The Darkness From Below
Part III
(Opening Theme-"Paint It Black" by Rolling Stones)

    Cecil looked across the table at the assembled heroes, once again reunited to 
face this new threat.  Yang, King of Fabul, and Karate Master; Palom and Porom, 
the twin Wizards from Mysidia; Edge, the Ninja King of Elban; Edward, Prince of 
Damcyan; Cid, the Master Engineer of Baron; not to mention Rosa and himself.  
Cecil wore gleaming armor made of Adamant metal, and gauntlets made out of super-
hard Crystal material.  He smiled sadly at his assembled friends, as they looked 
askance of him.
    "My friends," Cecil began, looking out at each.  "A new threat has emerged from 
the Underworld.  One that threatens to destroy the delicate balance that we have 
forged after the fall of Zeromus and my brother.  This new threat is called Oni, 
and he may be the most powerful creature we have ever known."
    "Hah!  We can take 'im," Edge sneered.  "We kicked Zeromus' ass, and we'll 
kick his too.  Now … where's the Babe?"
    Cecil grimaced.  "Rydia has already been captured by Oni."
    A murmur came up from the assembled heroes at that last.  Cecil raised a hand, 
and they fell silent.  
    "We suspect that Oni, like Golbez, is after the eight Crystals of the Earth.  
He has already taken the one guarded by the Dwarves, and it is possible that he 
has already assembled the rest of the remaining Dark Crystals."
    "So what do we do?" Porom, the female twin asked.
    "The Underground is too vast for us to stop him there," Cecil replied.  "While 
we're running around trying to figure out where Oni will strike next, he can already 
have the other two and heading for the forth.  Therefore, we will have to wait until 
he rises to the surface for the other four." Cecil then indicated a world map on the 
table.  The others leaned forward to watch, as he continued on.  "The Underground 
spreads out from this point, Agart.  Now, we're assuming that Oni will choose 
to simply fly out via the crater there, instead of blasting his way to the surface, 
to save his energy.  The closest Crystal to there is the one in Mysidia, which is 
where we'll assemble our forces."
    "Alright!  We get to whoop this guy's butt in my hometown!" Palom exulted, 
right before his twin sister smacked him over the head.  
    Cecil nodded gravely at him.  "Right.  We leave for Mysidia in four hours.  
Cid, you think you can get your airship prepped by then?"
    Cid grinned. "Are you kidding?  I can have the damn thing ready in four 
minutes, if that's what you need!"
    Cecil nodded.  "Right.  OK, everyone, get ready.  We leave at noon." 
    "Am I invited?"
    Everyone in the room turned, as a figure emerged from the open doorway.  His 
bright green armor, forged from ultra-hard dragon scales, gleamed in the torchlight.  
In one hand he held a long, gleaming lance of ivory, a helmet made in the form of 
a dragon's head in the other.  Another lance was strapped to his back, as well as 
a shield.  He smiled at them, his long blonde hair framing his rugged face.
    "Kain!" Rosa cried, running to her friend and embracing him.  He hugged her 
back, a  wistful look on his face.  Cecil walked up and clapped him on the 
shoulder.
    "Good to see you again, old friend," the paladin said, also sharing an 
embrace with the dragoon knight.  "I noticed you didn't show up for the 
wedding."
    Kain shrugged.  "I had some inner demons of my own to slay.  I went to 
Mt. Ordeals, and …" he trailed off, a haunted look crossing his face.  He 
shook his head.  "It doesn't matter now.  I came as soon as I heard that the 
monsters were reappearing again."
    After the others had finished welcoming Kain back to the group, they 
departed to their guest quarters, to rest and prepare for the coming battle.  
Only Cecil and Rosa were left.  The white wizard walked up to her husband, and 
embraced him.  He put his arms loosely around him, but his face was concerned.
    "It'll be alright, my love," she whispered, looking up into his clear blue 
eyes.  "We'll get Rydia back, and then we'll destroy Oni."
    Cecil nodded, but somehow, he had trouble believing it …

******************

    Oni stood at the dais of the fourth and last Dark Crystal.  The other three 
floated behind him, suspended in the air by the whim of his will.  They surrounded 
him in their unholy glow as he walked up the steps to the Crystal.  He touched 
it, and felt the surge of power as it bonded itself to him.  With a gesture of 
his hand, it floated over to join the others behind him.  Opening the pouch at 
his side, he mentally commanded them to enter it.  
    His powers had grown exponentially with each crystal he took; already it 
seemed almost too much for his physical form to contain.  And he still needed 
four more Crystals in order to reach his goal.  Golbez had been a fool; all this 
power at his command, and all he had thought they were good for was going to the 
blasted moon!  Hell, with the rush of power he felt now, he thought he was strong 
enough to *fly* to the moon without much effort.  Of course, that moon had already 
spun out of orbit to some unknown location, not that it mattered.  It wasn't the 
Moon he was interested in, after all.
    Slightly light-headed from the incredible rush of power the Crystal had given 
him, he slowly walked down the dais, the only sound the click of his clawed feet 
against the crystal floor.  He left the crystal chamber, but as he was preparing 
to take flight across the bridge, a voice came from behind him.
    "STOP, INTRUDER!" it bellowed in a thin, rasping voice.  Oni turned quickly, 
and looked for what had adressed him.  At first he saw only the wall; then, 
incredibly, it melted over the doorway.  A massive skeleton formed, trapped 
half-in and half-out of the enormous wall.  It slowly began to move towards 
him.  
    "I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE CRYSTAL FOR ALL ETERNITY!" it boomed.  "NOW YOU 
SHALL DIE FOR YOUR TRESPASS!"
    Oni simply smiled at it, and held out a hand, palm towards the approaching 
monster, as if telling it to halt.  A pulse of tremendous energy went through 
his body, collected at his hand, and exploded out at the approaching wall.  It 
shrieked as the power surged through its form, crumbling it to dust within 
seconds.  Soon, there was nothing left except the wall, now reverted to normal.  
    Snorting derisively, he turned to the hooded female that had appeared 
beside him.  She wore tight-fitting black armor and carried a black leather 
whip at her side.  She looked at him expressionlessly, green eyes dimly 
twinkling in the darkness of her hood.  Smiling, Oni beckoned to her, 
crossing the bridge that led to the outside.  She followed him obediently, 
her green eyes never once leaving the back of his head …

******************

    Kain stood at the gates of Mysidia, looking out at the rolling ocean.  
Behind him stood a dozen of the town's strongest Black Magicians, clad in 
blue robes and bizarre straw hats.  Despite their rather goofy appearance, 
however, each fairly crackled with magical power.  Kain just hoped it would 
be enough.
    Cecil walked up behind him.  "Kain?" he said, putting a hand on his 
friend's shoulder.  
    "Yes?"
    "There's something I've been meaning to ask you … what *did* happen 
to you at Mount Ordeals?"
    The dragoon warrior sighed heavily.  "I suppose you do have a right 
to know.  After we destroyed Zeromus, I expected the remaining shadows of 
his control to just fade away.
    "They didn't."
    The two stood silently, watching the ocean crash on the beach.  After 
a short time, Kain continued. 
    "I discovered that part of me still wanted Rosa … and that I resented 
you because she had chosen you.  I was afraid that I might … relapse … if I 
saw the two of you together.  Which is why I avoided your wedding."
    Kain paused again.  "I knew I couldn't go on avoiding the two of you 
forever, and nor did I want to.  So, I went to Mount Ordeals, where you 
faced down your darkness, and attempted to do the same."
    Another pause.  "And?" Cecil prompted.
    "I wasn't sure it would work … but I had to try something.  I went 
into the mirror chamber, and there I fought my dark side to the death.  The 
thing is … I'm not sure which one of us won."
    "What do you mean?" Cecil asked.
    Kain opened his mouth to speak, but just then the lookout bellowed.
    "HERE HE COMES!"
    "Shit," Kain whispered.  He turned back to Cecil.  "Quick, get back to your 
post."
    The paladin paused.  "Kain …"
    "Go!"
    Reluctantly, Cecil retreated to the Crystal Chamber, where the rest of the 
heroes waited in case Oni got past Kain and the wizards.  As he entered the house 
where it was located, he looked back at his friend, who, lance at the ready, was 
preparing to face whatever came.  "Good luck," he whispered, then turned away.

******************

    When Oni landed at the beach, there was no sign of life to be found.  No small 
children laughing and casting cantrips upon the fish; no wizards, meditating upon 
the gentle roll of the waves; not even the monsters that had recently began to 
increase in number again were anywhere in sight.  Oni landed, folding his wings 
against his back, and turned to the female that floated lightly beside him.  As 
he turned, she gently touched down, the orb of crackling energy that kept her 
afloat dissipating into the air.  The hood still shrouded her face from sight.  
With Oni in the lead, they walked up to the town, Oni leaving fused-glass 
footprints behind him.
    They were only 20 yards away from the town entrance when the wizards attacked.  
Every spell imaginable was hurled at the two; lightning bolts crashed and boomed, 
fireballs seared through the air, massive chunks of ice rained from the sky, and 
even burning meteors crashed down upon them.  An enormous cloud of smoke rose 
from the attacks, and when it cleared, Oni and his companion were unharmed, 
floating easily in midair above a large crater. They floated over to the edge 
and kept walking, their pace unchanged.
    The wizards then began gathering all their magic into one massive attack, 
after they had realized that individual attacks weren't working.  Their magical 
powers convalesced into a massive orb flying above their heads, shimmering and 
crackling as they poured all their energy into it.  Surges of power occasionally 
jumped out, lightning-like, and struck at the two attackers.  Unphased by both 
the surges and the massive orb of pure magical energy that floated above the 
wizards' heads, the continued to advance relentlessly.
    The orb had grown to the size of a building, blotting out the sun and 
bathing the faces clenched in concentration below it in pinkish-white light.  
Finally, the orb could hold no more, and the wizards cried out as one;
    "ULTIMATE WHITE METEO!!!"
    The orb suddenly burst forth like an egg hatching, as an enormous meteor, 
crackling and shooting out bolts of pure white energy, smashed out of it and 
rushed at the two attackers.  For the first time, they drew back in fear, 
Oni barely managing to erect an energy barrier before the massive combined 
attack struck him dead-center…

***********SHRAKA-TOOOOOM!!!!!! ***********

    The meteor hit with the destructive force of a dozen atomic bombs, 
channeled into a single ten-foot-wide column to protect the town from the 
awesome blast.  The entire earth shook, forcing several of the villagers 
to grab a wall or each other to steady themselves.  The glare alone was 
enough to blind the few foolish enough to look directly at the blazing 
column of white fire.  Yet, even over the roar of the reverberating 
explosion and the cheers of the wizards, Oni and his companion's screams of 
agony could be heard quite clearly.  When the towering inferno finally died 
down, the area of the blast had been turned into a massive, twenty-feet-deep 
crater of fused ground.  The town was now dead-silent, except for the roar 
of the ocean and the hiss of the rapidly-cooling earth.  Finally, a 
particularly brave wizard stepped up to the side of the crater and looked 
in.  At the bottom lay Oni and his companion, unmoving.  Oni was bleeding 
from what looked like a thousand cuts and wounds, and the woman was face-
down, her cloak and most of the armor obliterated.  Her hair, he noted, was 
green.  Next to the massive body of the demon was the pouch that, 
presumably, held the four Dark Crystals
    The wizard was about to call back to his companions the news of their 
victory, when Oni's eyes suddenly flew open.  The eyes glowed with a 
combination of rage, pain … and fear.  Moving slowly, every inch of his body 
in incredible pain, he inched his way over to the pouch.  They glowed dimly, 
growing brighter with every agonized movement the demon made.  He reached 
out a hand for the pouch.  The wizard, temporarily stunned by the movement, 
quickly cast a lightning spell.  It smashed into the demon's forearm, 
blasting the meat off of his black bones, but still Oni reached … reached …
    And then it was in his hand.  Instantly, a pulse of blue light rushed 
through the demon's form.  The wounds all over his body closed up, as the 
Crystals restored him to full vitality.  Still holding the pouch in his 
right hand, he stood, glaring up at the wizard.  He pointed at him with 
a single finger, eyes blazing with crimson energy.  A pulse shot through 
him, exiting through the outstretched claw …
    The chest of the wizard suddenly exploded outward, blood and entrails 
blasting out of his body and into the open air.  With a sickening gurgle, 
the wizard fell into the pit, breaking his neck in the impact, mercifully 
ending his life.  As Oni walked to the edge, he stomped one huge foot down 
upon the unfortunate wizard's head, crushing it like a grapefruit.  He 
glared up at the edge, then glanced over to his companion, who still lay 
face-down on the ground.  Walking over to her, he laid one massive hand 
upon her neck, as another pulse of light went through his body and into 
hers.  She jerked, instantly returned to life.  She stood somewhat shakily, 
but soon regained her balance and walked over the edge alongside Oni.  
Together, they began to climb the sheer wall of the crater, Oni using 
his long, black claws and his companion using her fingers to dig into the 
dirt.  Almost at the same time, the emerged over the edge, glaring up at 
a shocked group of wizards and one very surprised dragoon.  The look of 
surprise turned to abject horror as he finally realized who it was that 
stood alongside the massive demon.
    "Rydia …?" he whispered.
    Roaring, the two charged the group of wizards.  Greatly weakened, the group 
could do nothing more than cast a few low-level attacks which the two batted 
away almost carelessly.  Then they were upon them, Rydia ripping and clawing at 
the sorcerers as ferociously as Oni.  She drew her whip, and wrapped it around 
one unfortunate retreater's ankle.  He let out a short, blood-curdling shriek as 
his eyes exploded and his brain hemorrhaged.  Rydia then snapped it back, cutting 
off the current and allowing the poor man to fall to the ground, smoking and very 
much dead.
    By this time, Kain had managed to recover from the shock of seeing his friend 
corrupted, and joined the fight.  Leaping high into the air, he drew his lance and 
plummeted straight for the demon.  Oni heard a whistling sound and turned in the 
direction it was coming from, just in time to see Kain drive the lance towards 
him at suicidal speed.  Instinctively, Oni jumped back, and the lance only slashed 
an half-inch thick gash through his stomach as opposed to being driven completely 
through it.  The demon bellowed in rage and pain as the purity of the White lance 
canceled out the hellish toughness of his skin, slicing through it and splattering 
black blood in a wide fan.  Clutching the wound in one hand, he summoned his 
massive battle-axe in the other, and engaged the dragoon in battle.  The two 
weapons smashed against one another brutally, sparking as the two polarities 
clashed again and again.  Finally Oni was able to disarm the dragoon by smashing 
the flat of his axe against Kain's weapon arm.  The toughness of the dragon skin 
armor prevented his arm from being shattered by the blow, instead turning the 
entire limb numb and, unfortunately for him, useless.  Oni drew back for the final 
blow, then hesitated for a split-second.  Instead of driving the edge of the blade 
against the dragoon's neck, severing his head, he smashed him with the flat of 
the axe, driving the dragoon instantly into unconsciousness.  Ignoring the baleful, 
inquiring look from Rydia, who was now fairly covered in the blood of those she 
once called allies, he stepped over the dragoon's limp body, motioning for her 
to do the same.

******************

    Inside the Crystal chamber, the heroes were, understandably, quite livid 
at the revelation of Oni's companion's identity.  
    "Man!" Edge cried.  "What happened to Rydia?!?"
    "Rydia …" Rosa whispered in disbelief.
    "First Kain … now this …" Cecil whispered in shock.
    "Most uncool," Palom offered.
    They had very little time to recover, however, for almost immediately Oni 
leveled the stone enclosure that surrounded the Elder's house with one blazing 
fist.  He easily dispatched the guard to the left, and Rydia obliterated the 
one on the right with her Virus spell.  Great sores suddenly opened up on the 
guard's skin, spreading until they covered his entire body.  His skin then split 
open all over his form, leaking blood and yellowish pus.  The guard fell to the 
ground, moaning and dying a slow, twitchy death.  Ignoring him, Oni and Rydia 
stormed into the Crystal chamber.  
    The heroes wasted no time in attacking the demon.  Rosa immediately fired 
an enchanted arrow at Oni, which sunk into his shoulder.  As the demon bellowed 
in pain and anger, Edge flitted in and delivered a double-slash with his two 
blades, barely dodging the demon's claws.  However, Rydia chose that moment to 
move forward, smashing her armored fist into Edge's face.  The ninja hit the 
ground hard, and looked up dazedly at his love, who merely glared coldly back 
at him.  Her hands crackled with corrupted energy as she stalked towards him.
    "Why, babe?  Why …?" he pleaded, backpedaling as well as he could.
    Rydia smiled, revealing a set of teeth that were far too sharp.  "Because 
I can, lover boy."
    Fireballs suddenly shot out of her hands, crashing into Edge's chest and 
exploding.  He screamed in pain as he flew backwards, his chest burning and 
blistered from the vicious attack.  He hit the floor and passed out, hurt 
severely. 
    "EDGE!!!" Cecil cried, temporarily taking his eyes off of Oni.  The demon 
capitalized, connecting with a huge fist into the side of the paladin's face.  
As the knight staggered, Oni raised his axe for the final blow …
    "TWIN ATTACK!"
    A blast of intense magic energy seared into Oni's chest, preventing him 
from striking the blow and sending him staggering back a step.  He looked up at 
where the two twins were standing side-to-side, their dual auras blazing with 
power as they faced him with the boldness only the very young can accomplish in 
the face of death.
    Oni smiled at them, fangs glittering in the Crystal's light.  He raised 
his fist, opened it palm-up …
    And suddenly a pillar of red Hellfire exploded from the floor of the 
chamber, catching the twins in a horrific inferno.  The two screamed as the 
power surged through their small bodies … and then they screamed no more.  The 
fire faded, and two blackened skeletons clattered to the floor, mouths frozen 
open in an eternal skull-scream.  
    "NOOOO!!!" Cecil screamed, and swung the Crystal sword in a vicious arc.  
Oni barely managed to block it with his axe.  The two battled for control, 
staring each other down over the crossed weapons.  None came to either's aid … 
Cid and Yang were busy attempting to fight off the corrupted Rydia, while Rosa 
and Edward were attending to Edge's horrific burns.  
    The demon's muscles bulged as he strained to overpower the holy knight.  
Ordinarily, there wouldn't have even been a contest; Oni would have batted 
the sword away like a toy and severed the hero's head immediately.  However, 
there was something different about this one … almost as though a higher power 
were channeling its will through this being …
    Seeing that he was unable to overpower Cecil, Oni began to drain power from 
the Crystals.  The Water Crystal on its dais began to pulse with a green-blue 
light as its brothers gave their power over to the demon, enabling him to break 
the stalemate.  Catching the Crystal sword inbetween the blades of his axe, Oni 
ripped the sword away from the paladin and flung it towards the wall.  He then 
followed up with a surprisingly agile spin-kick, slashing across Cecil's face 
with his serrated bone spurs.  Cecil staggered back, holding his lacerated face, 
and did the wisest thing he could at that point.
    "Retreat," he called.
    Rosa immediately raised her hand to the sky, fingers splayed wide.  
"Exit!" she cried.  A beam of light seared down from the ceiling, engulfing 
the remaining heroes (as well as Cecil's sword).  When it disappeared, the 
heroes were gone, leaving only Oni, Rydia and the two corpses of Palom and 
Porom.  Oni blinked, then shrugged, and walked up the steps to the dais where 
the fifth Crystal pulsed with green-blue light.  He stretched forth a hand, 
and it floated over to him.  When he held it in his hand, once again he felt 
that incredible surge of power, accompanied by a sense of euphoria a hundred 
times the intensity of any drug-induced sensation.  When the rush had passed, 
he walked back down the steps, over the bones of the recently-deceased twins, 
and to the splintered remains of the door.  Turning to his feminine companion, 
he beckoned for her to follow, and after a final glance at the corpses of the 
two wizards, she did.

To Be Continued …