Act 5
_____The blinding light vanished. Klonoa and ____(steve) appeared at the gate of an old stone and lumber city surrounded by a wooden wall. A strange white glow above the rooftops radiated from deep inside the city. The air was still and provided no sense of warmth or cold.
_________(steve) relaxed his grip of Klonoa's hand. "We are at the last ___; it houses the element of hope. This city was erected here originally without the knowledge of the ___. It wasn't until the first dream traveler came and discovered the element. A statue was erected in their name; the statue and element reside at the center of the city."
_____"Let's go then!"
_____"Wait...nobody yet knows what lies ahead. It is imperative that you understand that this city is intertwined with the element here; if anything has happened who knows what lies ahead." ____(steve) gave Klonoa a solemn look then vanished into Klona's ring.
_____Klonoa hurried to the city gate. The gate was ajar and Klonoa slipped through without making a sound. Inside the city Klonoa was standing on a large road that provided a connection to all alleyways. Amongst the vacant roads and unattended market stands the white blotches that were present at the previous ___ were spread across the entire city like a plague. "This city is awfully quiet."
_____"Perhaps we should keep it that way."
_____"Ya, maybe..."
_____Klonoa began running down the main road that clearly lead towards the white glow on the horizon. The road cut through the city occasionally swerving around neglected flower gardens and trees that looked to have been around for centuries. Ahead the white plague was becoming more prominent and invading the main road. As Klonoa pressed onward leaving only the sound of footsteps behind he noticed the increasing appearance of blue ember-like objects within the white masses. "What do you think those are?"
_________(steve) did not reply.
_____Continuing down the road the white glow was illuminating all spaces of the city even the spaces of the most shadow. Approaching a tree obstructing the straight path of the road Klonoa stopped. A collection of blue embers were situated at the base of the tree that was nearly fully consumed by the white plague. The city quaked and Klonoa stumbled to his knees.
_____A deep whisper sounded through the city, "This world is mine. Soon all who are here in this world will be mine."
_____"Look out!" ____(steve) said in alarm.
_____Bolts of blue light whizzed past Klonoa's shoulders.
_____The deep voice returned, "Stay here and be consumed Dream Traveler. I will not fail again to the likes of you."
_____Klonoa dropped to the floor as another bolt of blue light blasted over Klonoa's hat. Clambering to his feet Klonoa sprinted to corner of the house on the left side of the road.
_____Pressed against the wall the voice came again,"You can not hide from me. I have taken this city. I see all."
_____Klonoa peered around the corner as bolt of blue light ricocheted off the corner. "Woah!" Klonoa returned to pressing up against the wall. "Where are these bolts coming from?"
_____"They can come from anywhere," said ____(steve) dishearteningly.
_____"Anywhere?!"
_____"These are not bolts of lightning or objects being thrown at us."
_____Klonoa carefully looked back around the corner towards the tree. The collection of blue embers were missing. "What exactly are we up against?"
_____"The evil is using the essence of the citizens in the city against us. Once the people here lost all hope the evil was able to take control of their actions. All that truly remains is their essence; the blue embers we have been seeing on our way through the city. The evil is throwing the essence of the people here to ward us away." ____(steve) let out a big sigh, "We must hurry. Time is running short."
_____"Wahoo." Taking a deep breath and tightening his gloves Klonoa looked back at the tree as the final piece of green faded to white. Klonoa jumped up and out from behind the building as bolt speeded under him.
_____Continuing towards the center of the city in a full sprint Klonoa hurdled over a white gap in the road. Ducking to the right avoiding another bolt. He jumped over another gap, raised his ring and fired a windbullet, capturing the bolt of essence. Holding onto the essence with his ring he shuffled his momentum around the building to his left revealing center plaza of the city. Halting at the border of the plaza there was another quake. Holding his ground Klonoa spotted the statue which ____(steve) spoke of earlier.
_____The statue stood taller than the buildings nearby. It was a slender figure, standing with one hand pressed against the heart and elbow outward; the other arm stretched out as if offering something to the sky. The white plague had consumed the most of the statue concealing any recognizable features except the offering hand, shoulder and outcropped elbow. At the base of the statue veins of unaffected ground like the roots of a tree, stood-fast against the encroaching plague.
_____The sky was a pure white. Surrounding buildings had become no more than outlines on a clean canvas. Blue embers were scattered amongst the outlines, a few swirled the statue as a swarm.
_____"Klonoa, I do not think there is enough time."
_____"What? Don't say that. We've made it this far. All I need to do is claim the last element, right?"
_____"Yes..."
_____"Then that is what we will do."
_____The swarm circling around the statue grew in entropy. Three embers broke from the swirl darting towards Klonoa. One bolted low and left and another towards his shoulder. Klonoa, evading, reared his leg back, dropped his arm to the ground and tumbled. Rolling to one knee he raised his ring still clinging to the essence and fired it at the third bolt deflecting them both away.
_____Springing to his feet he leapt into the plaza towards the statue on the ground that still existed.
_____"Look out!"
_____Klonoa quickly pointed his ring to his right side and grabbed another bolt. Nearing the foundation of the statue he jumped and firing his ring thrust the captured essence beneath him providing enough height to land standing at the base of the statue. There was another quake as the plagued swelled and engulfed more of the plaza.
_____"There's no way up!" said ____(steve) in a panic.
_____"We're almost there."
_____"Klonoa I don't want you to be lost forever in my phantomile."
_____Looking up through the outlines of the statue Klonoa spotted more embers amassing outside the plaza. "It's not over yet."
_____The deep voice came again, "Your agility is commendable but I have already claimed this world and everything in it; all except you Dream Traveler. Eventually your hope fill run out and you will be nothing more than a puppet just like this entire city."
_____Klonoa took a step back from the statue and raised his ring towards the swarm that was advancing at an alarming speed. "I will not abandon you ____(steve)."
_____The first bolt met a windbullet from Klonoa's ring and was held in place. Sidestepping the next bolt and swinging with the ring and essence he batted both embers away. Turning sideways and leaning back a bolt whizzed past his nose. He staggered backwards.
_____Regaining his balance Klonoa fired another windbullet and captured a bolt moments before it collided with his chest. Looking around for more incoming projectiles he saw the previous bolts were returning for another attempt. He quickly jumped upwards then thrust the bolt he had downward giving him some extra jump height. While airborne he kicked a leg downward making contact with another bolt to continue his assent. Pointing the ring to the left he grabbed another bolt and thrust it downward as a volley passed underneath.
_____Reaching his hand upward Klonoa grabbed the outstretched unaffected elbow of the statue. Hoisting himself up Klonoa stood just a few short bounds away from the element. He jumped to the adjacent unaffected shoulder of the statue. His balance waivered as the foothold was smaller than his shoes. His foot began to feel numb as the white plague encroached onto his shoes.
_____"Klonoa, I...I don't want you to be a part of this evil."
_____Now balancing on one foot Klonoa looked around for another bolt to use to bridge the gap to the outstretched hand holding the element. Seeing the volley of bolts nearing he jumped.
Noticing a singular bolt coming from underneath he grabbed it with his ring and thrust it back downward, propelling himself closer to the element. Returning his attention to the volley of bolts now within reach he grabbed one and immediately threw it down. The lift he received was enough to reach the element.
_____Sailing towards the outstretched hand of the statue a bolt clipped Klonoa's shoulder sending him into a spin. Becoming dizzy there was a blue flash then the white world around him tinted with yellow then it fell into black.
...
...
_____Klonoa opened his eyes with a large gasp for breath. Looking up to the sky he winced and shielded his eyes from the sun. Calming his breathing he could feel the little blades of grass against his arm. He sat up.
Birds were singing and a gentle breeze was flowing through the open field. Clouds were nonchalantly scattered across the sky. A windmill could be seen in the far distance.
_____Klonoa ascended to his feet. He spun around recognizing the familiar place. A thought of ____(steve) flashed through his mind. Startled he looked into the green gem of his ring still in his hand. He spun around again looking at the ground and even under his shoes. Klonoa stood puzzled, Was it really just another vivid dream?...
_____Taking a step backwards in confusion Klonoa felt extra weight in his pocket. Reaching into his pocket he heard a clank like the sound of marbles. Pulling out and opening his hands he held two transparent orbs, one yellow and one blue. Klonoa immediately clenched his fist to his heart and dropped his ring...
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Okay that's where I am ending the story. Of course I have a fair amount of stuff to fix. All actions, scenes and dialogue subject to change. Act 3-4 are subject to the most change hence my delay to posting the final segment.
Please post anything that seems or is confusing in any segment. As Klonoa fans it is easy to understand familiar information whereas unfamiliar readers/viewers may not understand and become confused.
Any criticism, positive or negative is appreciated; I'd rather see things crushed or praised now than at the final product.
