Part 4: Yes, I'm quite pathetic.
Music: Theme of Tenel
Having defeated the ghost and restoring Tenel's water supply, Ari exits the church.
Voice of Villager: Thanks, that was great!
Voice of Villager: Ari! Turn this way for me!
Voice of Villager: How did you get rid of the ghosts? Let's hear it, Ari!
Voice of Villager: Yeah, tell us how, Ari!
Voice of Villager: Ari! Hey there, Ari!
Music: Stan's Theme
Stan's Voice: It was all my doing! Evil King Stan is the proper target of your affection! Oh well, this is good timing. They are all assembled to receive the wisdom I shall bestow upon them!
Stan emerges from Ari's shadow.
Listen here, villagers! I am the reincarnation of the Evil King Gohma, the Evil King of darkness, Stan!Voice of Villager: What? What's going on?
Voice of Villager: Say, isn't that...
Now that I've returned to this world, all that walks, flies or crawls shall be my subjects! As a reward for your willing subjugation, I shall grant you insects a long delightful purgatory! I hereby declare. I will saturate this land with a black cloud of astounding malevolence!
Aha! They're speechless!Voice of Villager: ............
Voice of Villager: ...Ha ha...
Music: Gutten Kisling
Voice of Villager: ...Ha, ha ha ha ha ha hah! This is too much!
Voice of Villager: Ari! I didn't know you were such a riot!
Voice of Villager: Oh wow, this is good! I'm gonna die laughin'!!
Voice of Villager: That shadow trick of yours is pretty slick!
Voice of Villager: Hey, make sure to do a repeat performance at the Festival, ya?
Voice of Villager: Ha ha ha, Evil King Stan, did you say? That's priceless! Ha ha ha ha ha!
Voice of Villager: Ari, enough of the jokes now. Don't you need to be at home studying?
My great decree is to be taken seriously! You, that one there, stop laughing!Voice of Villager: Ha ha hah! He just keeps on going!
Voice of Villager: Ha ha hah, please, ha ha stop, my ha stomach, ha ha, hurts!
...
Music: Theme of Tenel
I am the Evil King! A harbinger of impending doom!! Yet the humans mock me... They even laugh at me! I'm so humiliated! What am I... What am I supposed to do? Am I a failure as Evil King? Am I a hopeless Evi lKing? Aggghhhh!
You're not hopeless, Stan!(Uhhh...)
I don't need pity from you, slave! I'm tired. I'll rest for a while...Stan returns to Ari's shadow.
Let's head into town hall. Maybe we'll get some sort of reward for solving the water crisis.
Um, but...
But dad, he hears voices!!
I have no idea how that third option follows from the conversation, so of course I picked it.
You really are on the quiet side, son! Never mind that, and listen to this! Lately, in Madril and in other towns, too... There's a rumor going about! If you want to know about it, go ask the Scared Guy! It'll get Stan going, that's for sure!I love how everyone in this village are actually known by names like "Scared Guy"
Competent Looking Clerk: Ari, your name is not anywhere on the list! Were you ever on the list at all? Maybe it's that weird shadow's fault. I don't know... Something's wrong! It's just so weird. Just not right...
Alright, let's head down into the village to look for Scared Guy. Along the way, we encounter Loitering Villager.
Loitering Villager: According to my original survey on "Tenel: Fun Boy Ranking", you are...
Loitering Villager: Oh, by the way, the Elder wants to see you. Why don't you go drop by?
I dunno man, talking to old people might hurt my rank as the second least cool guy in town.
(Yeah, let's go see the Elder.)
Elder: You can even make people laugh with your shadow... Alright! I've made up my mind! Here, I'm going to give you this. This is a Cyphertext created by a secret society I belong to.
Ari has acquired "Cyphertext 1"!
Elder: Can you solve the mystery of the Cyphertext? If you successfully solve the mystery, you can join our team!
If we go into our inventory and use the Cyphertext, it will tell us what it says.
I don't know, you guys, this is pretty hard.
I don't think I'm smart enough to solve this yet. Let's just go find Scared Guy, and maybe the answer will come to me later.
Conveniently, he's blocking the only way out of the village.
Scared Guy: All of a sudden, in spots all over the world, a bunch of Evil Kings appeared! Really, seriously, this is scary!
Listen up. The Evil King is the King of Evil! And a King is a King. That means only one! Not two or three, one!! Moi!Scared Guy: No, I'm not making this up. The pudgy guy at the bar said so. The word is that in certain places... Copies of the Map o'Evil Kings are out. It tells the locations of the Evil Kings. Brrrrr, just so scary!
Hogwash!!! "Map o'Evil Kings"!? Are you kidding? Slave! Find the lunatic who's spreading these lies! He will pay for this!
The bar is right next to the bakery. It was closed up until now, due to the water shortage.
Music: at the Bar
The pudgy guy is sitting over in the corner.
So this is the lowlife who's spreading that swill. Hey you! I hear you've been spreading tall tales that there's more than one Evil King!
...Oh? You're the one I saw the other night. The kid with that shadow! Yeah, at the circus(Your point?)
Yep, that's right. I'm the Ringmaster. Now that I get to take a good look, you've got an interesting shadow with ya' there. Interesting? Carrying with him? Agghh, fine, whatever! Just you remember, husky one! If a guy like you speaks of rubbish like a Map o'Evil Kings I may shut your mouth permanently! Oh? You want this Map o'Evil Kings? Sure thing, here is is.Ari has acquired "Map o'Evil Kings"!
Lately they say that in Madril, a fearful Evil King's showed up, too! I swear, this is true. Ha ha hah, that is so funny!
Curses!!! You just revealed who I... Who are you, shaggy one!? Ugh, I think I'm gonna...barf...Agh, too much fun last night...Hic.
Ari stops, and Stan moves in a little closer.
Eh, what is this? 1, 2... There are more Evil Kings than myself? And on top of that... My name's not even on here! James, James! Where are you!?
James turns and bows to Stan.
James, straighten this out, will you? Am I not the one and the only Evil King? The successor of the great Evi King Gohma? Come on, answer me! Who else could I be? And all those other Evil Kings, who are they!?
Hmmmmm. Well, Master I will tell you. These others are imposters. Encroachers. Evil Kings only in name. While you were inside the bottle, Master, they must have stolen your magical power... And went about claiming to be Evil Kings. Yes, that must be it! ............Hmmm. I see. I knew something was wrong. The villagers called me, my dark majesty, a "nice guy"! Naturally, if my power were at its peak, they would have wept and groveled before me. Yes, that must be it! So it was all their doing! These self-proclaimed Evil Kings were stealing my magical power! Yes, that must be it!Maybe...
...Hmmm. Then there's just one thing to do. Yes, good! you see it as clearly as I. Master, that means... Of course, of course! Indeed!
Then the whole world will tremble and kneel before me as they rightfully should! Slave, let's do this! An expedition of conquest!! No way, never!
Um, Julia, girl, she...
Wha? What? Julia? Take it easy now, Master. This girl Julia, she has a bit of a crush on your slave... For a kid as uncool as you, this could be your last chance for romance. I believe that's what you are thinking? No, it's not like that...
Yes, I'm quite pathetic.
Touching. But you're my slave. You're stuck with me, ha ha hah! We'll go to your house to pack for the trip! Come on, slave! That Map o'Evil Kings, it irritates me. But don't lose it! It should keep us on the trail of those upstart imposters! Alright, then. To your house!
Stan returns to Ari's shadow, and James vanishes.
Music: Theme of Tenel
On our way back to Ari's house, we run across Julia.
............I have something to tell you. Well, uh Julia, I uh...
What? Why the past tense?
......But. You're serious, honest and quiet. The kind that becomes a husband who'd eat cold mashed potatoes without complaining. Or lets me go on rampant impulse shopping sprees without complaining. That's what I liked about you.
Julia turns and leaves.
And the next morning...
Music: Home Sweet Home
Ari lets her in.
Everybody's waiting for you downstairs. Waiting? How come?
Hee hee, what are you talking about? Both your dad and Gramps are preparing something for you. We're waiting for you. Come down as soon as possible.
We head downstairs, and everyone's waiting by the door.
What's going on?
Yes, when I heard it from James I was quite surprised, but you are going on an important journey. A journey to subjugate fake Evil Kings and to conquer the world! Well it sounds great! I couldn't help but agree!Stan emerges.
Huh? Oh, that's right, I forgot to tell him. A little mistake! Ha ha ha ha! Then let me update you. I told you yesterday that there're many fakes claiming they're Evil Kings around the wrold. I, the geniune Evil King and my slave, that is you, are leaving on a journey to subjugate these impostors! And I thought we might as well conquer the world while we're at it. Are you ready? Don't dally now! Let us be gone, now! Okay.I'd love to but, umm...
Fine. Let us go, slave! Hey, wait a minute, Ari, you have to say goodbye to everyone in the family first. It's normal before you go on a journey!
And greet people properly, okay? That reminds me, Ari. Take this with you.Ari acquired "Old Music Box"!
This is my treasure. I got this from your dad when I was young, when he proposed to me. It is an ancient apparatus that makes a pretty sound. Find somebody special on this quest, like we did! When you find her, don't hesitate. Give her this Music Box. Grab the chance and push, push and push!Good advice, Ma. "Find someone you like and then propose to her as quickly as possible!"
The world conquest that the former Great Evil King Gohma couldn't achieve... Because of the intervention of the hero Hopkins! But the dark magical power of Master Gohma is surpassed by that of Master Stan and his beautifully evil design will reach its full realization! Oh, it's a thrilling time to be evil!!! (Sob)... I, James, will always watch over the Master from under the sod! Call me whenever my malicious services are required!
Thank you so much big bro! I'm totally grateful! The pink shadow's cute too! Hurray for Ari! Good luck!
They seem to be a part of something called a "Voice Recorder". They say its an ancient and mysterious device that stores people's voice and replays them. Since you're going on a journey, you might as well look for the rest of the parts. It was kept int he village as a secret treasure... Somehow I think that it must be very important.
Oh, Ari. Are you going to run any errands? Oh, if you are going to the Village, give this to the baker....Ari acquired "Mere Pebble"!
Now, come back before dusk.
Then it is time to go. Don't worry. Adventuring is fun! Yes, a journey makes a person shine! Your dad in his younger days was really handsome. Right? Ha ha ha ha. Stop it honey! ......Well, is there anything left? Well, how about an allowance?
Huh? Something wrong? Oh, allowance. Allowance. Ha ha ha ha! To be honest, I used up all of my bonus the other day.
Well, if you are an adventurer, make some money while you're on the journey. Ha ha ha! Why don't you take my name card with you?...Ari acquired "Ordinary Card"!
People will think you're famous if you show them this. You may get in some private clubs or something. Do I need this?
This is soooo cooool!!!
Ha ha ha, take it with you anyway! Now go on!No, that wasn't sarcasm. Your business card is awesome!
Whatever. Now slave, we are leaving!
The time has come for our youth to depart! Now... One, two, three...
Music: Forest of Willkur
And always with him, the malevolent Evil King Stan looms in his shadow. What manner of travails and perils away Ari on his journey?
And that concludes Chapter 1! Here are the results of the personality poll!
- Heroic: 1 Vote
- Wishy-Washy: 2 Votes
- Apathetic: 3 Votes
- Evil: 9 Votes
- Gung-Ho: 9 Votes
- Affectionate: 15 Votes