Heroes of Moga V - Speaking with the Sea Emperor

A full day had passed since the Great Jaggi hunt in Moga Woods. Phisto and his friends had not been expecting such a tough battle, and their state of exhaustion ranged from simply tired to just plain tuckered out. Luckily, the Chief assured them that there weren't any more troublesome monsters romping around the woods (yet...), and told them to get a good night's rest.

A large cabin, big enough for the three of them, had been cleared out while they had been out hunting, and the Chief told them that it was theirs alone to use. The three friends were truly thankful for a comfortable place to sleep after months of camping under or sometimes in trees, and fell asleep almost immediately.

But now, Junior was taking them up to a huge oceanic cliff on the main part of the island that overlooked Moga Village. No longer tired, the three hunters were very much enjoying the crisp, salty air and the distant roar of the waves against the base of the cliff.

It took about two hours to walk all the way to the destination Junior had in mind. The end of the cliff rose at a steep incline, forming a huge hill right at the edge. At the top of the hill, at least forty feet in diameter, was a gigantic crater - steam vents in the sides of the crater spewed small amounts of hot air that, when all hissing at once, belched up a massive cloud of steam that erupted from the crater. It was like a dormant volcano.

When Phisto reached the edge, he peered down and instantly felt dizzy. Although the crater was certainly high up above sea level, he had no doubt that this hole plunged deep below the ocean's surface. He gulped and drew away from the hole, over to where his friends and Junior stood.

"Let me give you a little history lesson, kids," Junior said, sweeping his arm to indicate the hill on which they stood. "About thirty-three years ago, give or take, before I was born, Moga Village was destroyed by a terrible, malicious Elder Dragon. It was said to be pure evil, death given form, and all that. The villagers managed to escape with their lives as the village was swept into the briny deep. When the dragon had left, its destructive work done, they came back and rebuilt. Thanks to them, my father especially, there was a home for me to be born into."

He turned around and stared at the crater intensely. "And then, only two years ago, the monster came back to afflict us with terrible earthquakes. This time, though, a hunter came by just in time to chase the Elder Dragon away. It swam off to sea, and no one has seen it since. Same with the hunter - he left as quietly and mysteriously as he had come. No one has forgotten that hunter, who saved us before our village could be destroyed again. Who knows, without him, then that giant dragon might have just kept coming back."

Junior turned around again to face the three teenagers, spellbound with his story. "Now, I have a favor to ask of you three," he said seriously, and their attention never wavered from him. "There's a mysterious new monster in Moga Woods that I'm sure you saw yesterday. I'm absolutely certain it's the one behind all the monster outbreaks." Phisto nodded, remembering that great claw that had claimed the Great Jaggi.

"Once again, we have a monster problem here in Moga Village," Junior continued, "and once again, there are hunters here to end it. Can you three kids promise me, swear to me, that you will do whatever you can to save Moga Village from destruction? Even if that Elder Dragon decides to return again - which I doubt it will - can I, can the village, count on you to defend the village from certain doom?"

MORE COMING SOON