MHD: The Darkness Within I - Tartu Strikes Back!

Far away, in a distant stone chamber, two figures crouched over a large stone chest. They had traveled far from the Mysterious Beyond to get to this spot, traversing the regions of Moga and Minegarde to reach this location. It was a place that had been forgotten by both humans and monsters, for it hadn't been used in millenia.

The taller of the two figures shifted his weight slightly, waiting for his companion to unlock it. He was excited, no doubt about that. Contained within this chest were the secrets to several kinds of magic, or so the legend said. He had never thought that much about magic before, because, as most humans and monsters did, he had always dismissed it as myth and nothing more.

But the battle that had been waged a year ago had changed this. An extremely rare type of magic had been utilized by an already special human - the boy Taka. He had, against all odds, summoned the power of the Thunder element within himself, just in time to save his friend from the literal jaws of death. It was this miraculous phenomenon that had gotten the two beings thinking long and hard about the possibilities of magic, and the powers that would be granted if one could master such things.

Apart from Taka, the pair knew that they had no real competition in the field of sorcery. And Taka was just a novice, wet behind the ears when it came to using the spectacular powers that he had been blessed with. However, he did have another formidable power - that of shapeshifting. He needed to be handled very carefully.

"Almost there?" the taller figure asked his companion. A smooth female voice answered, "Yes. Just a few more seconds, and we'll be able to start putting our plans in motion."

The figure smiled. Oh, how he loved to plan. Of course, this was because most of his plans ended up with him ruling over the known world - the Mysterious Beyond, Moga, Minegarde, the Great Frontier, and finally, the Central World.

Suddenly, there was a clicking sound. "Got it!" said the girl excitedly, and opened the chest. A bright light suddenly shone from inside of it, slightly illuminating the otherwise pitch-black chamber.

The duo looked inside and smiled simultaneously. Their grins were identical - wide, triumphant, and carrying signs of pure evil in them. Inside of the chest sat a glowing crystal orb and a medium-sized, tattered book. Both knew that these two objects, when combined, would give them the secrets to ultimate power.

The girl picked up the book and flipped through the first few pages. "I can't understand the language this was written in," she said frustratedly. The other took the book, examining the characters. His grin grew wider as he replied simply, "I can."

Tartu snapped the book closed and tucked it under his arm. "Come, Mylie," he beckoned. "Time to test this out on the ones we both know and hate - Taka and his little friends."

REST COMING SOON