/It was a hard fight for our heroes last time. Blade, a thief who had robbed them of their only talisman, was facing off against his former friend and ally, Cruz. After nearly being killed by his hand, Blade was saved when Max, Monica, and Cain intervened. However, they were not strong enough to defeat him, and all 3 were were on the brink of death. Blade realized that Cruz wasn't really Cruz at all, but a monster sent to destroy Max and his friend, and got back in the fight. With one powerful slash, the monster was destroyed and the spirit of the real Cruz could rest in peace after being released. Now the group must travel to the future, but with Blade now on the team, things seemed to be looking up. Will it stay that way/

Chapter 10:
The Talisman of Rebirth
and the Joyful Necromancer

It was late at night at Rota's Castle in the future as he looked out the top tower window. He closed his eyes and reopened them as he turned to his loyal order of demons.

"It seems as if Gacki, the red skeleton we sent to kill those 3..." Rota said slowly, and coldly. "Has been defeated."

"It was too much for him to handle, my lord." One demon shrouded in darkness said. "Failure was unavoidable."

Rota gritted his teeth in frustration. "I won't tolerate failure... not even from pathetic creatures such as him!" Rota formed a dark aura at his right fist. "I don't want these children to be running this time period! Or any! Is that clear!"

"Sir..." One of the shadows rose up. "They are heading to the territory I control. If you will allow me, I'll see to it that they suffer a most horrid end."

"Yes, Saro... I know you will. Because you won't show your face here again if you fail." Rota nodded his head. "Leave now."

"Yes, my lord." The shadow then vanished from the room.

"You're really going to trust Saro with killing them?" A female demon spoke. "You know the methods he uses, my lord."

"Yes..." Rota then smiled evilly. "And they'll be perfect..."

The sun shined through the leaves and branches of the Selceta Forest. It had been a long night of rest for the now 4 heroes, and they were still out. Max caught the first sight of light when it shined on his face and woke him. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the sky. The clear azure sky and white rolling clouds made him forget about his cares for a moment. But he started to think about what was really going on with his life now.

"That was a pretty good sleep..." He said in his mind while laying on the soft ground. He turned over and saw Blade and Cain, still sleeping. Blade was in a sitting position against a rock and Cain was just laying on the ground, mouth wide open and drool oozing out of it. "I'm glad we got Blade on our side now. The way he killed that skeleton yesterday really saved our lives." Max slowly got up and stretched. "Today we head to the future... and we search for the next talisman. I hope this will be a lot easier than it was yesterday." Max then caught a whiff of something. It smelled like bad B.O. It was him. "Man... I smell... I could use a good bath right about now. I think I remember seeing a pond somewhere."

Soon, Max found the pond and was enjoying a nice soak. He set his clothes and weapons near a tree and walked into the water. He leaned against a rock in the middle of the pond and relaxed.

"So much have happened in the past few days." Max was in deep thought. "Just when I thought my adventures were over, all of sudden, I'm fighting again. Not that I mind though. At least I get to be with Monica again..." His mind shifted to last night. When he and Monica had a quiet conversation while watching the stars...

Last night...

"Sure is a beautiful night, Max..." Monica was in awe watching the stars. She always loved staring into the night sky. She couldn't even notice Max looking at her, with a small smile on his face. For them, this was the only moment of peace they could find in their journeys.

Max turned his eyes back to the starry, night sky. "Hey Monica... what did you do while you were back home?"

"You mean after our last adventure?"

"Yeah..."

"Well... because my father is..." Monica frowned for a moment and shook her head. "Anyway... I started learning how to be a monarch basically."

"You mean, like a queen?"

"In my home, the only way to become queen is to either marry a prince, or you can get the position if both the king and current queen pass away. And... that's what will happen... I'll be queen."

"Oh..."

"...You don't know how lucky you are, Max..."

"What do you mean?"

"You have both your parents... even if your mother is in the future. You also have friends..."

"You don't have friends? What about me?"

"Well of course you!" Monica smiled. "In my home, there isn't anyone my age to hang out with. So... you're the only friend I got. I guess it's kinda strange... being friends with someone who's 100 years separated from you."

"...No it isn't..." Max smiled. "Not to me at least."

"Max..." Monica started to lower her hand towards his, but stopped and pulled away shyly. "Thank you..."

Max ended his thoughts when he heard a splash come from behind the rock he was leaning against. "Wha?" He thought to himself in surprise. "Who else is here?" Max slowly and quietly moved around and peeked his head out from behind the rock. After getting a good glimpse at what was on the other side, his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. "Ahhhhhhhhhh..." He quietly groaned out in fear.

On the other side of the rock, with her back turned, was the girl of his dreams Monica... bathing in the same lake just a few feet away from him. Her hair was undone and covered her back completely. She pulled it up and Max got a good sight of her bare back.

"Oh damn..." Max whispered. "She's... here?... Taking a bath too! This is bad! She'll kill me! I better..." Max started to back away but couldn't stop staring at Monica. "So..So... beauti..." He saw her slowly turn around... "WAH?" He was in so much shock he full over and made a loud splash.

"Huh?" Monica said as she looked over.

Max got his head out of the water and back above the surface. He looked and saw Monica, who was underwater enough so that her chest couldn't be seen. "Oh... uh..." Max stammered and had a bleeding nose. "H-h-hey there Monica... heh...heh..."

Monica just stood there, and her face was turning red as a beet. "M...Max!" Max tried to back away...

"You did a very bad thing..." Cain muttered while still in a deep sleep. "Becky saw a snake here... ma said we can't come here anymore..."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cain and Blade quickly leapt to their feet and on the ground. Blade stood at a battle ready pose while Cain swung his fists wildly.

"We're under attack!" Blade said. "We must prepare to defend ourselves!" Cain punched Blade hard in the face. "ACK!" Blade rubbed his face and angrily slapped Cain in the back of the head. "Idiot!"

"Hey!" Cain rubbed the spot on his head he got slapped on. "Your face was in da way! Better move next time or you'll lose some teeth!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"That was Monica's scream..." Blade said in worry. "She must be encountering some dangerous foe."

"Well whadda we waiting for!" Cain shouted. "Let's move!" They both ran... in different directions.

"Cain!" Blade shouted to him. "This way!"

"Right!" Cain turned around and ran after him."

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Max covered his eyes and started moving around in panic.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Monica screamed from the top of her lungs.

"Right!" Max turned around and started running. He saw a water snake swim across his path. "Whoa!" He stopped and fell back... landing on top of Monica and taking her down underwater with him. He leapt back to his feet with red all over his face. Monica did the same.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

"My gosh..." Blade said as he and Cain ran towards the sound. "She's being tortured..."

"C'mon!" Cain started to run faster. "Full speed ahead!"

The two ran faster until they both crashed face first into a large tree. The impact shook loose the bee hive in it's branches. It fell into the now sitting Cain's lap.

"Huh?" Cain saw what it was and his eyes opened wide. "Oh $#+..." The millions of bees all fell out of it and flew all around Cain and Blade. The two tried to out run them, but were still getting stung. "I HATE BEES! I HATE BEES! I HATE BEES!"

Soon, after a while and order was somewhat restored...

Cain and Blade, covered in white bandages and applying some medicine to their sting wounds, were sitting on the ground.

Monica, now full dressed, was looking very angry and glaring daggers at Max, who was dressed and had a big black eye. "I can't believe you Max..."

"It was an accident... I swear it!"

"You're the reason we got attacked by bees, Max." Blade said bluntly.

"Ya dumass!" Cain threw his empty medicine bottle at Max's head. "You really got me and Blade messed up ya know!"

"You're a no-good pervert, Max!" Monica said harshly. "You're no better than Cain."

"Hey-hey-hey!" Cain turned to her. "I was trying to save the screaming maiden at the lake, which happened to be you! So you ain't got no right to say that crap to me."

"And you two!" Blade and Cain shook in fear when Monica called them out. "You couldn't even find the right DIRECTION to the lake! How stupid are you guys?"

"On a scale of one to ten..." Blade started to say, but Cain stopped him.

"Ingrate!" Cain said loudly. "We woulda found ya eventually! Stop being such a..."

"Such a what..." Monica glared at him with fire in her eyes.

Cain wasn't intimidated... or smart for that matter. "Such a... bi..."

WHAM!

Cain was now lying face down on the ground, with a huge pink lump on his head. Monica unclenched her fist. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Cain..." She turned her eyes towards Max. "I'm not done with you... I'll deal with you later. I'm taking a walk." She turned and started walking away.

"Wonder what's her problem?" Cain said as he was rising up.

"Think about it..." Blade said and looked at him. "How would you feel if a guy caught you while you were bathing?"

"I'd be pissed... but if a chick caught me... then..." Cain grinned at his dirty thoughts.

Blade sighed in annoyance. "Idiot..."

Max looked down at the ground sadly. "She's really mad at me... She even gave me a black eye."

Coronya, who had been sleeping on top of the sleeping Akida's warm fur, floating into the air and opened her eyes. "Yaaaaawn..." She shook her head slowly and looked at everyone with a big smile. "Morning guys!" She then looked at Max and flew towards him. "Huh?" She poked his face a little with her paw. "Why the long face, Max?"

"His woman kicked his ass after he saw her bathing." Cain answered non-nonchalantly.

Max turned red from embarrassment. "She's not my woman! And it was an accident!" His face turned back to normal. "But she probably hates me now."

"Awww!" Coronya smiled a big anime smile. "Monica could never hate you Max! You're too much of a sweet, kind, big, brave, strong, handsome gentleman!"

"Coronya really goes all out to cheer people up." Blade said while a sweat dropping.

"If I didn't know better..." Cain scratched his chin. "I'd say that little fox fairy had a thing for Max..."

"Don't worry Max." Coronya hugged Max in the arm. "I still love you..." She said sweetly.

Cain and Blade just stood there stunned. "Uh... but you're a fox and he's a human." They both said at the same time.

"Not that kind of love, sillies!" Coronya giggled. "Like a friend, I love him."

"Geez... Can ya be any sappier, Coronya?" Cain gagged. "Any sickening sweeter and we'd all get diabetes." Coronya sighed and swung her rod in the air. A stone statue appeared over Cain and smashed him in the head. "AAAAARGH! That smarts a lot!"

At the other side of the forest, Monica was sitting and staring at the tree ahead of her. She was embarrassed over what happened, and even more embarrassed over how she reacted.

"Max said it was an accident..." Monica said quietly. "But I still got mad and hit Max... Why would I do that to him? I'm sure he didn't mean to do that... but... he must hate me for what I did to him..."

Monica got up and starting head back to where the others were. Not sure whether she could face Max right now.

"So time travel..." Blade started to say as he looked at the door Coronya made appear from the ground. "is possible after all..."

"Yeppers!" Coronya flew around the door. "This'll take us 100 years into the future. To the Selceta forest as it is there."

"They say Selceta Forest was turned into a huge battle site..." Monica explained. "Almost every army of the world fought a long, bloody war that is said to have no victor. All those armies were wiped out by each other."

"I'm sure I'll be sensing a lot of things there..." Cain said in a serious tone. "The lost souls of thousands of soldiers..."

"Cain?" Max looked at him.

"You wanna help those souls, but there are so many... and you don't know what to do. It..." Cain's arm started to shake. "Fills me with fear..."

"Grrrr..." Monica punched Cain hard in the face and knocked him against the door. "Keep your "fear" off my butt, Cain!"

Max and Blade sweat dropped "Moron..."

Coronya pushed Cain away from the door and grabbed the handle. "Ready everyone!"

Cain leapt back on his feet. "Ready!"

Blade looked determined. "Let's go..."

Max and Monica smiled at each other... but quickly dropped them and looked away shyly. "Uh... yeah!"

"Here...we...go!" Coronya swung the door open and the heroes all walked into the portal that would take them 100 years into the future...

Future Selceta Forest... now known as Death Plains...

The door appeared out of nowhere and opened. Max, Monica, Cain, Blade, and Coronya all emerged from it and looked around. The door closed shut and vanished.

A cold wind blew against Max's face. "Brrr... This feels awful... it smells like death around here...

Cain started to sweat as he looked around. He saw hundreds of thousands of bones shattered around. "I can hear them screaming... those souls..." Cain looked at Coronya... who could feel them too. "Coronya!"

Coronya shivered. "Oh... my... all those... people..." Tears were flowing from her blue eyes. In her mind, blood curling screams of anguish could be hear everywhere. "Make it stop! Please!"

"Coronya!" Max said in worry. He lifted his hat off his head. "It might not do much, but hide under my hat."

Coronya turned into a blue ball of light and floated into the hat. Max set it back on his head and looked around. He could hear her say, "T-Thank you, Max..."

Cain was sweating bullets staring into the plains covered in bones. In his eyes, thousands of warriors, soldiers, and knights were trying hard to slaughter each other. Blood and gore flew all around him as he watched. Even if the blood was to land on him, it wouldn't show.

He turned to the other's and spoke. "I've never seen so much death in one place. It makes me sick to my stomach." Cain took a step forward and carefully stepped over a pile bones.

"Will you be okay, Cain?" Monica touched his shoulder, but he removed her hand off it.

"He's... He's... here..." Cain looked ahead with a blank stare in his eyes.

"You sense something?" Blade quickly snapped his eyes towards what Cain was staring at it.

Up ahead, a man in shadow walked towards them, stepping and crushing any bone underneath him to pieces. He had dark, glowing yellow eyes and had a dark, creepy smile on his face. Max, Monica, and Blade prepared for what was coming, while Cain continued to blankly stare at him. Cain could sense death all over the man.

"Greetings and welcome!" The man walked out of the shadows, with an anime grin on. He had blond hair that was messy and uncontrolled. He wore a leather vest and metal leggings, with a white overcoat that was so long, it dragged against the ground as he walked. "I've been excepting you... yep!"

"I don't understand..." Max thought to himself. "He doesn't look that strong... but..." He looked over at Cain, who was sweating and gritting his teeth. "Cain looks freaked out by him... he must be powerful."

"I was worried that you'd be late..." The man said while picking up a skull from the ground. "But you're early! I guess that blood skeleton wasn't too much for you after all." With one tight grip, he crushed the skull in his hand to dust. "I'm glad though."

"Who are you?" Monica asked while readying on her sword.

"My name is Saro... Nice to meet you. What do you think of my modest home?" He gestured to all around him and the heroes. "It's a mess, I know... but looking at it brings joy to my heart. So much human death all at one moment. Nothing beats the sounds of screams as one's life is being ended. Better yet... the screams of thousands... all at the same time!" He laughed happily. "It's so beautiful!"

"Bastard!" Cain finally snapped out of his blank state. "You enjoy this!... Well I couldn't expect anything honorable from one of Griffon's servants. You make me sick!"

"Do I?" Saro grinned evilly. "Or is the sight of this valley that fills you with fear?"

"Fear?" Cain looked angry at Saro's words. "I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Oh come now... considering how spiritually aware you are, you should be witnessing death even as we speak." It was true. Cain could still see the bloody fighting behind Saro. "Even those with just a little bit of spiritual awareness would be shaking with fright at this... Am I right, Cain? And I'm not just one of Griffon's servants. I'm one of his best. His most trusted demons... I'm one of them."

"So you have one of the Talismans then!" Monica said with aggression in her voice.

Saro smiled and showed them the Talisman he had. Engraved on it was a cross. It was the Talisman of Rebirth. "Master Griffon was generous enough to give me this as well. It's funny really... this was the very 'treasure" all these armies were fighting for. So many deaths over a mere stone... that really is the meaning of living for humans... to die for their greed!" He laughed evilly while Max, Monica, and Blade looked disgusted and angry at his cold words. Cain's fear was replaced by hatred. In his mind, the day he battled Griffon and got a sword impaled in his stomach flashed over and over again.

"You..." Cain was finished with words. He rushed at Saro at full speed, ready to punch his lights out. "I'll &ing kill YOU!"

Saro just closed his eyes and smiled. "Stop."

Cain suddenly stopped and his body jerked back violently. "Gah!" His face was twisted in pain, eyes wide open and mouth agape. He was choking, as if he was being strangled. But no one was even touching him.

"Cain!" Max shouted and rushed to his side. He got a good look at his face. "Cain! Snap outta it!" He gritted his teeth and snapped at Saro. "What are you doing him?"

Saro just smiled darkly. "It's not my doing, but the doing of my servant."

"Ser...vant?" Max said, not understanding. Coronya peeked her head out from under his hat and looked at Cain.

She gasped and shouted. "He's being choked by a...by a..." In her eyes, Cain was being strangled by a pair of ghostly hands. "A GHOST!"

"Ghost!" Monica said and got a good look of the torture. "Of course! Cain and Coronya are the only two of us who can see the spirits of the dead!"

Cain struggled to grab the hands of his strangler. "Hands... off... ghost!" With a good grip and hard pulled, he got the hands off him and took in long, slow breaths. He keep a tight grip on the ghost hands, not letting them get away from him. He looked at Saro. "Damn you! You can't do your own dirty work!"

"I'm impressed...really I am." Saro said calmly. "Not many can escape from that. You must be very strong indeed. I'd be more impressed if you can escape...this." Saro closed his eyes again.

Cain held his fists up. "I'm ready for anything you got! Bring it on!" Suddenly, from out of the ground, a pair a skeletal hands grabbed Cain by the ankles. "Huh?"

"I can see them!" Blade shouted in surprise.

"Me too!" Max also shouted. "Cain!"

"ARGH!" Cain tried to break free, but the hands started to drag him down into the ground. "What? NO!"

"Don't be so scared..."Saro smiled evilly. "It's just early damnation for you! Rot under the earth for the rest of your days!"

"YOU... MAX! MONICA!" Cain yelled in agony as he was being pulled down faster. "KILL THIS BASTARD FOR ME! DON'T LET ME DIE IN VA... ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" With those final screams, he was pulled completely underground, gone from the valley.

"CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!" Max shouted was frozen in fear.

"NO! CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!" Monica screamed for him with tears in her eyes.

Blade was in shock. He couldn't move, nor speak. He just stood there, eyes wide open.

Coronya looked at the ground with tears flowing from her eyes. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Saro's laughter rang all over the valley. "Bye-bye, Cain! Bye-bye, Cain! Bye-bye, Cain! Bye-bye, Cain! Bye-bye, Cain! BYE-BYE CAIN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Max wiped the small tears from his eyes and turned towards Saro. Hatred burned inside him like a violent fire. The grip on his Grade Zero tightened, and his trigger finger was itching like it never itched before. "COWARD!" Max yelled in a tone that could scare a dragon. "You spineless bastard! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" Cain rushed at Saro at full speed, eager to kill.

"No Max! STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Blade shouted to warn him. Saro closed his eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Max readied his weapons, ready to strike. "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Suddenly, another 2 pairs of skeletal hands appeared from the ground and grabbed his leg and arms. "HUH?"

"You want to see your friend?" Saro asked Max. "Okay... suffer with him then!"

The hands didn't waste anytime and dragged Max down in less then a few second. "MONICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX!" Monica ran to him and grabbed his hand. "I won't let them take you!"

Blade ran forward to assist them. "Just hold on, Max!" He suddenly got his with a invisible blow that knocked him down on his back. "Argh!" Just then, more hands wrapped around his limbs and pulled him down. "NOOOO!" He sunk faster and was gone in an instant.

"BLADE!" Monica watched in horror while still trying to pull Max up. She could feel the grip loosening. "Max! No! I won't lose you too!"

"Monica! I can't... I can't hold on anymore!" With that, his hand slid out of hers, and he was dragged down into the earth. Coronya had been under his hat at the time and screamed as she was pulled down. All of them, except for Monica, were gone.

Monica was standing there, the cold icy wind blew against her. "No...No..." She started crying and covered her eyes with her hands. "Max... Max..." She removed her hands and let the tears fall. "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX!"

Saro turned away. "All gone... just you and me now... aren't you glad? I know I am..." He smiled more and more.

Monica couldn't stop crying. She wiped her tears, but more replaced them. "It's not fair... I can't lose... him..."

"I won't fight you in this state, my dear." Saro pulled out his Talisman. "The Talisman of Rebirth. I think I'll use it." The stone started to glow and and flash in Saro's cold hand.

The wind, started blowing more fiercely. Thunder could be heard at the night sky flashed. Rain poured all over the valley, making the lifeless dirt nice and wet. Suddenly, like a sickening field of flowers, hands and skulls started to sprout out of the ground and all around Monica. They dug and clawed there way out of the earth and stood on their two feet. Red skeletons, skeleton knights, samurai, archers, soldiers, and many other types surrounded the lone swords woman.

"Usually, I could only bring a limited number of the undead back to life before my powers were drained." Saro explained. "I'm a necromancer of course. This is want I do best. But with this..." He looked at his talisman. "I can bring hundreds back to life, and still have enough power to do it again. The reason why I do this for you... is because I want to see you torn to bloody pieces.

Monica had been crying for a while, until she stopped. She looked up at Saro with swollen, angry eyes. "Is that why... you did that to Max and the others? To get to me?" All at once, the skeletons rushed towards her to attack. "I can't... I won't..." She held her hands up, and magic energy started to form around them. "I WON'T BE DEFEATED!" A large bolt of lightning shot out of the heavens and into her hands.

"What!" For once, Saro was surprised. "What is this supposed to be!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Monica drove her hands down on the ground and released her magic and lightning. The impact left a large blast of magic the spread all around her. Her skeleton foes were all struck and reduced to particles of dust. The explosion left a smoke storm that caused Saro to cover his eyes and take cover under his arms.

"Damn!" Saro dropped his guard when the smoke cleared. "What the hell was that? Such power... and yet..." In the remains of the smoke, the shadowy figure of Monica was still standing. "She still lives..."

"Saro..." She grabbed her sword. It shone in the smoke and seemed like a ray of light. "You cannot be forgiven. For all those you killed... for Cain...Blade...Coronya...and...Max..." The smoke finally settled and she was staring right at him. Saro was gritting his teeth and staring back. "I will kill you."

/Monica has released a power she has never once before had. Now she stares at the demon known as Saro, and is ready to his life once and of all. Can she it alone? And what other tricks does Saro have planned for her/

"I can't go easy on her..." Saro thought to himself. "I will use all my strength..."

/Find out on the next exciting chapter.../

START TEASER:

Cain: Blood, sweat, and tears will be shed in the next chapter!

Max: Ah! Cain! You're alive!

Cain: You bunch your ass I am! And I want revenge on that freak.

Blade: Wait a minute guys... this is supposed to be Monica's chapter. Should we really be interfering?

Cain: A fierce battle between the hottest princess of the future and the coldest bastard in the plains and we can't even watch!

Max: The zombies and skeletons will be keeping his company while we fight.

Blade: We could use an early start on them.

Cain: Hey, that's right! ATTACK!

All 3: YAAAAAAAAAAAAARH!

Coronya: Next Chapter!

Monica's Rage
The Sun Sword's Power Revealed!

Cain: Take that you rotten corpse!

Coronya: Ewwwwww... is that his brains?

END TEASER: