"Hey, Rock? Rock!"
Rock grunted and cracked open his eyes, blinking against the sunlight that
crept through the wooden slats and various openings of the barn.
He tried to sit up, but the large, grey tomcat on his chest made it clear
that it did not want to be moved just yet. Rock glanced around until
he found Forte in one of the darker corners of the barn holding a stone
bowl, Solandri extended with her scythe blade ignited.
"What?" Rock groaned.
"How do you like your eggs?" Forte asked, glancing into the bowl with a
disapproving glare, "Scrambled, burnt, or raw?"
"...um...scrambled?"
"Wise choice," Forte grumbled, setting down the bowl and making his way
back down the row of stables towards the chickens on the opposite end of
the barn out of Rock's line of sight. A chicken clucked in protest
and Forte walked back, emptying a thoroughly burned egg out of the bowl
in his left hand as he shook the two eggs in his right hand to break the
yolk, cracking the shells to get the broken yolk into the bowl and tossing
the shells aside. Rock watched with half interest as Forte placed
the bowl onto Solandri's fiery blade and conscentrated hard on not ruining
the eggs.
With a yawn, Rock sat up, the cat meowing in protest, but removing itself
from his chest. A dull grunt issued from behind Rock, making him
jump slightly and turn around to see that he had been using a large bloodhound's
belly for a pillow during the night. Another bloodhound was still
curled up where Forte's head had likely been, and several cats and terriers
crowded around him as he cooked the eggs. Rock blinked, and grinned
slightly.
"I think they're hungry, too," he spoke.
"They've been following me around all morning," Forte responded, removing
the bowl from Solandri's blade and extinguishing and retracting her, "They
look like they're waiting for me to give them orders or something.
Even the cats." He shook his head, tucking Solandri in the back of
his pants waistband as he made his way through the cats and dogs back over
to Rock and the haystack. "Here you go." Rock took the bowl
and looked into it, his stomach growling when he saw and smelled the cooked,
only slightly burned eggs.
"What about you?" he asked, blowing on the eggs to cool them.
"I already ate," Forte answered with a yawn as he sat down on the haystack
and was promptly hoarded by cats all trying to share his lap. Rock
choked back a laugh at Forte's exhasperation. "The sun's high.
If we're going to get to the next village before dusk when Blues' power
will be returning, we'd better get moving soon." Rock nodded and
quickly saw to eating and filling his empty stomach. The energy canister
from the night before had healed most of his wounds, but his stomach and
tongue craved food. He had not truly eaten anything since Roll had
been killed except maybe a few berries from bushes every so often.
He had nearly forgotten what eggs tasted like. Not that food was
vital. It was more of a luxury.
One of the bloodhounds sniffed at Rock's food, and Rock had to lean away
in order to avoid getting dog slobber on his breakfast. Forte tugged
on the dog's ear, muttering, "Leave him alone..." The bloodhound
snuffed, disappointed, but set its head down to let Rock finish eating.
Forte stood up and walked to one of the windows of the barn as Rock finished
eating. "We'd better go, and quick. The farmer's coming."
Rock nodded, climbing off of the haystack and following Forte to exit through
the back of the barn, running away from their shelter. Puddles splashed
and their boots, armored or no, were coated with mud as they made their
way through a small field of tomatoes on the farmer's land and ran towards
the dirt road, slowing to a walk once they reached it. Forte lead
the way down the road, to the northeast.
"It's likely going to be dusk by the time we get there if we stay on foot,"
Forte stated with a small yawn, making sure Solandri was secure in the
waistband of his pants at his back, "Maybe even full dark. I don't
think Wily's stupid enough to have Blues attack a village, but he might
be. We shouldn't hear much from him during the day." Rock nodded,
understanding. "I wish I'd been able to grab a backpack or something.
Then we could get supplies there."
"I'm sorry about your house."
Forte shook his head. "Wily probably would have found me soon, anyway.
It's just not safe there anymore until Blues is dealt with." He glanced
at Rock, and blinked, a thought crossing his mind. "You might want
to armor down." Rock blinked at him. "You might get mobbed
when we reach the village. People will recognize you in that."
Rock cringed at the thought and nodded, pressing the small, blue cube on
the forehead of his helmet to make his armor disappear, helmet with it,
leaving him dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt, white cloth pants,
and black boots. He could recall his armor with a mental command
if he needed it. With his helmet not shadowing his face slightly,
his eyes gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, changing from midnight blue
to grass green to a lovely blue-green like seawater depending on how the
light shined, irridescent like a butterfly's wings.
"Forte?" he asked after a moment of silence, ignoring the persistant squish
their boots continued to make in the muddy road. Forte glanced at
him. "Do you know the story about why Scions are the only people
with technology? I used to know it, but I forget." Forte blinked
at the odd question, but nodded. "Who told you?"
"Centaur Man. He always was interested in mythology and stuff like
that."
"How did he tell it?" Rock asked, "Might be different from what I was told."
Forte rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember.
"Ages ago, the gods were at war with each other, each claiming that they
were better than the others and could do more spectacular deeds.
Stupid reasons to fight, but then again, it's also the main reason why
humans fight." Rock nodded, listening quietly. "Eventually,
Horus grew tired of the long-winded argument and demanded that each of
them do or create something to prove themselves, and then they would resolve
the argument once and for all. There was no time limit, so each god
had plenty of time to think of what they would make to outdo the others.
"Horus created the planet, which we know as Hesparia. A thousand
or so years later, Isis created the plants and the atmosphere and its continually
changing weather pattern. Sekhmet was next after a long time, creating
the birds, animals, fish, and, to top it all off, humans. She gave
them the ability to use tools to make shelter and clothing -- made them
sentient. She also gifted them with fire and knowledge of magic --
to which Isis came up with the different Classes. It was a very,
very long time afterwards when Anubis made his creation..."
"The Scions..." Rock muttered. Forte nodded, then blinked and glanced
over his shoulder as a dual-horse drawn wagon pulled into view. The
man guiding it pulled the horses' reins to halt them and glanced down at
Forte and Rock.
"You boys headed to Ivona?" he asked, face weather-hardened but with a
friendly smile.
"Yes, we are, sir," Forte answered, Rock all but hiding behind him, peeking
over his shoulder.
"You'll never make it before full dark if you stay on foot," the human
stated, "Hop in the back. I'll get you there before sundown."
They thanked him and quickly climbed into the wagon, sitting atop the large
pumpkins and steadying themselves when the horses began pulling again.
"Well...we should be able to avoid Blues, this way," Forte muttered, yawning,
"And Wily's probably too dependant on Blues now to think to send out anyone
else." He shook his head, leaning back against the edge of the wagon.
"Anyway...yeah. Anubis created the Scions about one-hundred thousand
years ago, just before humans really started recording their history.
He made them to spite Sekhmet's hard work on creating the humans.
He gathered four humans and gave them knowledge beyond what humans had
been created to fathom. He also gave them technology and the means
to create more for themselves. Ordinary humans couldn't begin to
guess what all of these new mechanical and electric tools were for and
what they could do. Only the Scions could use the technology given
to them because only their minds were able to comprehend what everything
was capable of.
"Anubis made sure that there would never be any more than four Scions at
one time, and it's impossible for a Scion to have children, so when one
dies, the magic that makes them what they are drifts for a varied amount
of time before choosing a new Scion. Scions are 'gifted' with the
ability to create robots and give them a life of their own -- a soul of
their own, and they can destroy it at any time they wish. The robot
has to be completely rebuilt in order to be given a new soul. Sekhmet
views Scions and robots as freaks of nature." Forte shrugged with
a small grin. "Which I guess we are, in a way, but anyway...
"Anubis never meant for the Scions to war against each other or against
the humans -- at least, that's what the history books say. As far
as anyone knows, he could have been trigger happy or the Scions might have
been his revenge against Horus, Isis, and Sekhmet for beating him in the
'contest'. Or he could have simply lost control over the Scions.
However it happened, two new Scions arose fifty-some-odd years ago, and
the Reign of Wily began almost nine years ago. The rest, I believe
you already know."
Rock nodded and remained silent for several moments, brooding. He
remembered when Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had worked together -- had been
friends. They had teamed together to create himself and Roll, Blues
before them, and Rock had helped create the first six Robot Masters, drawing
their designs and aiding with the construction. The six had been
designed to aid humans in many ways. Sekhet-Aanru had been created
to cut down trees for crop space or for lumber to be used to build housing.
Geb had been created to transfer the lumber or clear roads after tornadoes.
Osiris had been meant to explore the arctic and tundra and other areas
too cool for humans for healing herbs and game. Khet was to be used
to destroy fallen rocks in montane regions, Uraeus for burning old crops
and clearing underbrush for Sekhet-Aanru. Min had been created for
the sea, capable of fighting off sea serpents and other oceanic monsters,
or to act as a lightning rod during harsh storms.
All six had been stolen by Dr. Wily and renamed. Sekhet-Aanru had
been renamed to Cut Man, Geb to Guts Man, Osiris to Ice Man, Khet to Bomb
Man. Uraeus had been renamed to Fire Man, and Min was now known as
Elec Man. Rock had considered them all to be his brothers, and it
had pained him to have to fight them. Until Dr. Wily had sent them
to attack Dr. Light's laboratory over a year later, Rock had never been
sure if they had survived his attacks. He was happy that they survived,
but still pained that they were fighting against him.
Rock shook his head and looked back up at Forte as he asked, "Who are we
meeting at this village, again...?"
"A friend of mine who escaped Wily's control a long time ago," Forte answered,
"If I remember right, he was taken in by a priest and stays at the church."
"Who?"
"You'll see." Rock blinked, but dropped the subject. The rest
of the day passed quietly, the silence rarely broken.
* * * * *
The sky was red and orange from sunset when they finally reached Ivona,
thanking the farmer one last time before leaving the wagon and starting
down the muddy lanes of the village. The inn and the church were
the only buildings which stood out. The market was open air and closing
for the day, most of the booths and tables empty and wagons gone.
"I hope you have some money," Forte muttered, "Or we'll be camping out
in a puddle. All of my money's at home." Rock nodded.
"Yeah," he answered, "Dr. Light made lots of money from the local farmers
with the plows and other things he made. I make sure I keep plenty
with me since my teleporter doesn't work, and if I run out, I can get some
more whenever I recall my armor." Forte nodded, glancing around the
quiet village as more and more people disappeared into their houses or
into the inn for the night.
"Do you want to go ahead to the church or rest up first?" he asked.
Rock shook his head. "Get this over with..." Forte nodded,
leading the way to the church.
It was a large building, the largest in the village, with two columns of
fifty pews each lining the floor, the altar rising high above the pews,
two confessionals in the back corner. Behind the altar against the
back wall was a large painting of the Four Gods; Horus, Isis, Sekhmet,
and Anubis in their shining glory, each holding a sphere representing what
he or she created in the Great Creation. Horus held the planet, Hesparia,
Isis -- also known as The Weathermaker to some regions of Hesparia --
held a hurricane in front of her, Sekhmet sported a raven, and Anubis held
a gross attempt at painting a computer chip, showing his role as the creator
of technology and the Scions. It was one of the few churches that
Forte knew of which honored all of the Four Gods. Most honored Horus
and Sekhmet, a few highly honored Isis, and Anubis was abolished in a great
many churches, especially after the Reign of Wily began.
A dozen priests milled about, cleaning statuettes, dusting pews, sweeping
floors, and talking with villagers. Most wore white and blue robes,
but there was one figure that stood out from the others. He was tall
and wore black robes with red trim and a gold emblem of a lightning bolt
in the center of his back and chest, a white blindfold over his eyes, short-cut
platinum blonde hair spilling over his face. In his hands, coming
up to his forehead, was a silver sceptre, streaked in a spiral with gold
down the body, the head of the sceptre ending in a cobra's head, hood flared
and fangs poised to strike, large emeralds shining as its eyes, even with
his own, and wings of platinum spread behind its hood. Rock froze.
"...Elec Man..?"
Forte nodded, answering, "He was one of the first to rebel against Wily
and escape." Rock glanced at Forte, blinking slowly before turning
his attention back to Elec Man. He stared for a few minutes before
his expression twisted slightly, almost pained as he gulped slightly, closing
his eyes for a moment.
"S-So..." he muttered, voice hushed and eyes still closed, "How can he
help us...?"
Forte crossed his arms, glancing around the cathedral briefly before answering,
"Hopefully, he can tell us how to get control of Blues. How to reunite
Blues with his soul." Rock remained silent, opening his eyes to watch
Elec Man cautiously. "Come on," Forte said, stepping forward down
the isle of pews, Rock hesitating slightly, but following. Elec Man
stood near the end of the column, head tilted downward as if he was staring
at the floor as he leaned against the sceptre. Rock stopped before
Elec Man, staring up at his old enemy with an expression of uncertainty.
He glanced at Forte, then leaned forward to tap Elec Man's shoulder in
an attempt to gain his attention.
Elec Man jumped slightly, glancing up, but looking past them. "Hmm?"
he spoke, his voice soft, softer than Rock remembered it being years past,
"May I help you...?"
"Hey, Light Brite!" Forte beamed, and Elec Man's expression turned to a
half-glare of annoyance.
"You're lucky you're the only one I let call me that..." Forte just
grinned.
Rock stared at Elec Man, as if his eyes were trying to absorb every detail
of his face. He slowly looked up at Forte, then Elec Man. They
seem like brothers, he thought, Joking together...smiling...
He studied Elec Man's face further, his gaze lingering on the blindfold
which hid Elec Man's gold eyes. He's blind...he wasn't blind before...
"What do you need?" Elec Man asked Forte before tilting his head back to
Rock's direction, still looking past them, "And who's with you?"
"I need to see if you can answer something for me," Forte answered, then
looked to Rock, "Hey. Say something."
Rock jumped, startled, then blushed with embarrassment. "Um...hello...Elec
Man..." he whispered, though his voice wavered on the Robot Master's name.
He cleared his throat, and his voice turned stronger, defensive.
"You remember me?"
Elec Man's expression brightened a little, and he smiled as he responded,
"Hi Rock!"
Rock blinked slowly, then glanced at his feet. "Hi..."
Elec Man glanced back in Forte's direction and asked, "Answer what?"
"Do you know what needs to be done in order to reunite a robot's soul with
its body after it's been removed? That has to be how Wily's controlling
Blues," Forte answered. Rock cringed slightly at the mention of Blues'
name, but said nothing, looking away.
Elec Man blinked several times behind his blindfold before stammering in
response, "Um...I...don't have a clue. That's beyond me. I
know that if it was destroyed, Blues would have to be killed, but
Wily couldn't do that since Dr. Light gave him his soul..." He shook
his head. "The High Priest would probably be able to tell you.
Or at least direct you to someone who could."
Rock glanced back, expression twisted so as not to show the pain Elec Man's
words had caused. "So...you don't know...?" he squeaked. He stumbled
back and sat weakly on one of the benches. "Blues..."
Elec Man shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't have a
clue. The High Priest would be your best bet here."
Forte sighed and nodded. "Okay," he muttered, "I'll go talk to him."
He looked down at Rock. "Stay here and relax for a minute.
I'll be right back." Rock just nodded as Forte left, leaving him
and the former Robot Master alone.
Elec Man hesitated for a moment before glancing down at Rock and speaking,
"I'm sorry I couldn't help."
Rock pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. "...it's
okay..." he whispered.
"I wish it was, but I know
it's not. I wish I could have been more of a help to you," Elec Man
responded, leaning against his sceptre slightly. Rock muttered something
under his breath, rocking back and forth. Elec Man tilted his head,
blinking. "Hmm?"
Rock seemed to consider whether he should repeat himself, then glared at
the floor. "I said...why should you care?"
Elec Man blinked. "Why wouldn't I? Blues is my brother as much
as he is yours, and unlike you, I know what he might be going through under
Wily's command."
Rock tensed, eyes narrowing as he all but snarled his response, "Since
when have you ever cared about this side of the family? You ditched
us."
Elec Man tilted his head as he answered, "I was reprogrammed. I had
no choice."
"What about afterwards?" Rock snorted, "You came here... why did you come
here? Why didn't you come home?"
"Oh, that..." Elec Man muttered, his cheerful mood dampening a little,
"Wily sent out a bunch of Robot Masters to find and kill me, and it took
me a week to lose them.
"Right after that was when my sight started going. I woke up one
morning and it was blurry beyond belief. The next morning, everything
was darker than it should have been. My sight was completely gone
in four days." Rock stared at the floor for a moment, then looked
up at Elec Man.
"Why didn't you tell anyone to write us?"
"I tried, but the High Priest was always too busy, and everyone else has
always been too afraid of me to get near me. And I couldn't find
the next room most of the time, much less find paper and identify a pen,
otherwise I would have written myself."
"Too busy, eh?" Rock hissed, "Too busy for family?"
Elec Man shook his head. "I don't know, but he never got around to
it. Most of the time he was out of town or too busy with some business
here. Other times he'd forget, but I kept asking him."
Rock looked away, his voice shaking, portraying his disbelief in Elec Man's
words. "...did you really? Did you really think about us at
all?"
Elec Man nodded. "All the time. Even when I was with Wily.
It made me sick to know that we were on opposite sides."
Rock closed his eyes. "...you ran away from him...that's what Forte
said...why didn't you run away sooner...? Before I had to fight...?"
"I couldn't before then. I wasn't strong enough. I was the
third to escape from Wily, and the two before me had weakened his defenses
enough during their escape for me to finally get out of there." Rock
looked hesitant, unsure whether to believe Elec Man or not. Elec
Man looked down to the floor, silent. He felt guilty for being unable
to escape Dr. Wily before he did, and felt terrible for being unable to
contact Rock after he finally did escape.
Rock closed his eyes, his body shaking slightly. "...you seem happy
here," he whispered, sounding bitter. He had not known happiness in three
years. Not since...
Elec Man glanced back up, turning his head as if he was looking around
the cathedral. "It's nice...but it's not home."
Rock flinched, then snarled, harshly. "There isn't a home anymore!"
He cut himself off abruptly, surprised at his outburst and curling up tightly.
Elec Man sighed. "I know...I wish I could have been there to help
you and the others."
Rock tensed, visibly, and dug his fingers into his arm. "Yes...I
need lots of help, don't I?" he hissed. He shivered, muttering mostly
to himself. "I'm useless...that's why Dr. Light doesn't want to be
near me...he knows I'm useless and can't protect him! I'm only alive because
of Forte!"
Elec Man tilted his head, eyes narrowed behind his blindfold. "Rock,
don't say that. Dr. Light wouldn't avoid you."
"Then where is he?" Rock demanded, his trembling increasing. "Why haven't
I seen him in three whole years?!"
"...I don't know..." Elec Man sighed, sitting down beside Rock.
Rock clenched his fingers even tighter. "I know...I know why...he knew
I couldn't stop the Robot Masters...that's why he left when...!"
Rock's eyes widened in horror as the thought grew in his mind. Had
Dr. Light known that he would not have been able to save them? Had
he known and left them for dead to save himself? "If...Dr. Light
had been there..." Rock choked, "...Rush...Roll...Rightot...Beat...they'd
all be alive...he could have saved them..."
"Rock..." Elec Man started, but trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Rock choked. "They'd have lived...I wouldn't have been alone...he
didn't just abandon me...he abandoned everyone!" Elec Man slid an
arm around Rock's shoulder, crooning softly as he tried to calm him.
Rock jumped at the touch, then turned to stare at Elec Man, eyes glistening
from tears that refused to fall. Elec Man rubbed Rock's shoulder
gently. He couldn't see the tears, but he heard the sniff and crooned
gently. "Shh...it's okay. Let it out if you want to.
That's part of what this place is here for. To help people with their
problems."
Rock shook his head violently, the tears pouring down his cheeks.
A few drops landed on Elec Man's arm as he tried desperately to wipe it
away. "N-Nothing can help..." he responded, shivering, "They're dead...and
he left me...I d-don't have anything left..."
Elec Man continued to croon and rub Rock's arm, trying to comfort him.
"You have Forte. And he seems more than willing to help you out."
"F-Forte...?" Rock choked, "I've caused him so much trouble..."
"But he's still willing to help."
"I don't see why..." Rock sighed, wiping at his cheeks, "He's in so much
danger now...because of me..." He shook his head, taking several
deep breaths. I'm not going to cry...not again...
* * * * *
"I'm sorry...anything involving robots is beyond the reach of anyone in
this village, including me," the High Priest of the cathedral spoke, appologizing.
Forte's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "Again, I'm sorry.
I don't think a normal human could do such a deed as restoring the soul
of a robot, anyway."
"So, what you're saying is that our only hope is finding Dr. Light or Dr.
Cossack..." Forte sighed.
The High Priest slowly nodded, tall headdress surprisingly staying on his
head without much trouble as he answered, "It would be best, but no, I
don't think it's your only hope just yet." Forte looked up,
attention firm. "A Rosicrucian is all but bound to the church, making
it a class nearly specializing in Healing. I'm not sure how well
they would be able to restore a robot's soul, but I do know
that they would at least try. A Dragon Knight is also extremely skilled
in Healing. Either one would at least try to help you. If they
couldn't do it, I'm sure they could direct you to someone else."
"Really?" The human nodded.
"There is a large church in the city of Khana almost due north of here,
three days worth of travelling if you're on foot. You'll likely find
a Rosicrucian there. Dragon Knights, however, usually reside in the
mountains, which are five days to the southeast. The mountains are
further away, but north is getting into troll territory."
"Thank you, sir," Forte said, tension leaving his shoulders. After
a brief moment of silence, he looked up and asked, "How's Elec Man doing?"
The High Priest's expression brightened a little as he replied, smiling,
"Oh, he's doing great. Much better than when he first came here."
"How did he go blind? Last I remember, he could see perfectly."
"It was his handicap for being a Myrmidon." Forte winced and nodded.
He had forgotten that a Myrmidon's powers, once realized and used, would
eventually give the Myrmidon a handicap of sorts. It always varied
between deafness, blindness, or crippling, although no one was ever sure
as to why they were handicapped when the more powerful Mage Classes
were not. "He was blind when I found him."
Forte blinked. "Found him?"
The High Priest nodded. "He was curled up in some bushes just behind
the church, filthy and terrified. I was taking a walk when I found
him."
Forte blinked again, then drawled, "Well...no offense, but I'm almost surprised
you helped him, considering whose side he was on at the time..."
"None taken. He just seemed so helpless sitting there shivering and
looking around at nothing that I couldn't leave him there. And admittedly,
he didn't seem much of a threat since he couldn't see where to aim and
attack." The High Priest shook his head. "Everyone else is
still hesitant and withdrawn around him."
"I can imagine. Where did that sceptre come from?"
"It's a holy sceptre, said to be blessed by Anubis, himself. It can
increase the success rate of Healing, but no human has been able to utilize
its powers because it was created by technology. I brought it out
just last year and let Elec Man walk with it for a few days to see what
would happen if a robot held it and tested its powers instead of a human.
His Healing powers improved as did his confidence in himself, and one of
the strangest, yet miraculous, things happened...he said that with it,
he could almost see again." Forte blinked. "I'm guessing that
it is Anubis' power from the sceptre bonding with him, Anubis' grandchild,
so to speak. He said that he can't see colors or details -- mostly
shapes and outlines -- but it's better than nothing. I didn't have
the heart to take it away from him."
Forte nodded and spoke as he stood up from his chair, "As long as he's
okay...it's absolute hell living at Wily's place. None of us were
treated well by any stretch of the imagination, especially him, so I'm
glad he's doing okay." The High Priest nodded, standing up to escort
Forte back to the sanctuary. "And thanks for helping."
"You're more than welcome."
* * * * *
Forte blinked at the sight greeting him as he re-entered the sanctuary.
Elec Man glanced up, Rock leaning against him, head resting on Elec Man's
shoulder as he slept soundly. Forte shook his head, stepping forward
as Elec Man asked, "Do you have a place to stay for the night? If
not, you can stay in my room."
Evanescence
By: NKfloofiepoof