Small Differences - Chapter 5 (OLD)

	The teenaged duo reaches a large set of stairs leading to the castle's courtyard.
	"Why the hell is there a castle in a supply closet?" Susie ponders.
	"Beats me...Wanna check it out?"
	Before Susie has an opportunity to respond, a small, timid, child-like voice beckons the two classmates.
	"Welcome, heroes...!"
	"Who's there!?" Susie barks through gritting teeth.
	"Do not be alarmed..." the voice continues. "I am not your enemy...Please come forward, both of you..."

	Kris climbs the stairs, but notices that Susie isn't following him. "Come on, Susie." The monster hesitates before reluctantly walking up the steps. At the top of the stairs, Kris and Susie spot a hooded figure standing before them. The inside of the hood is filled with seemingly impenetrable darkness. Kris squints his eyes, but can't make out any facial features. Before Susie has a chance to ask who the hell the hooded figure is, they begin to speak once more.

	"*Hey, this guy's got some important stuff to say. You should listen closely."

	"Welcome...I am the prince of this kingdom. The Kingdom of Darkness. Kris, Susie...there is a legend in this land. A legend that one day, two Heroes of Light will arrive, and fulfill the ancient prophecy, foretold by time and space. Please, heroes...Listen to my tale."
	"Alright." Kris replies to the disappointment of Susie.
	"Ugh, really?"
	"Hey, this stuff might be important. And besides, it might include a few clues on how we're gonna get back home..."
	"Alright, alright...But this better not take too long."
	"Very well, then..."

	The hooded figure goes on to explain a prophecy involving the duality between light and darkness, along with the fragile balance between them. According to the figure, if this balance were to be disrupted, a great apocalyptic calamity would occur, bringing about the end of the world. The Dark Fountain spewing from the top of the castle gives this land form, keeping the balance steady, but a new Fountain has been erected on the horizon, threatening to tip the scales between light and dark. Only three heroes are capable of closing such a fountain. These three heroes are a human, a monster, and a prince from the dark. It seems as if closing the Fountain is the only way that the beings of light will be able to return home...

	"Kris, Susie...Thank you for listening to my long tale. I deeply believe you two are the Heroes of the Legend. That despite whatever enemies you may face...You two have the courage to save the world. DELTA WARRIORS!..Please, won't you accept your destiny...?"
	"........Uhhh...Nah."
	"Susie!" Kris whispers as he elbows his classmate in the shoulder.
	"W-what...?" The prince's voice becomes shaky.
	"Kris, if you do that again, I SWEAR I'LL..." Susie raises her fist towards Kris' face.
	"S-Susie, wait...! Without you...the world will..."
	"Hey, I think you got the wrong person. Me? Some kind of hero or something?" Susie lowers her fist. "Please. And besides, so what if the world gets destroyed? It's none of my damn business.  Might even be kind of fun, honestly...And Kris, if you wanna play pretend with this weirdo, stick around. I'M gonna find a way out of here." Susie finishes with an uncaring smirk.

	Kris flashes a disappointed scowl at her. Before Kris can chastise her, however, a high pitched cackle fills the air, followed by the ear piercing sound of screeching tires. A small, rotund, and monster-like creature riding a silver bicycle adorned with flaming training wheels speeds in and rams the prince as they are launched to the sidelines. Kris almost instantly recognizes the spade shaped head.

	"Ho ho ho! The heroes are already running away, and they didn't even know I was here! My dad's gonna make me son of the month!"
	"...Is...is he okay?" Kris asks, looking towards the hooded prince to his left. He's lying on his side, squirming on the ground.
	"...I didn't hurt him too bad, did I...? A-actually, if I DID, that's good! ...Right?"
	"Hey, hold on, just who the hell are you!?" Susie snaps with a slightly nervous expression.
	"I'm...!" The rotund creature does a small donut with his bicycle, flashing a peace sign with his small fingers. "The bad guy! You CLOWNS want to seal our Dark Fountain, huh!? And, still picturing you guys as CLOWNS, save the world from eternal darkness, huh!?"
	"Yeah, that's about right." Kris responds with a cocky grin.
	"Eh."
	"Heh, there's no use in denying it...! We both know you'll go east! It's your only way home! But, I, LANCER, won't let you go there! And I've got a flawless two-step plan to ensure it. Step one. I thrash you. Step two. You lose!"
	"Hmm...Nice plan, kid."
	"R-really?" Lancer is surprised that someone is seemingly taking him even somewhat seriously.
	"Yeah, actually. Mind if we use it on you instead?" Susie says with a snarl, flashing her dagger-like teeth.
	Suddenly, Kris and Susie materialize weapons out of thin air. A large wooden sword and a large ax respectively.

	"*This little guy's gonna try to fight you, but he's actually about as menacing as a pillow. I don't think you should hurt him. Susie, on the other hand, is going to try to smash him into pieces. I'd warn him about her if I were you."

	"Dunno how I got an ax, but, like, that's cool." Susie swings her new ax around to get a feel for the weight.
	"Hey, Lancer, right? I don't exactly have a leash on my friend here. If you don't watch out, she's going to seriously hurt you."
	"Kris! The hell are you doing? He's our enemy!" Susie hisses. "We're SUPPOSED to hurt him!"
	Susie quickly gets a running start and swings her ax at Lancer, but completely misses as the bicycle riding child flashes another piece sign. "Halt, clowns! This bike is fueled by victory!" Lancer honks his bike horn twice before attempting to run the heroes down. Kris side-steps his attack, completely dodging it. "Ho ho! Not bad for a CLOWN!" Lancer shrieks before repeatedly switching gears to appear competent.

	"*Maybe you should try complimenting him. You might be able to convince him to stand down."
	"Uhh...I can't tell the difference between your clothes and your body."
	"*...Really? That's the best compliment you could come up with?"

	"Oh! You make my feelings do wheelies! Sweet wheelies!"

	"*Heh, alright. I guess if it works, it works."

	Lancer prepares another rushdown. He honks his bicycle horn twice and makes a second attempt at ramming Kris. The attack is met by another dodge, but Lancer's right handle bar collides with Kris' face, leaving a noticeable red mark. Before either of the heroes can further retaliate, Lancer rushes towards both heroes again, but does donuts around them, launching spade-shaped projectiles at them. One of the spades manages to nick Susie in the arm.

	"Augh! That hurt, you little shit!"
	Lancer loudly gasps. "That's a tier-two swear word! You're gonna need a shower AND some soap in your mouth after I'm done thrashing you!" Lancer says, flashing an extremely goofy and mischievous grin. "...Wait! Wait a second! My bike's running out of fuel...! Alright, you punk-a-roos! You had the luck of the draw this time, but...Next time, the losers will be YOU! Hahaha! Bye, losers! I gotta get home before dinner!!!" Lancer screeches before speeding off into the distance.

He leaves behind 34 rectangular pieces of black paper. It looks like money. Kris walks over and clumsily stuffs it into his pocket.

Previous chapter: https://pastebin.com/XWJJAR8F
Next chapter: https://pastebin.com/xUCFhK63