Let's Form Groups

The 4 of them walked inside the churches to where the scripts laid, not frozen in time at all. Goro approached it without hesitation and asked to show them what they could do.

The pens rattled, the papers shifted, and they started to draw.

Welpen looked around the room to see people praying on the ground, but unable to move. He looked back at the board to see a strange storyline being played out. 1 stick figure battling multiple opponents and then a solo panel of a sword clicking together, forming a light that covered the entire page.

Michiaki: “Not much information to go off of.”

Goro: “Well, these are what their ancestors obtained. It’s still limited in a sense. I’m not sure what this means, but we are looking for someone with some type of sword that isn’t you, Michiaki Sen.”

Michiaki: “Interesting…You must’ve gone through hell, Goro Retsu. Getting all of this information in such a limited time. I commend you.”

“Ay, ay, ay. I think we should thank everyone for their combined efforts, should we not?”

The voice sounded familiar…Natsuki Tooru had arrived with a young man behind him walking confidently towards them and another man with a black cape and scythe that Welpen knew all too well.

Iki: “Alright, what did I miss?”

Goro laughed knowing he had more help and could accomplish what he needed to do. Welpen screamed Astro’s name and ran to jump in his arms. He couldn’t stop talking to him for the time being in excitement.

Welpen: “Astro! How are you–”

Astro: “Not frozen?”

Michiaki: “Yeah, I’d like to know that too. I didn’t put anything on you.”

Iki: “I’ll explain that in a second. First off, Michiaki Sen, I’m sure you know who I am. You may not be fond of me, but let’s put our differences aside for a second. If I recall, in the last Titan War, you were unable to unfreeze Clara and Aamon, correct? Can’t you do the same this time?”

Michiaki: “That was different. The Time Horse was still alive with Toshiro. I’m not going to explain it again, but believe me when I say I cannot. Time is all screwed up right now. Aamon even controls parts of time with his natural abilities, but as of right now, he cannot even unfreeze himself, nor would he be stable enough to help.”

Iki: “I see.”

Goro: “How are you all not stuck in time? This is important information that I need to know.”

Iki: “Each of us are here for different reasons, meaning that we can avoid the Time Chaplet and stop what we need. Natsuki avoided it due to his sword. Apparently, that shard at the end is more than he realized. It can do a lot more than we thought. He rescued me as I was trapped by some idiots that thought they could kill me, but I killed them right after Natsuki came and got me. Anyways, the whole reason that we are here is because of one thing only…The Dark Mold.”

Iki explained the best he could, without telling them that he was part of the dark mold. He told everyone he knew this information from Reiken and Lorenzo Cain, and because it was so sudden, nobody had activated a Thinker Chaplet to see if he was telling the truth. Apparently, Astro’s scythe had part of the Dark Mold substance built into it also, so he was safe from the Time Chaplet’s effects. Nobody had ever questioned his sword, but now that they thought about it, it wasn’t part of the swords that existed in the world.

They then all turned to Saikou who was the only person that didn’t make sense, but Michiaki lied and told them all that he protected him from its effects. “He was the only person I could save before the Time Chaplet took over,” he said.

Of course, this was a lie and Welpen and Goro knew this, but they kept their mouths shut. Even Michiaki didn’t know why this kid in an astronaut suit was protected from the Time Chaplet, but he didn’t need them killing him to figure it out.

Iki: “What a predicament we are in. Who knows what will come next?”

Goro: “I think we should start by going to see the Wandering Corpse. We may figure something out.”

Natuski: “Hey Welpen, you kind of got the same shard as me on your sword. Where did you get that?”

Welpen: “Oh this? I found it in a hole in this sandy desert with my friend Ryoko right here. He’s frozen right now, but he probably can hear us.”

Natsuki: “Can I see it really quick? I promise I’ll give it back.”

Welpen handed him the shard and when Natsuki put it on his sword with the other one, they lit up in a golden mana brighter than Michiaki’s moon, pulsing all of them backwards except for Michiaki. They fell on the ground, and Natsuki struggled to keep the sword steady, which rattled and shook endlessly.

He took Welpen’s shard off and threw it back to him.

Everyone stood there questioning what happened, but Natsuki, Michiaki, and Goro smiled, knowing new knowledge. Natsuki smiled because he loved seeing new strength, but Michiaki and Goro’s reasoning differed. They thought back to the scripts, putting two and two together, and understanding that the pens were drawing these shards separately to be put together. It was a gift given right before their very eyes, and if Natsuki had not done that demonstration, they wouldn’t have figured it out.

Goro walked in the middle of everyone with a Yellow Egress Chaplet and chanted the location of the Wandering Corpse, their next destination…

They appeared in front of this being, not knowing what it was. Michiaki went forward, laced his hand with mana and chopped at its neck, but it wouldn’t cut. He pulled out his sword and tried the same thing, but the same result came forth. Others attempted, believing that they had more strength than Michiaki Sen himself, but they came up short as well.

Iki: “What is it? A rotting corpse? Why was it heading towards the Dark Mold? It’s inches away from it.”

Natsuki instructed Welpen to swing down with him with both shards combined, but even trying this, it was like oil and water. No matter what they did, nothing would connect with it.

Michiaki walked towards the rippling entry to the Dark Mold and threw a Manipulator Chaplet out, stretching his mana inside and then closing his eyes. In doing this, he connected his eyesight to the mana that stretched inside only to be cut off by a force that he didn’t see.

Michiaki: “Hmm, interesting. Something cut off my mana, but I didn’t sense it or see it. This is a threat to my family. Iki, what is in there? I always stayed away from this since it never was a threat to anyone unless you went inside.”

Iki: “I don’t know. I wouldn’t touch it though.”

This was a lie of course.

Iki explained to them the bare minimum. He tried to hide as much as he could without letting them know the full truth. Even Natsuki didn’t really know how his master had gotten free, but he didn’t ever question him.

Natsuki: “I don’t sense any love inside. Not good. I definitely don’t like that. That already pisses me off. I’ll kill whatever is in there.”

Goro had been examining the creature this entire time, but nothing on him pointed to anything spectacular that would solve any issues. He explained out loud once more what would happen though if this being crossed into the Dark Mold.

Goro: “I will not go in depth about what will happen as I do not really know the exact details, but if this thing crosses into this world, then the world will be destroyed.”

He didn’t want to call out Welpen in fear that they would kill him, which wouldn’t lead to anything good. Michiaki, Saikou, and himself would certainly protect him, so it wouldn’t do them any good. They had 5 years to figure something out.

Goro: “Listen, we only have one option. The scripts pointed to 4 shards and we have 2. We are 50% there. We have 5 years to find the other 2 and we may be able to combine them to kill this thing and anything that follows later on. After all, we just tried to put 2 of them together and look at what it did.”

Iki: “Wait a second. Why the hell should I trust you? I’m the leader of most of this land. Who the hell are you?”

Goro: “I wouldn’t get on my bad side, Iki Ritus. After all, you’re the one that basically trapped my father inside of another man’s body. Should I explain to everyone what happened in the Land of the Stiff?”

Iki: “Father? You bastard. How the hell do you know that? Who are you really? That kid wasn’t old enough to be a dad and you’re certainly older than him.”

Goro: “This world is not only built on chaplets and swords. Knowledge is power. Maybe that’s something you should learn as a leader.”

Iki: “Oh yeah? How about I show you power and stick my sword right through that thick skull of yours?”

Natsuki: “Master, let’s calm down. We don’t really have a choice right now. I think we should cooperate or this world is doomed. If what they say is correct, then we can defeat anyone that stands in the way of The Association."

Michiaki: “Iki, why do you think I don’t join the swordsmen. Look at yourself. That is no way to lead…Is there a way we can track this? I don’t sense any mana coming from it.”

Natsuki: “I remember Clara asking to see my sword one time and feeling the shard. At the time, I didn’t understand why, but she probably could sense some insane amount of mana. After all, this thing has helped me in battles where I would’ve died.”

Michiaki: “Ha! After all this time, she still can beat me in some things. I’ve never seen anyone with her ability to sense mana. Even though her sword aids her, that’s raw ability from training using Poison Chaplets and purposely giving herself mana poisoning. You’re a lucky man, Welpen. Your mother is quite the human.”

Welpen smiled, knowing this already, and was excited to get going. His mindset was set in stone. Not only would he find the other 2 shards, but he would be the hero that saved this world, and prove to Clara that he could become someone as great as her.

He thought about those frozen in time that he had met on the way though, specifically Isara. He wondered if she was okay, but knowing her, he figured she’d be alright. The group’s consensus was to split up and search the world for it without having any trackable ability. Their best guess was to use Tracker Chaplets combined with Luck Chaplets to see if it would do anything. At best, they could also search for other chaplets along the way.

Off the bat, Michiaki used a Glory Chaplet with his witch abilities, summoning an army of 100 skeletons, all bulky and huge like vikings on a boat. They jumped down and kneeled in front of him. Michiaki instructed them to search for these shards and any chaplets that they came across and to give them to him.

The army would die out every time the sun rose in the sky, in which Michiaki would resummon them. They darted off in multiple directions while they forged who would go with who.

Michiaki requested Welpen and Saikou.

Goro insisted on going with Astro, which left Natsuki and Iki together. Nobody was upset with the groups as they went on their way…