled up and flew back above the kraken. He threw his hands above his head and called down the biggest lightning bolt his magic could muster. The kraken shrieked and writhed in pain as it was electrocuted. It thrashed its tentacles furiously and clicked its beak in frustration, then sank back down into the depths of the lake in a reluctant surrender. Trent wiped his brow and then flew back to the car, landing gingerly on his feet next to it. He put his clothes back on and stepped into the car. He glanced at the radio clock. It had been nearly an hour. Time to see how things went.

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CHAPTER XXIX: SEPARATE WAYS

Trent parked Nathan’s car across from the mission where he had found it. As he stepped out of the vehicle he saw that the gamblers were meandering out of the building. He crossed the street and found Matt leaning against a lamppost at the edge of the sidewalk. “Nice cape,” Matt said as he approached. “Is that it? What’s it do?” “Lets me fly,” Trent said distractedly. “How was the meeting?” “Oh, it went pretty – wait, did you just say you can FLY?” “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. How did it go?” he asked again. “Fine,” Matt said simply. “The mission’s saved. Yay. And I almost started a musical number. I’m kinda disappointed it got shot down.” “That’s great,” Trent commented absentmindedly, spotting Jo exiting the building. “Hey, wait here a minute. I’ve got to talk to someone.” “Sure thing, Romeo,” Matt said with a wink. “I wondered if you’d come back,” Jo said, crossing her arms as Trent approached her. “Look, I know you’re mad at me,” Trent started. Jo shook her head. “It’s ok. Nathan explained everything,” she said. “I know you had nothing to do with what happened. I forgive you.” “Really?” Trent asked. “Really.” She kissed him. “So where are we going now, Mr. Hero?” “Woah, we?” Trent said, surprised. “Look, what I’m doing is really dangerous. I can’t ask you to come with me.” “Then don’t ask. I’m volunteering,” Jo responded defiantly. “I don’t care if it’s dangerous, I want to be with you.” “I know, so do I,” Trent said with a sigh. “But if something happened to you out there, I’d never forgive myself.” Jo stared into his eyes for a moment. “Alright, I understand,” she said at last. “I’ll wait here. But you’d better come back for me when this is all over.” “Of course,” Trent said, smiling. “I swear on my honor as the Chosen One.” He kissed her one last time and then returned to Matt. “Well, now that this is all taken care of, what next?” Trent asked him. As he said it he saw Jo out of the corner of his eye, who waved at him and went back into the building. “Well, we’ve got two more artifacts, and no leads,” Matt said thoughtfully. “Let’s see...Fortune’s Gift, and Hero’s Proof. Hmm...” “You know, we found one artifact in the Fire Kingdom, and then another in the Water Kingdom,” Trent pointed out. “Do you think there’s an artifact in each of the kingdoms?” “It’s entirely possible,” Matt agreed. “Do you still think we might find something in your hometown?” “I think it’s worth a shot, at least,” Trent suggested. “Yeah...I’m still not convinced that it’s there, but I guess it’s all we have,” Matt admitted. “But if you’re right, that means the last one’s in the Air Kingdom. ‘Hero’s Proof.’ Hmm.” He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, mumbling to himself. “Man, that was boring,” David’s voice came loudly behind Trent. “Oh, hello David,” Trent said, turning to him. “Yeah, sorry I made you guys sit through that. But, hey, I had to.” David snorted. “Whatever. Anyway, where are you two headed now?” “The Earth Kingdom,” Trent said. “Can you get us there?”

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“Yeah, sure,” David said. “I’ve been all over that place. Uh, which reminds me. Sorry about not picking you back up last night after your date. I was, um, distracted.” “It’s cool,” Trent said, waving him off. “But back to business, can you take us to-“ He was interrupted by a small pop as a green whirlwind appeared before them. Steve stepped gingerly out of the vortex as it disappeared. “Trent! Thank goodness I found you,” he said worriedly. “I’m afraid we need to put your search for the artifacts on hold. By the way, how many have you found so far?” “Two,” Trent said, holding out the shield and cloak. “Oh, great! Halfway there!” Steve said excitedly. “Yeah, great,” David piped up. “Why is he stopping, exactly?” “Oh, hello David, didn’t see you there,” Steve said. “Anyways, what was I talking about?...Oh! Right! Listen, a dangerous new development has some to our attention. The Master of Darkness’s minions are constructing a massive space station codenamed The Death Star. It has a Darkness cannon so powerful that it could take out an entire continent if at full power. Fortunately, it’s not complete yet, though.” “So you want us to go put a stop to it, right?” Matt guessed. “Precisely. I know your current mission is important, but this is urgent. You two are the only ones we can trust to do this job right,” Steve explained. “I understand,” Trent said. “We’ll do it. But how are we getting up there?” “I have just the man for the job,” Steve said confidently. “He’ll get us up there in no time.” “Us? You’re coming too?” Matt said, surprised. “I am,” Steve said. He sounded almost sad. “I hate to admit it, but we’ve made absolutely no progress toward finding a way into the Realm of Darkness. I’m getting sick of feeling like I’m not accomplishing anything. And who knows, maybe we’ll find some clues up there.” “Well, glad to have you aboard,” Trent said happily. “So where’s this pilot of ours?” “Back in the Air Kingdom,” Steve explained. “David, would you mind giving us a lift?” “Not at all,” David said. “Hold on.” He grabbed Trent’s arm and the world vanished.

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CHAPTER XXX: THE FINAL FRONTIER

The world popped back into focus as Trent, Matt, Steve, and David landed on a fluffy patch of cloud in front of a long line of tall, dome-topped buildings in the middle of a wide, open plain. David gave Trent a quick salute and then vanished again. “Here we are,” Steve said, leading Trent and Matt into the nearest hangar. “Kloudnien Department of Air and Space. Our finest aerospace excursions have happened because of the wonderful people who work here.” Trent was surprised to see that the vessel inside was not a simple rocket or shuttle like he had expected. In fact it was disc-like, round and flat with two prongs on the front end and a spherical cockpit affixed to the left side. “Is that our ship?” Trent asked curiously. “That it is,” came a voice from above. Trent looked up and found that it came from a man standing on a balcony that overlooked the hangar. He was wearing a tan shirt covered by a black leather vest, and his belt was host to a number of compartments as well as a holstered pistol. He had a handsome face topped by spiky red hair. “Name’s Han Vorsto,” he said, sliding down the ladder from the balcony, “captain of the Millennium Falcon here. You can call me Brent.” “Brent’s the best pilot in the Air Kingdom,” Steve explained. “He’ll get us there safe.” “You must be Trent,” Brent said, offering Trent his hand. “I’ve heard lots of great things about you.” “I’ve heard good things about you, too,” Trent said, shaking his hand. “So, what exactly are we going to be doing?” “Well, our destination is a small planet near the Death Star,” Brent explained, taking a map out of his back pocket. “There, we refuel and prepare ourselves for battle. Once we’re ready, I’ll take us to the Death Star. It’ll probably be dangerous and require a lot of expert flying, but just leave that to me.” “What’s the plan once we’re on board the Star?” Matt asked. “I was hoping Steve had a battle plan,” Brent admitted. “I’m working on it,” Steve said. “We know that the Death Star is defended by an army of soldiers called Stormtroopers. We’ll probably have to deal with a lot of them. And then there’s the general, a man called Darth Belcher. That guy’s bad news. He’s one of the Master of Darkness’s right hand men, and he oversees all operations in the Star. I don’t look forward to fighting him.” “We’ll be fine,” Matt assured him. “Trent always seems to have a trick up his sleeve.” “I know,” Steve said, “but he’ll need quite a few tricks if he wants to get through this one.” “Y’know, Steve, I’d think after all we’ve been through you’d have a little more faith in me,” Trent said with mock disappointment. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” Steve apologized. “I’ll work on the plan and leave the fighting to you.” “I hate to interrupt,” Brent piped up, “but we should get going. The longer we sit here talking about the Death Star, the closer it comes to completion.” “He’s right,” Matt agreed. “Let’s go.” The cockpit turned out to be much more spacious than it had appeared outside. It comfortably seated all four of them with considerable ease. “Every one strapped in?” Brent asked as he began flipping switches and pushing buttons. The dashboard was covered with tons of both. Trent was glad Brent knew what he was doing. If I had to fly this thing, he thought to himself, I’d have no idea what I was doing. “Alright, here we go!” Brent said excitedly. The falcon gave a sudden jolt and then Trent felt that they were rising. Looking up, he saw the domed roof opening up to make room for their departure.

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They rose higher and higher, gaining more and more speed as they ascended. The ship suddenly began rumbling violently. “Is this normal?” Trent asked nervously. “Just a little turbulence,” Brent called over the noise. “It’ll stop once we break through the atmosphere.” And it did. Everything felt calm as the sky faded into a blackness lit by distantly shimmering lights. They were in space. “Alright guys, welcome to space,” Brent said. “I’ll kick it into hyperspace and we’ll arrive in no time.” “Wow, we’re really in space,” Matt said in awe, staring out the window. “Never thought I’d be able to say that. Exciting, huh?” “Yeah, I guess,” Trent said distractedly. “Trent, what’s wrong?” Matt asked, noticing the depressed look on his face. “Oh, wait, I know. It’s Jo, isn’t it?” “Yeah,” Trent said. “It’s just...I mean, what if something happens to her while I’m gone? Maybe I should have let her come with us.” “Trent, you said it yourself,” Matt pointed out. “It’s too dangerous.” “I know, but, what if Theatris gets attacked? I mean, AJ saw her with me in the Fire Kingdom, if he decides to track her down-“ “Wait, what?” Matt said suddenly. “You saw AJ?” “Yeah, he and a group of Fire Kingdom soldiers attacked us after our date,” Trent explained. “I got desperate and actually managed to teleport us out of there.” “Wow. You never cease to amaze me,” Matt said with a laugh. “What’s next? Are you secretly hiding that you’ve got bullet proof skin? Or that you can shoot lasers from your nose?” “Oh, shut up,” Trent said with a small laugh of his own. “But, still, I’m worried.” “I understand,” Matt said, becoming serious, “and I wish you’d told me before we left. If he knows who our allies are...we could be in trouble.” Trent sighed. “So I should have let her come with us, then.” “I never said that,” Matt said, rising to his feet. “I’ll get on the radio and have a message sent to David to be on high alert. I’ll also tell them to send some reinforcements to the area just in case. She’ll be fine, I promise.” “If you say so,” Trent said, still unsure. “Hey, I’m going to get a quick nap. Wake me up when we get there.”

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CHAPTER XXXI: CANTINA BAND

“Hey, wake up! We’re almost there!” Trent awoke from his nap to the sound of Matt’s voice. He rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times, and then yawned. “How long was I out?” he asked. “Not long. It’s been a short trip,” Matt said. “Well, there she is, boys,” Brent said suddenly, pointing to a rapidly advancing planet in the distance. “Tatooine. Not the most...attractive planet, but it’ll do for a refuel.” “Can we get some food while we’re at it?” Trent asked, massaging his growling stomach. “I’m starving.” “Sure thing,” Brent obliged. “I’m taking us down near the Mos Eisley Cantina. It’s a bit shady, but it’ll do. Strap in, guys, it’s gonna get a little turbulent.” The ship shook violently as it was engulfed by white clouds. The tremor subsided quickly as the clouds dispersed, revealing a dusty desert town, its streets bustling with strange looking vehicles and even stranger looking people. Brent brought the ship down on a large landing strip. They ejected from the cockpit and were greeted by a cloaked figure whose face was shrouded by his hood. “Fill ‘er up,” Brent said to it, tossing it a few coins. The creature nodded vigorously, made a strange chirping noise, and set to work. “So where’s this Cantina?” Steve asked, scanning the street. “Right over there,” Brent said, pointing. Trent followed his finger and was confused by what he saw. At first glance he thought it was nothing more than a grotesque amalgamation of boulders and concrete, but upon closer look, it featured a door, some windows, and a small wooden sign that read in some alien language Trent couldn’t understand. “That’s it?” Matt said in disbelief. “Well, like I said, it’s a little seedy,” Brent said with a shrug. “Shall we?” They entered the dark, hazy pub. It was cramped, mostly concentrated around the bar in the center with some booths around the outside walls. A small band of bald, round-headed aliens played a catchy tune in the far corner on what Trent assumed must be instruments, but looked more like misshapen kitchen appliances. “Grab a booth, I’ll go get us some food,” Brent said, heading to the bar. “Ugh, he wasn’t kidding about this place,” Matt said in disgust as they sat down. “It’s a dump.” “Well, I wouldn’t have expected much more out of a city that’s mostly inhabited by space pirates,” Steve coughed, waving off a large cloud of smoke that had just floated over from the next booth over. “Pirates?” Trent repeated. “Great, I thought we were through with that.” “Just try to keep a low profile and we’ll be fine,” Matt said. “Most of these guys aren’t very intelligent, but they’re quick to pick a fight. Don’t give them a reason to.” “Hope you guys are hungry,” Brent said, walking up to the table and setting down a large platter of what appeared to be purple tentacles marinated in some sickly green liquid. “Suddenly I’m not so hungry anymore,” Steve said, eyeing the plate apprehensively. Trent shrugged. “Food’s food,” he said, digging in. “It’s not bad,” he said through a mouthful of slime. “Go on, try it.” Matt was reaching for the grub when suddenly a group of men in white suits and helmets that covered their faces entered the cantina and approached their table. Each had in hand a black rifle. “Are you the owners of the ship held in docking bay number nine?” the one in the lead asked.

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“I am,” Brent said slowly. “Is there a problem?” “We’d just like to ask you a few questions,” the soldier replied. Trent heard Steve whisper something to someone behind him. “I’m afraid we don’t have time for that,” Brent replied. “You’ll make time,” the man said aggressively, pointing his gun directly at Brent’s face. “We are authorized to use deadly force if you resist.” “So am I!” Brent said, grabbing his own pistol. “STEVE, NOW!” The next thing Trent knew he was surrounded by a magical force field, lasers ricocheting in every direction off of its surface. He looked up to see Brent standing on the table, picking off soldiers with his blaster, and Matt crouching behind him, working a flurry of spells that burned, froze, or electrified their assailants. Steve was standing with one hand against the shield, muttering under his breath. “Feel free to jump in at any time,” Brent said with a laugh. “Gladly,” Trent said. He drew his sword, held his shield in front of him, and tapped into the powers of the cape around his neck. He bolted out of the booth like a rocket, charging down the group of soldiers who were still on their feet, slashing wildly. Each fell unconscious as Trent barreled through them. “Nice,” Steve commented as he dropped the shield. “Now let’s get out of here before more show up.” “Who were those guys?” Trent asked as they ran back to the docking bay. “Stormtroopers,” Matt explained. “Soldiers of the Darkness, under the command of Darth Belcher.” They boarded the ship and took off. “Have you come up with a plan yet, Steve?” Trent asked as they soared away from the hostile planet. “Well, I think it would be best if we split up,” Steve said. “Brent and I will locate the control room and shut down the cannon. Meanwhile, you and Matt track down Darth Belcher and take him out.” “Why do you guys get the easy job?” Matt joked. “Because you’re the better fighters,” Steve replied. “Besides, we’ll have our fair share of fighting, too. You don’t think they’ll just leave the control room unguarded, do you?” “Fair enough,” Matt complied. “How long ‘till we get there?” Steve asked Brent. “A couple of hours,” Brent said. “We can’t use hyperspace this time because the Death Star’s sensors will read us from a lightyear away, and we’d be shot down on sight. We’re actually safer sneaking up on it like this.” “They won’t notice us?” Trent asked, surprised. “No, they will,” Brent explained. “But well, that’s part of the plan. You’ll see.”

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CHAPTER XXXII: THE DEATH STAR

The floating mechanical fortress loomed ominously in the distance. “So, how exactly are we getting in?” Trent asked. “Don’t worry, I told you we’ve got a plan,” Brent said. “Just let me do the talking.” As they neared the Death Star, a small ship rocketed out of its interior and came to a halt next to them. “Stop!” the pilot’s voice came over the radio. “You are in a restricted area. Turn back immediately, or suffer dire consequences.” “Soldier, do you realize just who you’re talking to?” Brent replied angrily. “I’ve been off on a special mission at the request of Lord Belcher, and I’ve got some prisoners he’ll be very interested in.” “Is that so?” the other pilot said skeptically. “What type of captives are we talking about?” “None other than the Chosen one and his accomplices,” Brent answered. He turned to Trent and grabbed the front of his chest, leading him to the window. “Keep your arms behind you like they’re tied,” he hissed. “Oh! F-forgive me, sir!” the other pilot stammered. “I didn’t realize!” “Yeah, well, don’t make that mistake again,” Brent said forcefully. “I might not be so understanding next time.” “Yes sir!” the other said nervously. His ship turned around and flew back into the hatch it had emerged from. Brent followed. “Well, we’re in,” he said as the bay doors closed behind them. “Look at all those soldiers,” Matt pointed out. “Time for some fighting.” Brent flipped a switch and the cockpit snapped open. “ATTACK!” Trent yelled as they jumped out of their seats. The stormtroopers were quickly disposed of in a flurry of swords, magic, and gunfire. Somewhere above them, an alarm blared furiously. “Well, now that we’ve made our entrance known,” Steve yelled over the noise, “I suggest we get moving. Brent, let’s go. And you two,” he added, turning to Trent and Matt, “just don’t get yourself killed.” “Well, which way, chief?” Matt asked as Steve and Brent ran off. “I don’t know. Umm, that way, I guess,” Trent said, choosing a hallway. They ran up and down countless corridors, encountering many easily defeated soldiers, but with no sign of their target. “How big is this place?” Matt wondered aloud as they walked onto a large, empty platform suspended in air miles above the hangar they had entered the Star from. “We’ll never find him at this rate.” “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” a deep voice echoed from the other end of the room. A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a man dressed in all black, donning a long cape and a face-covering helmet like the ones the stormtroopers wore. His speech was interrupted periodically by the loud sounds of his breathing, which seemed to be amplified by his mask. “Trent Haughn, the Chosen One,” he said, approaching them slowly. “I’ve hoped that I would get a chance to meet you.” “Well, here I am,” Trent said, drawing his sword. “And I’m going to put an end to your plans.” “We’ll just see about that,” Darth Belcher replied. He drew a small silver cylinder from within his pocket and pressed a button on its side. A long, red beam shot out of the top of the device. The weapon appeared to be some sort of laser-sword. “Let’s go!” Matt yelled, drawing his blades as well.

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Trent dove at Belcher with his sword bared. Sparks flew as Belcher blocked the attack with his lightsaber. He threw Trent out of the way and then quickly spun around to meet Matt’s oncoming assault as well. Matt leapt backwards as Belcher parried his lunge and cast a lightning spell, which fired from his outstretched sword and found its target square in Belcher’s chest. The bolt surged through Belcher’s body, but he stood unfazed. “Your magic is powerless against me!” he said with a laugh. “Now let me show you a REAL lightning storm!” He thrust his hands forward, and, with a flash of light, several bolts of electricity erupted from his fingers. Matt threw his arms in front of him and formed a magic shield. The barrier shattered as the lightning made contact, sending Matt tumbling to the ground. Trent leapt to his feet and rushed at Belcher. He slashed and jabbed with all the speed he could muster, but Belcher was equally quick. He blocked each attack with ease and then, sensing an opening, lowered his shoulder and charged forward. The force of Belcher’s weight crashed into Trent, sending him to the ground. Belcher raised his lightsaber above his head and brought it down for the finishing strike. Thinking quickly, Trent tapped into the power of the magic cloak and flew out of the way, dodging the blow. He darted behind Belcher, hovering a few feet above his head. “TAKE THIS!” Trent yelled, wrenching the shield off of his left arm and hurling it at the back of Belcher’s head. The crunching sound of metal on metal rattled through the air as the shield found its mark and Belcher fell forward. “Now we’ve got him!” Matt yelled, jumping to his feet. He dashed forward and did a swift low kick, knocking Belcher’s feet out from under him. Belcher hit the floor face-first with a sickening crack. “Give up yet?” Matt said cockily. “Never!” Belcher yelled. He rolled over onto his back, and thrust an arm toward Matt. Matt jumped out of the way of the oncoming lightning assault, leaping right into Belcher as he sprang to his feet. Belcher grabbed Matt by the throat and lifted him off of his feet. “This has gone on for too long,” he said, a twinge of anger in his voice. “The Chosen One is my real concern.” There was a loud bang as Belcher’s fist surged with lightning, sending a wave of sparks down Matt’s spine as he fought to free himself. The lightning intensified and Matt’s struggling stopped. “There’s one problem taken care of,” Belcher said as he loosed his grip and Matt’s body fell to the floor. “YOU MONSTER!” Trent yelled, diving at Belcher. Belcher snapped his fingers and the next thing Trent knew he was floating frozen in midair in front of Belcher, sword arm bound uselessly to his side. “Relax. Your friend is still alive,” Belcher said, raising his lightsaber. “For now. As for you...well, don’t count on being so lucky.” Trent struggled against his magic bonds, focusing all his Light and magic through his body in an attempt to free himself. Suddenly one of his legs snapped free, delivering a powerful kick to Belcher’s face. His mask flew off of his head and landed with a thud on the floor as he fell backward. Trent dropped to the ground as his body regained control. He rushed toward the fallen Belcher, pointing his sword at his exposed throat. “Any last words?” Trent asked. “No. I will go quietly,” Belcher said. “You have defeated me.” Trent stared into his dark eyes for a moment. “You’re not like the others,” he said at last. “No, I would think not,” Belcher said, running a hand through his short, black hair. “I joined the Darkness willingly. I was not consumed by it like so many of the Master’s other servants.” “But why?” Trent questioned him.

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“I follow the strongest side,” Belcher said simply. “So follow me,” Trent suggested. Belcher gave a small laugh. “You are not stronger than the Master of Darkness. Not yet.” “But I will be,” Trent assured him. “I don’t doubt that,” Belcher agreed, to Trent’s surprise. “You...don’t?” Trent repeated. Belcher shook his head. “Trent Haughn...I know so many things that you cannot begin to comprehend. And yet, here I am, a pawn in this game.” Trent stared at him in confusion. “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that you know I’ll defeat the Master of Darkness, yet you fight for him anyway?” Belcher chuckled. “Not quite. I said you’ll become stronger than him, not that you’ll beat him. I can only guess what the outcome of your battle will be.” “I’m so confused,” Trent said. “As am I,” Belcher replied. “Here we are, me helpless and defeated, and yet you stand there, wasting time so that you do not have to kill me.” Trent looked at the sword in his hand. Belcher was right. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to deal the final blow. A sudden groan from behind him told Trent that Matt was coming to. “Get out of here,” Trent said, sheathing his sword. “I won’t kill you, and I won’t pursue you. Order your men to leave immediately.” “...I see. This is the path you have chosen,” Belcher said, rising to his feet. “Because you have spared my life, I will honor your demands. I shall also give you this.” He reached into his pocket and drew a small silver orb with strange markings on its surface. He handed it to Trent. “That’s a Darkness Bomb,” Belcher explained. “Once you press that button, you’ve got about two minutes before it goes off. Make good use of it.” Trent took the bomb and eyed it with disgust. “I’ll never use the Darkness.” “So you say,” Belcher said with a smirk. “You’ll find a use for it,” he added as he turned to leave down the long hallway before him. “Ughhh...” Matt groaned again. Trent rushed to his side. “Are you alright?” he asked quickly. “I will be,” Matt said slowly. “Man, that hurt...did you beat him?” “I beat him,” Trent lied. He didn’t see any reason to let the others know that Belcher had lived. Suddenly the room shook violently and Trent heard the deep, dying whir of a machine being turned off. “Sounds like the others succeeded,” Trent pointed out. “Come on, let’s get back to the ship.” He helped Matt to his feet and they walked back to the hangar. They arrived to find Steve and Brent already waiting at the ship. Both were sporting various cuts and bruises, and the tips of Brent’s hair were singed. “What happened?” Trent asked. “Well, to make a long story short,” Steve said, “we found an explosives storeroom on the way to the control room and, well, blew up the cannon.” “Nice,” Matt said weakly. “And Trent finished off Belcher, AND we didn’t run into any more stormtroopers on the way back down here. Mission complete?” “Mission complete,” Brent said with a smile. “Well, for now. You’ve still got two more artifacts to find.” “He’s right,” Brent said, “and who knows what’s happened back down on Allsphere since we’ve been gone. We can’t afford to waste any more time. Back on the ship, everyone.”

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Trent took one last look at the Death Star as they flew off. He could have sworn he spotted a lone, black ship emerge from its surface and then speed off in the opposite direction. Did I make the right decision? He thought to himself, rolling the bomb in his pocket around his fingers. I guess there’s no point in reluctance now, he decided. There’s nothing left I can do about it. And with that, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.

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CHAPTER XXXIII: NIGHTMARE

Brent docked the Millennium Falcon back in its silo in the Air Kingdom. “So, on to the Earth Kingdom, right?” Matt said as he and Trent exited the ship. “Oh! You’ve got a lead on the next artifact?” Steve said excitedly. “Yeah. Trent’s hometown is called Fortune Hills. He figures we might find a clue there,” Matt explained. “Oh, I see!” Steve said. “So there’s one artifact in each kingdom, is that it?” Brent asked as he jumped out of the cockpit. “Yeah, that’s what we think,” Trent said. “But if that’s true, that means there’s somewhere here in the Air Kingdom that relates to ‘Hero’s Proof.’” “Hmm...I can’t think of anywhere that might refer to,” Steve said, thinking. “Maybe we’re taking it the wrong way, though. How does one prove that they’re a hero?” Suddenly a lightbulb clicked on in Trent’s head. “Wait a minute!” he said excitedly. “Matt, throughout our whole journey, how have people known that I’m the Chosen One?” “Well, that’s a stupid question,” Matt responded. “Everyone knows who you are by now.” “Yeah, but before I became famous!” Trent pressed. “Steve, how did you recognize me the first time we met?” Steve thought for a minute. “Well, I guess it was because you had...” Suddenly he clapped his hand to his forehead. “The sword! I can’t believe we’re so stupid! Of COURSE it would be one of the necessary tools to defeating the Darkness!” “So you think that’s it too?” Trent said happily. “It must be!” Steve exclaimed. “This is great! That means we’re only missing one!” “Well, the sooner we get to the Earth Kingdom, the sooner we’ll have all four,” Matt pointed out. “Let’s get going!” “Yes, of course!” Steve said, drawing a cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll arrange a flight to get us there right away. Come on, to the airport!” The four of them arrived at the airport and were about to board when suddenly there was a loud and violent explosion somewhere across the city. “What the heck was that?” Brent said. A moment later, Steve’s phone rang. “Hello?” Steve said quickly, putting it to his ear. “Ricker! What just happened?” A pause. “WHAT?! But how? Ok, but we – Look, I know, but – Oh, alright! We’ll be there as soon as possible!” He hung up. Steve looked around at the group. “We’re under attack,” he said solemnly. The others erupted with questions. “What? By who? What should we do?” “Hey, hey! One at a time!” Steve said loudly, silencing them. “It seems to be an elite army comprised of the most powerful soldiers from the other three kingdoms,” he explained quickly. “We have no idea when or how the Darkness finally breached our defenses, but Ricker wants us to go help fight.” “But the artifact!” Trent proclaimed. “Is your responsibility,” Steve said. “Sorry, I should have clarified. He wants US,” he said, motioning to himself, Matt, and Brent, “to come help. You’re on your own, I’m afraid.” “Fine,” Matt said. “Trent can handle himself. Besides, this place is our home! Now let’s go defend it!”

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The others roared in agreement and ran off. “Good luck,” Matt said to Trent, and then ran off to join them. Trent boarded the plane and about an hour later landed in the Earth Kingdom near where his home used to be. He ran down the street and was shocked by what he found. The gaping crater where his house had once been had been filled in. And not only that, a large, steel building was under construction on the spot. Trent ran up to the nearest construction worker. “What’s going on here?” he demanded. “We’re building a minimall,” the hard-hatted man replied. “There used to be a house here, but it just up and exploded one night. Probably a gas leak or something. Anyway, no one’s seen the owners, so we all assumed that they didn’t survive. City gave us the go-ahead to start construction about a week ago.” “I’M the owner!” Trent said angrily. “And I’m perfectly fine, as you can see!” “Oh. Well, you’ll have to take it up with the board,” the worker said confusedly. “I don’t have time for that!” Trent said angrily. “And why the hell are you building a mall here, of all places?” “Well, one of the councilmen lives in this neighborhood, and well, I guess this has always been a bit of a pipe dream of his,” the man explained. A sudden memory popped into Trent’s brain at the mention of the word ‘pipe.’ “Wait a minute, when you guys filled in the hole, did you see anything down there?” he asked suddenly. “Yeah, there was this old building with some big tubes or something inside,” the man said, scratching his head as he remembered. “City said it was dangerous, so we knocked it down and filled in the hole.” Trent swore. “Well, thanks anyway,” he said insincerely. Trent stormed off to the plane. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? He thought angrily. There were two pipes in that room. I bet the other one would have led me somewhere I might have found something. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now, he concluded. I’d better head back to the Air Kingdom. They may need me. Trent looked out of one of the plane’s windows as they passed over the cloud-world below and felt his stomach turn. Right there, in the center of the city, was a gigantic sphere of Darkness, engulfing half the town. The pilot made an emergency landing on the outskirts of the city. Trent jumped out of the plane and rushed toward the ball of nothingness. “Trent!” a familiar voice growled from across the street. Trent turned and saw Snake sitting in a car being driven by an old man. “Get in, quick!” he called. Trent jumped into the back seat. “Snake!” he said as the grey-haired driver took off into the city, “What in the world happened?” “A bunch of guys showed up in white suits and helmets that covered their faces,” Snake explained. “Stormtroopers!” Trent exclaimed. Had he made a mistake in letting Belcher live? “Sure,” Snake continued. “Anyway, they were carrying this big metal...thing. A bomb, I guess. Your friends tried to stop them, but, well...obviously, they failed.” Trent was dumbfounded. “Are...are they alright?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

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“Not sure,” Snake said quietly. “This isn’t like any Darkness I’ve ever encountered. I’m not sure it destroyed anything, just...absorbed it. What’s more, it’s not going away. I think that bomb may have torn a rift between the realms.” “So they all got sucked into the Realm of Darkness? Is that what you’re saying?” Trent said hopefully. Lost friends were better than dead friends. “Maybe,” Snake said. “I’m not about to jump into that thing and find out what happens.” Trent sighed. “Snake, I’ve failed,” he said at length. “Why do you say that?” Snake growled. “I can’t get to the last artifact anymore,” Trent said. “It was right there, the whole time...if only I’d realized sooner. If only I could start over...” “Ah, but you can!” the driver spoke up. Snake smiled. “Looks like you’ve finally got a test pilot, Doc,” he growled. “Yes, indeed!” he said happily. “You see, Trent, this car is fitted with my latest invention, the flux capacitor! With it, we can bend the fabric of space-time to reverse through our plane of existence to a previous location on our dimension’s timestream!” “Huh?” Trent said, utterly confused. “The car’s a time machine,” Snake simplified. “Oh. Oh! That’s perfect!” Trent exclaimed. “Excellent!” Doc said excitedly. “I’ve been waiting for a chance to test it out!” “Wait, you mean you don’t actually know if it works?” Trent said nervously. “Oh, no, I’m positive it will work,” Doc assured him. “I’ve just never done it yet.” “Whatever,” Trent said. “How’s it work?” “Well, the flux capacitor is comprised of a system of-“ Doc began. “Just punch in the date and location on the dashboard and get it up to eighty-eight,” Snake interrupted. “You’re on your own, kid, we’re needed here,” he added, stepping out of the car. Doc did the same. Trent crawled up into the driver’s seat. The road ahead was straight and open. Trent turned to Snake one last time, saluted, and put his foot on the pedal. The engine roared as the needle on the speedometer rose. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. Trent’s heart raced. Sixty. Seventy. Eighty. This was it. Eighty-six. Eighty-seven. Then...eighty-eight. The car jerked forward and was surrounded by a vortex of swirling lights and sounds. The wormhole opened and suddenly Trent was speeding down the road in front of his old house. It was dark, and thunder crashed overhead as rain splattered on the windshield. The streetlights dimly lit the scenery. And there was his house, quiet and peaceful. This was it. His second chance to do things right.

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CHAPTER XXXIV: FORTUNE’S GIFT

Trent sat crouched behind the parked time machine across the street from his house, waiting for the night’s events to unfold. Any minute now the house would be engulfed by that fateful sphere of Darkness. Trent glanced at his watch. It was almost time. He ran through his plan in his head one more time. After the house was destroyed, he would wait for his past self to find the sword and be sucked down the green pipe. Then, his current self would run into the temple and dive down the red one. There had to be a clue down there. Trent couldn’t explain why he was so sure. Something in his gut told him that he was right. He glanced nervously at his watch again. Why hadn’t it started yet? Suddenly another thought occurred to Trent. Who had initiated the attack that destroyed his house, and almost killed him in the process as well? Was it just some random soldier, sent to snuff him out? Had it been AJ? Or even Belcher? Suddenly Trent’s hand darted into his pocket and grabbed the smooth ball of metal within. He held the bomb in front of his face, studying it carefully. He recalled Belcher’s words. “You’ll find a use for it.” Trent closed his eyes and began shaking uncontrollably, trying with all his might to resist breaking out in a fit of laughter. It was him. He, himself, was responsible for destroying his own home. And now he had to do it again. In a twisted, sadistic way, it was hysterical. Trent bolted across the street to his house and grabbed the spare key from inside the potted plant next to the door. He unlocked the door and quickly crept inside into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and set the bomb inside, nestling it between a jar of pickles and a gallon of milk. He pressed the ominous red button. Immediately the grenade began to glow with an iridescent red aura. Trent took one last glance around the kitchen and then slammed the door shut again. Trent ran back outside, sliding over the hood of the car to his previous hiding spot. “Time for a rude awakening,” he said to himself, throwing his right hand into the cold, wet air. He pointed his finger to the sky and fired a powerful lightning spell, which flashed a blinding light and filled the air with a deafening blast. The rhythmic pounding of rain slowly returned to his ears as the thunderclap died off. Trent’s heart pounded in his ears as he waited for the chaos that was about to ensue, hoping against all hope that he’d succeeded in waking up his past self in time. Suddenly the air was assaulted once again by a mighty explosion. Resisting the temptation to take a look at the terrible event, Trent held his position behind the car. A moment later the sound ended. Trent continued to wait, listening to the footsteps that beat frantically on the other side of his barricade. A few minutes passed and Trent decided that the coast was probably clear. He leapt out from the behind the car and dashed over to the newly-formed crater. He peered inside the temple and spotted himself disappearing into the green pipe. Trent darted inside and dove head-first into the red pipe, finding no resistance from the other tube like he had before. Trent was surprised to find his fall considerably short. He landed almost immediately with a thud on a soft patch of grass. Trent looked around, blinking furiously as unexpected sunlight pounded into his eyes. When his sight adjusted, Trent found himself in a grassy field on the edge of a vast and rippling lake. Above him, blue sky spanned onward for miles. There was no sign of the pipe he had just fallen through. Directly in front of him rose a tall and shady oak tree, beneath which stood a lone man.

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He was tall and muscular and sported a thick beard. Trent could sense an immense power deep within him; yet there was great wisdom within his gentle eyes. A soft light seemed to emanate from his body. “Trent. It is good to finally meet you,” he said soothingly. Trent looked at him quizzically. “I’m sure I don’t know you,” he said slowly, “but you seem...so familiar.” The man laughed. For some reason Trent found the sound very pleasing. “I suppose you could say we’ve met before,” he said. “I am Chuck Norris.” Trent studied him once more. “Again, the name seems familiar, but I’m sure I don’t know you.” “Don’t let it trouble you,” Chuck said with a soft smile. “We have much more important matters to tend to. As I understand it, you require one last artifact before you can defeat the Master of Darkness.” “How did you know?” Trent asked. “Do you work for Solaris?” “I do not,” Chuck said sadly. “There is so much I wish I could do for the people of Allsphere, yet here I am, confined to my chambers here, bound by this terrible curse.” “What curse?” Trent asked curiously. “And, incidentally, where exactly are we?” “This is my home,” Chuck explained, motioning to the wilderness around them. “It is not on Allsphere, but another world entirely within the Realm of Light. I have been trapped here by the Master of Darkness. I cannot leave, and my powers are a mere fraction of what they once were.” “That’s terrible!” Trent exclaimed. “Don’t worry, once I’ve taken care of the Master, I’ll find a way to free you. I promise.” Chuck smiled. “I appreciate that, Trent. And I’m sure you’ll beat him. But as I was saying, you still need one last object.” “That’s true,” Trent said. “I had hoped I’d find a clue down here. Or...up here? I’m still a little confused how I got here.” Chuck laughed. “Well, I do still have SOME power. I may not be able to leave, but that didn’t prevent me from creating a portal within that pipe for you. You see, I could have let you traverse the vast labyrinth that lied beneath that red pipe, and you would indeed have found the artifact. But I had a better idea.” He put out his hand and closed his eyes. A golden light formed a shining ball in his palm, which swirled and morphed, materializing in a pair of shimmering, golden gauntlets. “Ah, here we are,” Chuck said, panting slightly. “I wasn’t sure I could pull that off.” “Is that the last artifact?” Trent asked excitedly. “It is,” Chuck replied, handing him the gloves. “These will increase your strength tenfold when you wear them,” he explained. “Use them well.” “Thank you!” Trent said, exasperated. “At last...I have all four artifacts! Now I can finally defeat the Master of Darkness, and return peace to the realm!” Chuck smiled. “Yes. There’s one last thing you need to know, however. The way into the Realm of Darkness.” “Oh! I forgot about that!” Trent said. “Back in your present time, there is a sphere of Darkness in the center of the Air Kingdom’s capital city. That is no ordinary explosion. It has torn a rift between the realms. Enter that orb, and you will find yourself at the gates of the Fortress of Darkness. From there, it is all up to you. Good luck, Trent Haughn.” “I won’t let you down,” Trent said confidently. “I promise!” “Good. Now, get back to your own time, and defeat the Darkness!”

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The words echoed in Trent’s ears as the world swirled around him. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the dark street outside of the crater that was once his house. Lights were clicking on in the surrounding houses. Trent slipped on the gloves and climbed into the car parked behind him. “Get ready, Master of Darkness,” Trent said determinedly as he revved up the time machine, “your time is up!”

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CHAPTER XXXV: BACK TO THE FUTURE

The DeLorean screeched to a halt outside the ball of Darkness that was once downtown Kloudnein. “How did it go?” Doc asked. He was standing in the same spot he had been when Trent left. “Great!” Trent said, hopping out of the car. “It works perfectly.” “Hah! I told you!” Doc said excitedly. “Yeah, you were right!” Trent called over his shoulder as he ran toward the sphere of blackness, stopping at its very edge. “Here goes nothing,” he said, taking a deep breath. Trent Drew his sword and charged forward. The world went black. “M-m-master!” AJ yelled frantically, scurrying into the dark room. “He is here! Trent Haughn has arrived in our realm! He is right outside the gates!” “I know,” said the hooded man standing at the window. He stared out into the courtyard, watching a tall, red-headed man run toward the castle. “Do you know why he is here, my loyal servant?” His words were sharp, stabbing bitterly through the cold air. “Because he is a vile, nasty monster of the Light!” AJ spat. “NO, YOU FOOL!” the other man roared. “He is here because you have failed me too many times!” “M-master! P-p-please! Forgive me!” AJ pleaded, cowering in the corner. “FORGIVENESS!” he boomed. “YOU ASK ME, OF ALL PEOPLE, FOR FORGIVENESS, YOU WORM?” AJ squealed something that was barely audible. The hooded man fell silent, breathing heavily as he calmed himself. “Yes...yes,” he said at last, slowly. “You will have one more chance to prove your worth. You have one last weapon that should prove efficient.” “You mean...I get to summon...” AJ began, an air of mystified excitement in his voice. “Yes. Call them. And for your sake, they had better succeed,” the man said threateningly. “I have saved you one too many times before. This time, if you fail, I will show no mercy.” “Yes, master!” AJ squeaked. “Of course, master!” He scrambled to his feet and hurried out of the room. The other man stood silently, looking back out across his kingdom. “Is this your will?” he said quietly. “That I should be defeated?” A sudden gust of wind wafted in through the open window, wrapping itself around the man before vanishing. “...Am I truly so easily discarded?” he said at last. “Fine. Your plans shall continue even when I have gone. But do not think I will accept this fate. I will destroy Trent Haughn and finish things my way.” The wind returned, howling loudly in the man’s ears. “I don’t care if the plans have changed!” the man yelled over its roar. “I am the Master of Darkness! This is my realm, and I will do with it as I see fit!” The gale intensified. “ENOUGH!” the Master screamed. “I WILL SERVE YOU NO LONGER! LEAVE MY DOMAIN, AND NEVER RETURN!” The whirlwind ended suddenly. The Master of Darkness fell to his knees, panting heavily. “This...is my...world...” he whispered weakly. “I...will not...give up...what is mine.”

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He grabbed the window sill and slowly pulled himself to his feet. He stared out across the courtyard again and spied Trent wrenching the castle gates open. “Trent Haughn, hero of Light,” the Master said slowly, “today, one of us will die. But even if you win, you will lose. We will all lose. There is no escaping our fate!” Thunder crashed overhead as he threw his head back and began to laugh. The maniacal, frenzied sound carried through the air, echoing throughout the room. “I AM WAITING! LET US END THIS!”

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CHAPTER XXXVI: ENEMIES, FRIENDS

Trent stood inside the wide entrance hall, hand on his sword. Outside there was a flash of lightning. “Master of Darkness!” he yelled. “I, Trent Haughn, Chosen One, have come for you! SHOW YOURSELF!” No response. “Are you afraid?” he yelled even louder. “Come and face me!” “The precious knows no fear,” a familiar voice floated through the still air. “AJ!” Trent called. “Where is he?” “He is here, above us in his chambers,” AJ said, slowly stepping out of the shadows, “but he will not dirty his hands with your filth. Instead...THEY will have the pleasure of destroying you.” AJ backed into the shadows and clapped his hands together. There was a loud bang as three bright spotlights burned down from the ceiling, illuminating the dark room. A dense fog filled the room, clouding Trent’s vision, and a series of loud pops and bangs filled the air. “AJ!” Trent yelled over the noise. “What are you doing? Show yourself! When I get my hands on you-“ Suddenly the fog vanished, and before him stood three figures that had not been there before. Each stood in front of a microphone stand and sported a guitar, and was dressed like some wanna-be rock star that Trent guessed appealed only to thirteen-year-old girls. Trent drew his sword. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Nick!” said the one on his right. “Kevin!” announced the middle one. “Joe!” the last chimed in. “We are...The Jonas Brothers!” they chanted in unison, striking a pose. “And you’re supposed to beat me?” Trent said, suppressing a laugh. They began to laugh. “You are no match for our powers!” Joe yelled. “But soon you will see,” Kevin sneered. “Soon everyone will see!” Nick shouted. “The world shall be ours!” they all yelled. All three began playing their guitars and singing into their microphones. The terrible noise filled the room, assaulting Trent’s ears with a force unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Trent dropped to his knees, hands clamped over his ears, but it was no use. Their horrendous ‘music’ pounded into his brain with the power of a million screaming fangirls. Trent’s head swam as the world around him went black. It was the worst pain he’d ever known, more torturous than any sick, twisted act imaginable. He fell, screaming, to the ground, writhing in agony. Was this the end? Had he come this close, only to be suffocated by this terrible noise at the gates of victory? Suddenly the madness was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass and a fourth guitar joined the cacophony. But this one was different. It blared over the other three, establishing its place as the dominant sound. It was a sound gentle and pleasing, yet mighty and forceful. Slowly Trent’s sight returned. He looked up to see Cheeseman standing over him, guitar in hand. Before them the Jonas Brothers were lying on the ground, screaming in agony. The power of Cheeseman’s pure, unadulterated rock was too much for their feeble minds. Trent watched in a mix of awe and horror as their faces melted. The screams ended and the room fell silent. Cheeseman put down his guitar and knelt down next to Trent. “You alright?” he asked. “I-I think so,” Trent said shakily, slowly getting to his feet. “What did you just do?”

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Cheeseman shrugged. “I guess they just couldn’t handle true music. It’s a good thing we got rid of them before they could spread that monstrosity across the world.” “Well, thanks for saving me,” Trent said. “That was really close. But, what exactly are you doing here?” “I’m not sure, to be honest,” Cheeseman admitted. “I was sitting at port in the Water Kingdom, waiting for word from the captain that we were shoving off. All of a sudden I just had this crazy urge to go to the Air Kingdom. I couldn’t explain it. So I got on a plane, and when I arrived, found myself in the middle of this huge battle. I jumped into the fray and the next thing I know, there’s an explosion and everything goes black. And now, here I am.” “Wow. Well, lucky for me you were here,” Trent said seriously. “By the way, have you seen any of the others?” “We’re right here!” Steve’s voice boomed across the empty hall. Trent turned to see him, Matt, and Brent entering through the open front door. “Guys! You’re all ok!” Trent said excitedly. “We couldn’t let you do it alone,” Brent said. “Good thing we got here when we did,” Matt said, inspecting the faceless corpses on the floor, “or Trent would have been a goner. Nice work, Cheeseman.” “I do what I can,” Cheeseman said humbly. “Well, now that we’re all here,” Steve said, “we should move on.” He motioned to the door ahead of them. “We’ve got a world to save.” “Right,” Trent agreed. “Let’s go.” They entered the next room and found themselves in a large room filled with wall-to-wall electronics. A wide monitor was positioned on the far wall. “Wow, look at all this stuff!” Steve said, sitting down at the computer. “I wonder what this is all for?” “I hadn’t expected the Master to be such a tech wizard,” Cheeseman noted, running his hand along a long piece of equipment. “Hey, look at this!” Steve said suddenly. They gathered around the monitor. ‘PROJECT FACEBOOK’ read in large red letters at the top of the screen. Beneath it were several screens, videos of what appeared to be the insides of jail cells. “Who are these people?” Brent said, studying the screen. “I don’t believe it!” Matt said, pointing to the screen. “Look, there’s King Taurus! And there, Leo and Aquarius! Where is this? Why are they locked up?” Steve typed something in on the keyboard and suddenly the screens changed. Now they looked to be positioned inside of castles. “No way!” Steve said in awe. “These are the palaces back in the Earth, Fire, and Water Kingdoms! And look, there are the kings! What in the world is going on?” “They’re fakes,” Trent said suddenly. “What?” Steve said, confused. “These ones, they’re frauds,” Trent said, pointing to the screen. “Copies working for the Master of Darkness. The real kings are locked up here in the castle somewhere!” “He’s right!” Brent said. “This explains why they were working for him! They’re just puppets!” “We have to find them!” Cheeseman said. “Steve, can you find a location?” Steve entered something else into the keyboard. “Let’s see...searching...searching...aha! The dungeons are in the west wing, third floor!” he said at last. “You guys go save them,” Trent said to the others. “I’ll handle the Master myself.”

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“I’m coming with you,” Matt said. “Fine,” Trent agreed. “Will the rest of you go search for the prisoners?” “We will,” Steve said, searching the page further. “And it looks like we might have more than just the kings to save. Look at this, there’s a whole bunch more people he’s replaced. It’s like this whole site is a tribute to his identity-theft.” “That’s terrible!” Matt said. “This thing ought to be destroyed.” “Agreed,” Steve said. “But I’m not sure what the best method would be for-“ Suddenly Trent jammed his sword into the computer. Sparks flew, the monitor shattered, and suddenly everything shut off. “Well, there’s one idea,” Matt said with a laugh. “I guess we’ll need to add computers to the list of things not to let Trent touch.” Trent shrugged. “Whatever works.” “Well, that’s that,” Brent said. “Let’s keep going.” “Right,” Steve said. “Come on, you three, we’ve got some prisoners to free.” They ran off up the stairs on the left. “Shall we?” Matt said, motioning to the staircase on the right. “We shall,” Trent agreed. The next room was the strangest yet. It looked like a classroom. A long whiteboard covered the back wall. A teacher’s desk, laden with heavy tomes, sat in the corner. Numerous desks littered the floor. There was a bang and a man appeared in a puff of smoke in the center of the room. He wore black robes and was bald, but had a thick moustache and wore glasses. “Welcome to the lair of Rick Hughes, the Calculus Wizard!” he said triumphantly. “You shall not escape this room alive!” “YOU!” Matt shouted, drawing his blades. “Ah, back for more are we, Mr. Schroeder?” Hughes said, noticing him. “Your last failure wasn’t enough for you?” he added with a sinister grin. “SHUT UP!” Matt roared. He leapt at Hughes, blades twirling. He swung, sliced, and jabbed faster than Trent thought possible, but the Calculus Wizard blocked each attack with a floating book that appeared from thin air. “You should have read the book!” he jeered, sending the barrage of texts hurtling toward Matt with a wave of his hand. “It’s a good book!” “Never!” Matt shouted, knocking the books out of the air with his swords. “Let’s see if you can solve this one!” Hughes laughed as a lengthy equation appeared on the board. Matt hesitated, unsure of what was about to happen. Suddenly the letters and numbers burned red and flew off the board one by one, rushing toward Matt, who dove under the nearest desk to avoid their magical assault. They slammed into the back wall, tearing a wide hole in it. “Trent!” Matt yelled from his hiding spot as Hughes summoned another formula, “there’s the door! GO!” “But what about you?” Trent called back. “I’ll be fine!” Matt replied, rolling out from under the desk as it exploded. “You’re the only one who can defeat the Master of Darkness. GO!” Trent wrestled with himself for a moment, struggling with the decision to leave Matt to his possible death. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITIN FOR?” Matt screamed, leaping from desk to desk, firing off a barrage of spells at Hughes. “GET OUT OF HERE!”

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“Fine!” Trent yelled at last. “Just don’t die!” He jumped over a desk and grabbed the doorknob. He wrenched it open, ran inside, and slammed the door shut. Trent fell onto a circular platform, hovering in midair over a pit he couldn’t see the bottom of. Darkness surrounded the platform’s sides. Trent turned around. The door was gone. Not only that, the whole wall was gone. He was alone on a floating island with no escape. Only he wasn’t alone. “Trent Haughn,” said a voice behind him. “I’ve been waiting.”

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CHAPTER XXXVII: TRENT HAUGHN

Trent slowly turned around to face his enemy. “This is it,” he said, voice shaking with excitement. “I’ve finally got you cornered, Master of Darkness.” “Do you?” his hooded opponent asked quietly. “Or is it I that have you cornered?” Trent laughed. “No. I’m going to win this fight. It’s my destiny.” “Destiny?” the Master repeated. “Hah. You know nothing of the cruel whims of fate. Had my destiny been fulfilled, neither of us would be standing here right now.” “Whatever,” Trent said, brushing off his comment. He didn’t care to hear the explanation. “I’m still going to defeat you. I’m going to save my Realm and my people.” The Master laughed. “If you say so. Well then, shall we begin?” “Sure,” Trent said. “I came here to fight, not to have a nice conversation over a cup of tea. But one thing first: take off your hood.” The Master did not move. “You will not like what you see.” “I’m sure I won’t,” Trent said angrily, frustrated that he was not cooperating. “But you’ve done terrible things to my people. I want to see the life leave your eyes when you die.” The Master chuckled. “My, you are quite cold-hearted, aren’t you? Maybe you are ready to know who I am.” He slowly reached up and grabbed his hood with both hands, then paused. “Behold...” Suddenly he moved his hands from his hood to the folds of his cloak and ripped it from his body. “My true form!” Trent staggered backward, mouth gaping widely, and almost fell over. He was staring face-to-face with himself. “You’re – but – how?” he staggered. “This can’t be possible! Who are you?” “I’m you,” his doppelganger replied. “We are one in the same. We have been this whole time.” “That’s impossible!” Trent said angrily. “Stop lying!” “I’m not lying,” the Master said seriously. “Do you know where we are? This arena is a physical manifestation of all the Darkness in our heart.” “Liar!” Trent yelled. “There is no Darkness in my heart! I’m the Chosen One!” The Master laughed. “Ah, yes. The ‘Chosen One.’ So many people have called you that, I’m sure. Don’t you realize who you really are, Trent? Think. What can you do, that no one else can?” Trent thought for a moment, and remembered a dream from so long ago, and then remembered all the times his gift had saved his life. “I’m the Master of Light, aren’t I?” Trent said at last. “Now you’re getting it!” his clone said, clapping. “Now, think. If Light and Darkness are meant to co-exist within a person...” “Then we really are the same person,” Trent said. The realization sunk into him like a lead weight. He knew in his heart that it was true. His Dark counterpart nodded. “Precisely.” “This doesn’t change anything,” Trent said. “I don’t care if you are me. I’ll still beat you. I have to.” “Very well,” his opponent said, drawing a sword from the sheath at his side. It had a blood-red blade and a lustrous black hilt. “Let us begin.” Trent charged forward, sword readied, and took a powerful swing. Sparks flew as the two blades met.

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“Brute force will get you nowhere,” Dark Trent said, repositioning himself to block Trent’s second blow. “I know all of your moves,” he said, parrying a third. He raised his hand and hurled a ball of Dark energy which collided with Trent’s chest, sending him flying backward. He landed with a thud on the platform, close to the edge. Trent leapt to his feet and charged again, assaulting his Dark self with a barrage of sword swings. Each strike was once again blocked. Dark Trent thrust his hand forward and a branching web of lightning burst forth from his fingers. Trent, familiar with this attack from his battle with Belcher, immediately ducked and rolled under his enemy’s assault, then leapt up and grabbed his outstretched arm. Trent heaved with all his might; his strength amplified tenfold by the gauntlets, and hurled the Master of Darkness over his shoulder, slamming him down onto the platform. Dark Trent vanished with a pop, reappearing behind Trent. Trent spun around to intercept the imminent attack but was too late. The hilt of his opponent’s sword drilled into his back, sending him to the ground. The Master of Darkness followed up his blow by leaping forward and stabbing forcefully at Trent, who caught the attack with his shield. The clang of metal on metal rang through the air as the Master jumped back to avoid Trent’s counter-attack. Trent pushed off the ground and tapped in to the magic of the cape around his shoulders, taking off into the air. He charged at his doppelganger, sword outstretched, but his enemy rolled out of the way just in time. Trent spun around and charged again, this time meeting with the Master’s sword. It was a powerful blow that knocked him off-balance and sent him careening to the floor. Trent landed shakily on his feet and thrust his hand forward, firing a sphere of Light at his other. The Master of Darkness blocked the attack with a Dark shield that he materialized in front of him. A ball of black magic surrounded Dark Trent’s fist as he leapt forward, throwing a mighty punch that nailed Trent in the jaw. As Trent fell backward from the force of the impact, he saw his Dark self vanish and then felt another magically-charged blow collide with the back of his head. He heard laughter behind him as he collapsed. “It would seem that we’re evenly matched,” the Master of Darkness said as Trent pulled himself slowly to his feet. “It would seem so,” Trent said, panting heavily. “But there’s one difference.” “Enlighten me,” his Dark self said with a snicker. “Tell me, Master of Darkness. Do you care at all about the people of your realm?” Trent asked. “You know that I do not,” the clone answered darkly. “They mean nothing to me.” “That’s where we differ,” Trent explained. “You have nothing to lose but your life and your pathetic dreams of dominating the Light Realm. But I have much more at stake. I care about my people. They’re not just pawns to me like they are to you.” Trent’s fists shook as he thought of Matt, Jo, Steve, and all the others. He had to win. For them. “I have friends,” Trent said slowly as a great power welled up within him. Narrow beams of Light began to burst forth from his body. “And I fight for my friends!” A massive surge of Light erupted from his body as the energy unleashed itself. Dark Trent screamed and was pinned to the floor by a white chain that materialized around his wrists and ankles. “What have you done?!” the Master of Darkness demanded, struggling against his bonds. “Stop! You can’t do this!” “I have to!” Trent yelled. The four artifacts floated away from his body, hovering in midair. They spun around, faster and faster, until they morphed together into a gigantic white blade. Trent took it in his hand and raised it high above his head.

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“Do it, then!” the Master of Darkness screamed. “Destroy me! But do you realize what will happen? We are the same!” “I don’t care if I die!” Trent yelled. “I have to do this! I HAVE TO!” He grabbed the hilt in both hands, took a deep breath, and plunged the blade into his own chest. The Master screamed in agony as the blade purged the Darkness from Trent’s heart. “What are you doing?!” he cried desperately. “Making sure you never return!” Trent gasped, forcing the blade deeper into his heart. “NO! YOU CAN’T, YOU FOOL!” the Master screamed. “DON’T YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE? AUUUGGHHHH! STOP!” His voice trailed off into the darkness as Trent lost consciousness.

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CHAPTER XXXVIII: MISSION COMPLETE

Trent awoke on a familiar patch of grass next to a stream. “Well, I did it,” he said, standing up. “Yes. Congratulations,” Chuck said with a smile. “You’ve done it.” “So what happens now?” Trent asked. “Is the Darkness gone?” Chuck shook his head. “You can never destroy the Darkness, just those who use it. Light and Darkness must exist in harmony. They are like two sides of the same coin.” “Yeah. My Dark self said something similar,” Trent said. “Your...Dark self?” Chuck asked curiously. “Yeah. It turns out that I was the Master of Darkness,” Trent explained. “Well, the Dark part of my heart, anyway. Incidentally, I’m also the Master of Light.” Chuck stroked his beard. “Interesting...I had many theories on the true nature of the Master of Darkness. I’m glad one of my more outrageous ideas turned out to be true.” Trent laughed. “Yeah, this could have been so much more boring if it had just been some guy.” Chuck chuckled. “Indeed.” “Chuck, is the curse broken now? Are you free?” Trent asked hopefully. Chuck nodded. “My power is slowly returning. I should be able to leave here soon.” “That’s great!” Trent said happily. “So, where will you go?” “I’m not sure,” Chuck said. “I tend to wander from place to place. I usually even disguise myself so people don’t recognize me.” “Why would you do that?” Trent asked, confused. “Well, when you’ve seen some of the things I have, you can appreciate what it’s like to just step back and experience life from another’s shoes,” Chuck said. “And I’ve seen quite a lot.” “Chuck, this may be out of line,” Trent started. “I assure you, whatever you’d like to say is perfectly acceptable,” Chuck interrupted. “Oh, good. Chuck...just who...or what...are you?” Chuck smiled. “That’s a very difficult question to answer, but I’m glad you asked. Some would call me a guardian of the realms. Some would even consider me a god. Others would try to tell you that I’m just a myth. But I will make it simple. I am a man, with unique powers not unlike your own, who has existed in this Realm for centuries. I enjoy adventure, and strive to achieve peace between the realms. That is all you need to know, and all I will say on the subject.” “Fair enough,” Trent said. He would not push the subject if Chuck didn’t want to continue it. Trent looked out across the lake beside him. The setting sun made the water sparkle brilliantly in a rainbow of colors. “Chuck, I have one last question,” Trent said slowly as he turned back to Chuck. “If Light and Darkness are meant to co-exist, does that mean one cannot exist without the other?” “It does,” Chuck replied. “And that is what made the Master of Darkness’s plans so dangerous. If he had succeeded, the Realm of Light would have been destroyed, and consequently the Realm of Darkness as well.” “Chuck, I defeated him by stabbing myself with a Light-sword formed by the artifacts,” Trent said. “I thought if I destroyed the Darkness in my heart, the Master could never return.” “You were correct,” Chuck said. “There is no longer Darkness within you.” Trent sighed. “Then I’m dead.” “Well...yes and no,” Chuck said contemplatively. “You are certainly no longer a full being. Your body is comprised entirely of Light. By all means, you shouldn’t exist anymore. And yet, here you are.” “But how is that possible?” Trent asked. “And what does it mean for me?”

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“I’m not sure,” Chuck said. “This is a case I’ve never witnessed before. I will be very interested in watching this play out. As for you, I’d say you are an extremely lucky man, Trent. Some higher power must be watching out for you,” he added mysteriously. Trent could have sworn he saw a twinkle in his eye as he said it. “Chuck...you didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?” Trent asked suspiciously. “Remember that matter earlier that I said I wouldn’t talk about anymore?” Chuck said. “Yes...what about it?” Trent said, confused by the subject change. “Oh, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you remembered it,” Chuck said cryptically. “Ummm...Ok.” “Now, I think it’s about time for you to wake up,” Chuck said. “Huh?” Trent said, confused. “I am –“ His sentence was cut off as the world turned black and he drifted off.

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CHAPTER XXXIX: PEACE

Trent awoke in a soft bed, sunlight streaming in through a window to his right. He sat up and looked around. The small room was full of people. “Morning, sleeping beauty,” Matt said, grinning. A deep scar ran down the side of his face. “Morning,” Trent said. “What’s for breakfast?” “As usual, Trent Haughn thinks only of his stomach,” Ricker noted with a laugh. “I’d say he deserves some food after what he’s been through,” Snake growled. “Steve, you’re a pretty good cook, aren’t you?” “I guess,” Steve said. “But it would probably be easier to just go get some food from the cafeteria.” “Well, what are we waiting for, then?” Brent piped up. “Come on, Cheeseman, let’s go get him something.” “Sure thing,” Cheeseman agreed as they left the room with Steve. “So, where am I?” Trent asked. “Solaris HQ,” Ricker said proudly. “Floor two, infirmary. Sorry we couldn’t spring for a bigger room.” “I thought the building was destroyed?” Trent said. “You know, along with half the city?” “It was,” Matt explained. “But after you worked your magic back in the Dark Realm, the Darkness vanished and everything reappeared. Buildings, people, everything. We just kind of popped back here.” “And the Kings?” Trent asked. “How did the rescue mission go?” “It was a complete success,” Ricker said happily. “The clones vanished, the soldiers ‘snapped out of it,’ if you will, and the rightful kings are back on their thrones. Seems like everything’s back to normal.” “Yeah, except the rest of the world knows all about everything that’s happened in the war,” Snake added. “The kings were quick to spread the word...and you’ve become quite a celebrity,” he added with a rough laugh. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go get some food myself.” “Well, that’s good to hear,” Trent said as Snake left the room. “Though I’m not sure how I feel about this ‘celebrity’ thing.” “I hear you,” Ricker said with a sigh. “I’ve gotten pretty famous myself...in fact, I’ve got a press meeting outside town hall in ten minutes. I’ll see you around, Trent,” he added as he vanished in a green whirlwind. “So, how about that Calculus Wizard?” Trent asked Matt, the only one left in the room. “Hah! I showed him what was up!” Matt said triumphantly. “Our battle lasted a while, but in the end my charm and good looks were too much for his bitter old mind. I got an opening and ripped his head from his shoulders.” “Lovely,” Trent said, sure that the expression was meant to be taken literally. “Yeah. He didn’t leave me unscratched, though,” Matt said, pointing to the scar on his cheek. “Never again will I underestimate the power of an antiderivative.” Trent laughed. “Of course you will.” “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Matt admitted. Someone knocked on the door. Matt went to see who it was. “Ah, we were wondering when you’d get here,” he said as he cracked the door open. “Listen, Trent, I’ll see you later. We’ve still got a lot of stuff to do! But I’m gonna leave you alone for now.” He opened the door and in walked Jo. She was even more beautiful than Trent remembered. Matt flashed Trent a quick thumbs up and then closed the door behind him.

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“Well, I didn’t kill myself,” Trent said with a weak smile. Jo laughed. “I missed you,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck. “I missed you, too,” Trent said. “But now there’s nothing to keep us apart.” “Except for all of your appearances and speeches,” she pointed out. “You’re kind of famous now.” “That’s what I’ve been hearing,” Trent said with a sigh. “But, at least no one’s trying to kill me anymore.” “Yeah, it’s nice to have some peace and quiet for once,” Jo said quietly. “But this doesn’t mean that your adventures are over.” “Yeah, I guess this is like the start of a brand new adventure.” They stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments. “I’m really hungry,” Trent said at last. “Oh, way to kill the mood!” Jo said angrily. “What? Steve and the others never came back with my food!” “Oh, fine,” Jo said with a laugh. “Let’s go get some, then.” “Good plan.” Trent got up and they walked hand in hand to the cafeteria. “A new adventure,” Trent thought to himself, a warm smile on his face.

THE END

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CHAPTER XL: ANOTHER SIDE, ANOTHER STORY

For five cruel years my people have suffered.

They live every day in fear of an unconquerable foe. I wonder: does he know? Did he realize the consequences of his actions And press on regardless, Knowing it was the only choice? Or did he act in ignorance? I shall never know. Yet, here we are, living in the chaos he has wrought. How many must lose their lives, Their homes, Their family

To satisfy the hunger of our foe, The twisted creation of his deeds? Something must be done. Something will be done. I will do it.

It may mean my life. No, I will do it. Hear me, my brethren! We can save ourselves, If only we heed the call. And so, Heed my call! Join me in arms against our enemy! We can find a solution. We can save our people. Even if it means... ...No, there will be an alternative. But if there isn’t? ...Then so be it. Hark!

Can you hear it? The winds of change are blowing.

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Appendix A: How This Story Came to Be

It all began one day in study hall. I was sitting contently next to my good buddy Trent Haughn. He turned to me and asked a most innocent question. “I have to write a speech for graduation,” he said to me. I understood. He was salutatorian. Of course he did. “Want to help?” “Leave it to me!” I said confidently. Of course, I had no intention of writing a serious paper. I mean, really. Me? Serious? And so I began to write. I no longer have the paper, and cannot remember most of it, but to make a long story short, it was a short essay depicting the fictional life of our dear Mr. Haughn, from his birth four score and seven years ago in a galaxy far away, to his childhood romps through the forest of death and sharp pointy objects, where he would wrestle bears with his bare hands, to his discovery of his magic (talking) sword, his slaying of the Jonas Brothers, and finally ended with him leaving on a search for the Grand Master of All Things Evil. Quite the tall tale, you may say. And I’d likely agree. Yet, something in my heart told me, “Take up the pen! Finish the story!” But I could not. It was too outrageous. An ending would not do it justice. And so, and alternative appeared: Start over. But this time, be serious. Now, let me reiterate. I have already made it clear that I am not a serious person. I simply meant that I would write a story with an actual plot, character development, true conflict. It would have all the markings of a fantastic epic, a journey through the eyes of my wild imagination into the deepest recesses of my mind. And so it began. And, shortly thereafter, began again. And eventually a third time. (You must understand, I am horrendous at composing openings. You can only imagine how long it took me to write the one I finally decided on) So I wrote. And I wrote. And I continued to write at every possible opportunity. It consumed me. (You see, I had five study halls a day at this point in the year. I needed this to keep me from losing my mind...though some would say that it caused me to) At last, the story was completed. I was ecstatic. Yet...something was wrong. I re-read what I had written, and knew it wasn’t as good as it could be. In fact, it still isn’t. But we must draw the line somewhere...nothing in life is perfect. I also needed a way to distribute my creation to the masses. A singular tattered notebook wouldn’t do to satisfy my fans (believe it or not, I had developed quite a few. Many of whom, I am sure, wait patiently for their copy as I write this) So I began to type. Started over from the beginning. Edited. Proofread. Rewrote. And in the end, I was happy. And hopefully, so are you, having now read my ‘masterpiece.’ Or perhaps you’re not. And if you’re not, tell me so. I hope that you’ve realized by now that I plan to write a sequel. I’d love feedback on what I could do better next time. So, tell me my work sucks. Tear apart my shameless parodies. Crush my long-thought out plotline before my very eyes. I won’t care. I’ll either take your words to heart, or laugh and dismiss them. And so, I would like to thank you, the reader, for taking the time out of your likely busy schedule to indulge yourself in the mindless ramblings of a starving artist. You do me great honor by acknowledging my work. Thank you.

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Appendix B: The Lost Musical Number You could say that this book was meant to be a literary musical. I’d hoped to implement some ‘musical numbers’ periodically throughout the story. You may wonder how that is possible...well, let me give you an example in the form of the only song that came to fruition. This number, ‘Trent Haughn,’ was in the original draft of this book, but left out of the final because I felt it caused too much deviation from an already deviated plot. This takes place during Trent and Co’s trip to the Death Star, and goes to the tune of ‘Gaston’ from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. It was written in the normal story format, but I have eliminated all but the spoken lines so that you may appreciate the lyrics. (SBM=Steve, Matt, and Brent) Matt: Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Trent Haughn, looking so down in the dumps, Every guy here’s love to be you, Trent Haughn, even when taking your lumps. There’s no one around as admired as you, you’re everyone’s favorite guy, Everyone’s awed and inspired by you, and it’s not very hard to see whyyy... No one’s slick as Trent Haughn, No one’s quick as Trent Haughn, No one spent junior prom in bed sick like Trent Haughn! For there’s no one you can so believe in, perfect; a pure paragon, You can ask any Matt, Brent, or Steven, And he’ll tell you whose team he’d prefer to be on! SBM: No one’s been like Trent Haughn, knocks down pins like Trent Haughn, Matt: And in any event, no one wins like Trent Haughn! Trent: As a challenger, yes, I’m intimidating! All: My, what a guy that Trent Haughn! SBM: No one knows like Trent Haughn, no one shows like Trent Haughn, Matt: No one drives while changing their clothes like Trent Haughn! There is no man as burly and brawny, Trent: As you see, I’ve got biceps to spare! Matt: Not a bit of him scraggly of scrawny... Trent: That’s right! And I’ve got a great six-pack, you’ll see it right there! SBM: No one hits like Trent Haughn, matches wits like Trent Haughn, Matt: In a spitting match, nobody spits like Trent Haughn! Trent: I’m especially good at expectorating! P’tooey! All: Ten points for Trent Haughn! Trent: When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me gain size, And now that I’m grown I eat five dozen eggs, now I’m practically seven feet high! SBM: No one ducks like Trent Haughn, has great luck like Trent Haughn, Matt: No one drives their car into a truck like Trent Haughn! Trent: I use duct tape in all of my decorating! All: My what guy...Trent Hauuuughn!

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Appendix C: Acknowledgements: I’d like to thank quite a few people for the making of this book. -Trent Haughn, obviously, for being a good sport -Nick Belcher, for ideas and being the best neighbor ever -AJ Burwell, for volunteering himself as a comical bad guy, and also for the infamous last-day-of-school incident -Anyone who is a character in this book, for inspiration -Willie L. Morris IV, for pointing out that the Roman numeral for 40 is not XXXX -The Ottawa-Glandorf school system, for giving me so much free time -Rick Hughes, because I feel obligated to - Timmy, for popcorn and koolaid (seriously though it would go great with this book) -Matt Schwertner, for introducing me to the wonders of disc golf and being an all-around badass -God, because it’s cliché -Pre-Gamecube era Nintendo, because the N64 rocks my socks -Every movie I’ve ever seen, every book I’ve ever read, and every person who’s ever heard me complain about facebook -The OGHS band room, because the spirit of my locker will live on forever -The Beatles, because they rock -Adolph Sax, just because -Pre-Jerry Lewis McDonald’s, because it was awesome -Trent Haughn, because he’s important enough to thank twice -Everyone who’s put up with me for this long, especially Kaitlin Schroeder who should probably make me a sandwich sometime -The Hot Flyer sandwich and KU pizza, because I could eat them for the rest of my life and be happy -Billy Mays, may he rest in peace, because his voice is powerful -Stuart Hill, because it has made me a better person and because bike races are amazing -Anyone who has actually taken the time to read all of this junk -And finally, once again, the reader, for enjoying this book