If you've wondered about the Family genre this story has, it kicks into gear here. I don't mind revealing that pre-chapter because, well, it's an obvious link when you think about it.
Chapter 7: A Meeting to Change Lives
August 23, XX54
Fort Madeline
A lone sled traveled across the snow fields. It was one of the fastest models available, with twin Luxor jets, but it was only available to Snow Patrol members. Blues was operating the vehicle. He glanced back at his brother. "I see Fort Madeline ahead. It'll be about fifteen minutes."
Rock didn't respond. He was lying on the back bench shuffling through his tarot cards. Although Blues didn't like it, this was Rock's usual state of being now, unresponsive and apathetic.
Up until thirty years ago, the two of them had been battling Wily's forces. They'd been at it for several decades until finally they got him cornered. But Rock had been alone at that final duel; Blues had been trying to keep any backup from arriving. Then for nearly seven months, no one heard from either Dr. Wily or Rock. Blues had known something had gone terribly wrong, but couldn't know what.
Then Rock came back, cursed with Soul Winter. It was a horrific curse that was listed in all the books as difficult to break. Soul Winter cut off good and strong emotions, generally leaving the victim quietly depressed, apathetic at best. Suicide killed nearly every victim within the first year. So far, Rock was doing well. He had survived this long and his bouts of depression so far weren't severe. Blues had to find a cure before Soul Winter wore Rock out.
After several minutes of silence, he teased, "Getting any messages from beyond?"
"I keep pulling the same set," Rock replied. "Always the same cards."
"Really? What's the set mean?"
"One of us will soon meet with a long-lost member of our family. This reunion will change our family structure ever after."
"Huh." Blues thought about that. "Maybe it's a psychic hint from Roll that we ought to visit home."
There was a slight smile on Rock's face, but as usual it vanished quickly. "She would. But still... the cards suggest that this is a person we love who hasn't been seen in a long time. And it will be a very drastic change."
Ska decided to sit back with Rock and examine his cards. "No sign of if it's a good change or bad change. Just an unknown change. Blues, do you want me to look after Rock?"
He nodded. "Yes please," he said softly, knowing his elf would hear. This was a sign to worry at. Then he spoke louder, "You ought to come up here; we'll be at the gates soon and they aren't expecting us."
"All right." Rock put his cards back in the deck box and came up to the driver's bench. He didn't seem depressed right now. Aside from weariness, it was hard to read anything on that face. Ska's voice twinkled in singing as he tried to help.
Their sled radio automatically adjusted to the frequency in use. "This is Fort Madeline. Identify your patrol and personnel."
"This is Patrol 1, Rock and Blues Light. We're here to request a short stay."
There was a pause as they confirmed this. "Patrol 1, this is a pleasant surprise. What are you in the area for?"
"We've returned from some long reconnaissance in unwatched areas. May we come in? We've been out for many months."
"Certainly, we'll get the gates for you."
The gate opened slowly. Ska fluttered his wings, happy. "Good, back in a warm place."
Blues parked their sled to be taken down for storage. He took a mobile computer with him; Rock took his tarot deck. After things were arranged, they could get the other things. Blues tapped at the gatehouse window. "So with Lord Signas out, who's running Fort Madeline?"
"General Balbanes, so far. We don't have anyone permanent ready."
"Hmm, Balbanes from the traders guild. Not who we need, but he can get things along to General Oregon or someone else."
"Actually, if it's on the Ice Dragon or Wily's forces, Dr. Ciel is here."
"Really, Dr. Ciel? Yeah, we should talk to her. What's she up to?"
"Her patrol is headed out to study Kykital tomorrow, but you should be able to speak with her today. Here, let me get you the conference room she's currently using... and here's an empty suite for you."
"All right, thank you much." He took the numbers and walked with Rock down the hall. "This'll be great; we can finally meet this lady in person."
"Yeah." Rock sighed and looked around the busy fort. "We won't ever get a break, will we?"
"Probably not. The world needs us."
"Still."
-+-
The cafeteria was noisy by the time X and Zero reached it. "I hear they've got something special tonight because Ciel's patrol is leaving tomorrow."
"It smells good, whatever it is. So are we going with them?"
"No, they're going out to Kykital for several months. We have to wait until a trade caravan comes through. But the Ice Dragon has been here repeatedly this month, so most caravans have been routed around Madeline."
"So it could be a while."
X got on his tip-toes, trying to look over the counter. "I wonder what is on the menu. I just heard it was something special."
Zero glanced around the room and spotted someone odd. "Hey, X."
"What?"
He pointed. "Look over there, with Miss Ciel."
X looked over at the full table. It was mostly Patrol 81, but there were two newcomers X had not seen around the fort yet. And one of them looked almost exactly like he did as an adult. "Weird. I wonder who they are."
"I know. There were quite a few who tried to imitate me,"
"Yeah, in various degrees of weaker than you."
Zero grinned. "But despite your surface simplicity, nobody's tried to imitate you that exactly."
"I'm more complicated than I seem. But you're right. Too bad their table is full."
Tonight the cafeteria was serving chicken stir-fry with fresh vegetables. It had to be made in small batches every few minutes, hence the line moving slower than usual. But Patrol 81 had requested it, so they would get it. It would be their last regular hot meal for a long time, perhaps ever if unspoken worries came true.
X and Zero located some adjustable chairs and sat by themselves at an empty table. They talked, as usual, of comparing their old world to this one. But X's attention kept drifting to a few tables away, to the man who looked like him.
"What are you thinking about?" Zero asked. "It's always something when you've got that look."
"I'm not sure. Did it ever make you feel odd to meet one of your copycats?"
"Odd? Not really. Some of them annoyed me, though."
"I think all of them annoyed you."
"That could be."
"But when I think of that guy, I feel like I should know him. Not in being me, but..."
"Like when we recognized the Dark Hunters?"
"Yeah, like that. Except I can't recall his identity, only that we're connected somehow."
"Hmm. Maybe we should go talk to him. Maybe he does know you."
"I hope so. Okay, we'll find some... they're gone."
Zero looked over and noticed that some of Patrol 81 were still there, but most, including Ciel and the two newcomers, were gone. "Don't worry. This fort isn't that big. We'll run across them sooner or later. I just hope they're not going to leave with Ciel's group."
"I know."
They got up anyways to put their dishes up and see what was being offered as dessert. Most of it was too fancy for their child tastes, so they got some ice cream from a machine. Ciel found them as Zero was trying not to get ice cream on his hand. One of the newcomers was with her, but not the one who looked like X. "Oh good, I hoped to run into you boys tonight. Here, I need to give you some growth medications."
X took the bottle and box. "Growth medications?"
"Yes; you both are small for your age, so we're going to try catching you up. The instructions and prescription are in the box. Don't lose track of those papers, because this is heavy therapy and you'll need it to explain why you're on it."
"Okay Ciel. I'll be careful."
Zero looked at X, then began filling an ice cream dish for him.
"What are you doing?" X asked them.
"We're working on the mission preparations. Boys, this is Blues Light, one of the Snow Patrol's founders. Blues, this is X and Zero, the two boys who came from Kykital."
Blues shook hands with X. "It's good to meet two brave young men like yourselves."
X blushed. "We're not that brave."
"Blues is going to take you to Monsteropolis when he and his brother leave. You can trust them."
"Good," Zero said.
"We're going to stay together, right?" X reminded her.
"Of course."
Blues nodded. "I might be able to convince my sister to adopt you. She's a wonderful lady who takes in kids all the time. I don't think she has any now, but I haven't spoken to her in a while."
"That's good. So long as we're together, anything's fine."
He smirked. "Oh, we'll make it better than fine. If Roll doesn't take you in for whatever reason, I'll make certain you get in a good home. I know what it's like to spend days in the snowfield, and I respect anyone who can manage it."
"So how are you two today?" Ciel asked. "Sorry if I've been busy."
"We understand, you have a lot to do. We're okay."
"Some of the guys let us in the gym," Zero said. "There were weights in there that were heavier than me."
Blues chuckled. "It wouldn't be hard to do that."
Zero made a face. "I won't always be little. And I was able to pick up a hundred pound weight."
"You mean you put it on its side," X teased.
"Well they didn't think I could even do that. And I didn't drop it on my foot."
"It made a big noise when it did fall over."
"I'd image," Ciel said. "I'll be sure to check on you two again before I leave. I hope you do well."
"Thanks, Miss Ciel," Zero said.
X tapped Blues' hand. "Oh, but there was some other guy with you... who was he?"
"I think you mean my brother Rock. He went outside for some fresh air. Of course, he's not fond of crowded places either."
"Okay." After they left for their meeting, X turned to Zero. "Let's go find Rock."
"Now? But we have ice cream, and I don't want to be outside with it. Although, it would probably set up better out there."
"That's true. Okay, we'll look in a bit."
"So there's more to your family here," Zero said as they got back to their table. "Do you recognize any of them?"
"Kinda. Rock was the robot hero of the twenty-first century. Blues you hear of less often, but he helped. And Roll even, although she stayed at home and helped Dr. Light with housekeeping. But they all disappeared, either in the last part of the Wily Wars, or just after. It seems history took a different turn here."
"There's also magic here. Maybe it's just following closely."
"Could be. I wonder if I'm still in the Light family, or if I'm just a fluke."
"We'll go find that Rock guy and talk to him. Then you'll know."
-+-
Rock sat on a bench and drew cards again. And again, the message was the same. A long lost member of your family will be with you soon. This meeting will change your family ever after. Why was he only getting this message today?
Ska jingled from where he was perched on Rock's hair, sending a slight orange glow on his forehead. Rock had wanted to be alone, but Blues was concerned and so the elf was with him. Actually, he didn't mind Ska so much. Most elves were a little silly (or very silly), but this one was sensible. Except that rats terrified him. Still, Rock wished he could understand the bell-like Elf language.
He shuffled the cards again. Up until a year ago, Rock had ignored all forms of soothsaying. He studied spells he knew were useful. Battle spells, survival skills, some translation, and item manipulation, that was what he studied. Rock had studied right into the Black Ring as a wizard without realizing it. It was good in one way, as his elemental and attack powers were vastly boosted. But it was bad in that he could only learn low level healing spells. At least he hadn't studied into the warlock class, which reduced healing capacity to potions and compounds. But observing vague signs for possible truths and signs of the future? It was not useful, therefore, Rock didn't study it.
But a year ago, he had run into a psychic devotee, an astrologer to be exact. She insisted that he had a natural knack for soothsaying. He argued that it was only his innate magic skills she was reading. But in the end, he took the offered tarot deck and agreed to look into it. So far, he'd only done it when bored, when traveling across the snowfield. But this message; he wished he'd kept her contact number, so he could ask her thoughts.
A long lost family member... his immediate family was small, just himself, his brother, and his sister. Their father had passed away almost thirty years ago. Thomas Light's human children had drifted away, so there was a chance it was one of them. But Rock wasn't sure if any of them was that important. Could this be a ghostly encounter? Maybe Thomas had figured out Rock's curse in death and was coming to pass the secret along. That would change things. Or maybe one of the three could pass away and join their father. When a family is made up of only three members, losing one would be drastic. Maybe Blues had a right to be worried about him.
Ska flew off for a second, then came by his cards and said something. Rock did recognize the particular tone of this sound. It meant someone was coming, in particular someone Ska did not recognize. They were in a fort with five other patrols; then again, why would Ska mention strangers unless the strangers were looking for them? Rock looked around and noticed the two boys that Ciel had spoken about over dinner. She'd talked them into taking them home to Monsteropolis.
But as he looked at them, he recalled that there was another long lost family member that had completely slipped his mind. Some time ago, Rock had lost a son to treachery and deceit. He'd assumed that the child was murdered in the name of revenge, but he did know his child's face. One of those boys was his son. The other was unfamiliar.
They came over as soon as they spotted him. So they were looking for him. Could it be his son? Yes, he saw himself with traces of the boy's mother in his face. There was also something extra to his eyes that made Rock think of the astrologer's eyes. He wondered what until the boy said, "Are you my father?"
So one way or another, he knew. "We can't say for certain without testing, but I would say you are almost definitely my son."
His son hugged him, so Rock picked him up and hugged him back. This was a strange encounter, but a good one. He hoped this what the cards had spoken of.
The boy with long blond hair stood back awkwardly, not sure what to do. "Um, hi there."
"Oh, sorry." His son pulled away, but stayed in his lap. "This is my best friend Zero. And, um, my name is X."
"I see, X. I'm Rock Light. Where have you been all this time? I thought you'd been murdered."
"Murdered? Why?"
An insane petty argument… "I have some enemies that will do anything to get to me."
"I see. We've been in Ikari Tower, but we got away recently."
"It was a very hard escape," Zero added, "but we had to do it."
Rock thought about it. "It would. Ikari Tower... I have some bad memories of that place."
X seemed to be observing him. "Where have you been? I always wished you were there."
"I'm sorry, I had no idea you could be alive. I've been rather busy with the Ice Dragon and keeping track of the last of Wily's forces..."
"They're based in Ikari Tower," Zero said. "But they keep the entrance and exit locked at all times."
"I'm aware of that. I recently found the Tower again, but we weren't able to enter. But I had no idea you would be inside."
"I guess we can tell you what we know," X said, with some nervousness. "But it might not be much. But if it would help you catch guys like the Dark Hunters..."
"Of course," Zero said, frowning. "They were so mean to us."
Rock nodded. "They would be. But don't worry; I'll protect you now. Both of you, I promise. I've defeated all the Hunters before and they know better than to mess with me."
"You'll take us both in?"
"Of course, if you want."
X smiled. "That'd be great."
Zero nodded. "Well I suppose you can watch out for me. I'm going to beat all those nasty Hunters when I grow up, but I'll be good for now."
X laughed. "I'm sure you will."
"Then we'll have to see about training you well. But you're both still young and don't need to be worrying about that now. Come on; we should find my brother and introduce you."
"We already met Blues," X said.
Zero nodded. "He went with Dr. Ciel to talk about research."
"But I don't think he realized we were related."
"Then we must introduce you properly."
-+-
Zero was by himself for a while, so he took a shower. He carefully wrapped his damp hair in one large towel and grabbed another towel on his way out. Then he read from a children's storybook X had found in the fort library. Most books bored him, but this one was good.
The door opened and X came in. Rock patted his head. "We'll talk more tomorrow, but it looks like you need to sleep."
X yawned. "Yeah. Good night dad."
"Good night X. Good night Zero."
He nodded. "Good night Rock."
Rock left for his own room. X picked up his pajamas. "I guess I should shower too."
"Go right ahead."
X went in and took a quick shower. Zero unwrapped his hair. It wasn't dry yet, but the towel was very damp. He tossed that one in the laundry shoot and finished drying with the other. Back at home, his meticulousness about caring for his hair got him teased by the other guys. Except X, of course, save for teasing fights where both were joking. But no matter how much work it took, the other guys had to admit his fussy personal grooming got him just about any girl he wanted. That wasn't the only reason why he kept his hair so long, but that was the only reason he'd ever give another guy. Except X. They knew all of each other's secrets.
X came out of the bathroom, looking quite happy. He sat on his bed and seemed to bounce a little. "I hope you didn't mind being alone."
Now that his hair was dry, Zero began brushing it. "That's fine. So did they get that testing done?"
"Yup, and Ciel managed to prove that Rock is my father."
"How does that work? Do you know?"
X shrugged. "I don't know, but it is possible in this world."
"Huh. Cause I know they started calling electronic programming maps DNA in our world recently, but I didn't think they were being serious. And I don't know what was wrong with EPM."
"I agree, EPM is more accurate. Anyhow, Ciel took specific parts of our DNA; she wouldn't tell me what exactly. It seems these specific program maps would be passed from the father reliably, especially in father to son. And since our maps matched up exactly, that was proof enough that Rock is my father. There is a slight degree of test inaccuracy, but I think this one is reliable. I just know that it's true."
"Like you just knew Forte's real name? It was the truth, so you said it."
"Like that. Ciel called me psychically sensitive the other day, and Forte said I have a third eye. This world has magic and I seem to be special."
"Well, if it helps us solve this dragon problem and get back home sooner, I'm all for it. Even if we got our adult bodies back, they haven't solved it in twenty-five years. This is going to be a tough battle."
"I know." X paused, then bounced on his bed again. "Oh, and guess what? Rock is going to shift from Snow Patrol to City Guardian, so he can live in Monsteropolis with us."
"Really? That's good. He must know a lot about the Ice Dragon, so he could help."
"He could. But this is an unusual move for him. It's like you leaving the Maverick Hunters for whatever reason. Rock was one of the founding members and has been on constant patrol ever since. For him to just give it all up for a few years, even Blues was surprised."
Zero paused in his brushing. "Huh. I couldn't see myself giving up being a Hunter any time soon. Although, if such a thing happened, I might give it some serious thought."
"I know you would. You take life and honor too seriously."
Zero laughed softly. "And you'd pester me until I did."
"I wouldn't be that bad."
"I guess you're right. If it could happen, I probably would put things on hold. We can trust Rock then, since he has that sort of honor."
X scratched his chin. "Yeah, although..."
"What?"
"Well, you know how I have that mental curse Ciel can't identify? I've been getting the feeling that he's living under a mental curse too."
"Are curses really that bad?"
"I read up on curses and they are that bad. A mental curse inflicts a form of psychosis on the victim that can't be solved until the curse is broken. There's a curse called Wayward Walk that causes the victim to become obsessive-compulsive in a specific pattern. The victim must tap a doorknob three times before turning it, will feel pressured to organize anything, and must start walking backwards at a specified sound."
"Weird. So what do you two have?"
"I don't know. I hope it's nothing too bad. Oh, and we'd better start those growth medications."
X got up and pulled out the bottle and box. He handed Zero a red tablet and a gray pill. "I guess... hey, this gray one is heavy."
"That's the material supplement, and we have to take it twice a day now." He swallowed both of his. "The red one is supposed to encourage a growth spurt."
Zero looked at his pills a moment longer, then took them. "I guess if we start out as small children, we'd need help in growing."
X lay down on his bed. "Yeah, since we're not made of something simple, like humans are made of carbon bases."
Zero continued brushing his hair out. As he finished up, a question had repeatedly come into his mind. "Hey X, do you think I have a father here?"
There was no answer. X was fast asleep. He must have been very tired, Zero thought. Zero was tired himself. Besides, even his third eye might not have an answer to that question.
Zero looked out the window, at a star. He wondered about his question. X had always had a close relationship with his father, even if Dr. Light had died long before X was activated. Dr. Light had left behind many recordings so that X would know him. Many recordings; Zero swore that X found a new one three or four times a year. But despite the indirect contact, X loved his father and felt Thomas had felt the same. Having another reploid for a father would be different, but Rock was right here, under the same roof. No wonder X was so thrilled to have him.
Zero's father was Dr. Wily, and all he knew of him were through old documents and history. He never really cared about his father, and knew that Wily would probably be outraged if he ever learned what Zero was doing. He said he never cared, although he was secretly jealous of X having Dr. Light's affection.
So could he have a father here? Possibly a mother too; he heard Rock mention something of a mother to X. So could he have two parents? How would that be?
Or was Zero always bound to be alone, with X as the closest thing to loving family as he could ever get?
-+-
Blues worked in his dorm, repairing damaged equipment. He had assured Balbanes that it was perfectly fine that they had a shared room. They were brothers, so neither minded. He just needed some tools to repair their equipment. That was the bad thing about long missions in wilderness areas; one could count on half of one's items getting broken or lost. And then Rock had found him and informed Blues that one of the boys he had met only an hour before could be his nephew. It was surprising that the boy was still alive.
Ska was happy; his aura light was glittering. "Rock was happy when X came to him," he said. "At least, as happy as he can be."
"I noticed. It's a good thing. Can you give me back the screwdriver?"
His orange light turned reddish as he blushed. "Oh, sorry. Here you go." He levitated the tool, then tossed it to Blues.
Blues looked through the toolbox and pulled out a large flathead screwdriver. "You can play with this one if you want. I won't need it."
Ska twinkled merrily as he caught it. "Thanks!"
A few minutes later, Rock came in. Blues paused in his tasks to look over at his brother. "So how'd that test go?"
Rock sat on the other bed and nodded. "He is my son, and Adanya's. Just, remember how long ago that was?"
"I know. X had to be in stasis storage; that's the only way."
"But before or after he was born? She was supposed to give him to me after that strange trial."
"I remember that. Strangest court session I've ever been to."
"But he winds up in Ikari Tower decades later..."
"That Adanya had us both fooled. Seems every new thing I learn about her, she's more twisted than I believed."
"I know. She had me completely fooled." He looked down at the floor. Sadness was something he could feel, although he seemed unable to cry.
"It's not your fault, Rock. She's the one who abused your trust. Besides, you have him finally. You can make up for the time you've missed."
"Can I? I don't know if you heard, but he has a sensitive third eye. He sees truth, and it won't be long until he notices my curse. Then what?"
"If he sees truth, then he should see it's not your fault that you're the way you are."
"I'm not sure. I can protect him and Zero, but to be what a father must be..."
Blues waited before saying, "So you are taking them both in?"
"Sure. They're as close as brothers, as close as us. It would be terrible to separate them."
"That's good. When I first met them, they insisted on staying together. I offered to talk Roll into taking them, and she would have."
"Yeah, she'll be there to fill in my weaknesses. But I don't know... I just have this feeling it will be uneasy between us for a long time."
Blues scratched his chin, considering the issue. "Well think of it this way: if you're not certain of what to do, maybe you should study our father's notes. Learn how to be a father from him. I've seen you do many things in spite of your curse, so you can do this too. I know you'll do the best you can for them. And I'll do the best I can to find a cure for the curse. I will find it."
"Blues, I..." Rock gripped the edge of the bed, tense about something.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Never mind. I'm just worried about you. You spend so much time on my problems, hardly any on your life."
"Don't think of it that way. I promise Dad I would help you. And you don't have to worry about me."
"You can't say that; I'll just worry about you more."
Blues chuckled. "I suppose." It was quiet for a minute, then Blues added, "So he has a sensitive third eye and that astrologer chick was convinced you have one too. Maybe she is right. You predicted X's arrival."
Rock shook his head. "No, that reading was so vague, anything could be read into it. But X is psychic, no question. He knew me on sight. We know reploid children will often know their mother on sight even if they were separated from her."
"In most cases."
"Yeah. But to know one's father... and did you hear how they got from Kykital to Madeline?"
"Not yet."
"X followed the past caravans along Route 370."
"But that road's been abandoned for five months. There would be no trace."
"Except as a memory of the planet and history."
That made Blues pause. "Well now... that does take considerable talent. I've never heard of a reploid oracle able to read such a faint sign."
"It could happen," Ska said from his current perch, on top of the flathead screwdriver balanced neatly on the tip. "And really, a road memory isn't that faint."
"You sure?"
The elf nodded. "Many people travel down a road. Many people went down that road in search of safety, so if X looked for a path to safety, he would have found it easily. Still, seeing that means he's quite practiced in divination."
"Ska says a road memory isn't hard to find," Blues translated for Rock, "especially if the seer is looking for similar goals."
"I'll do what I can," Rock said. "They need me."
"Roll will be there for you, and I'll keep looking for your cure. I've narrowed down the list, so it can't be much longer."
"Be careful, Blues. And keep in contact, in case I need to talk to you. I will need to talk to you sometimes."
"I'm always just a thought away, Rock."
August 25, XX54
Route 366
The trip to Monsteropolis was much better than the trip to Fort Madeline. They were in a heated sled, they had a security scanner that alerted them to most dangers well before they showed up, and Rock and Blues were there to take care of everything. For much of the day, X and Zero didn't have to worry about anything.
Except for when a giant sheet of ice abruptly appeared in their path. It appeared as a U around the sled. Blues braked quickly, to avoid hitting the center wall, then opted to go above the ice to get out. But a pink energy net appeared and captured the sled.
Blues checked his screens. "This is too well set up..."
"There doesn't seem to be anyone around," Rock said.
The two boys were on the back bench. X got up and tapped his father. "I sense a gold-eyed monster."
"Gold-eyed monster?" Zero asked.
Rock nodded knowingly. "Most of Wily's reploids have a single silver eye. A very few others have a single gold eye."
Shortly after, the wall of ice collapsed the energy net remained. There was a flicker of green light, then a large hominoid reploid appeared. He had a white cape, tan armor, one gold eye, and looked somehow regal.
"Not again," Blues muttered.
"What are you up to now, King?" Rock called out as he stood up.
"Unfortunately, I'm not after you this time," King said spitefully. "I'm here for the children. They should have never escaped."
"We won't let you have them," Blues challenged. He stood up and activated a plasma blade. An odd one, the plasma formed like a stainless steel blade with glowing red-orange runes and flickering orange ghost flames. It also had a strong chemical smell that X thought he should know, but only recognized as some sort of explosive.
King smirked and activated his own plasma blade, bright silver with a red afterglow. "Good, then I get to kill both of you in the process. That makes this day much better."
Blues leapt out to the sled and clashed blades with King. Ska raced after Blues, then melded with his spirit, thus boosting his mobility and strength, as well as adding multiple spell blocks. Rock's armor shifted from blue to red and black as he began casting. His first spell was nine guided rays, all deep red. Blues stepped aside as the rays hit, then struck King hard. When he struck, his blade caused a small explosion.
This didn't seem to damage King much. He retaliated by forcing Blues to step back, then throwing a volley of fireballs at the sled. Although they were quick fireballs, Zero managed to be quicker. When the battle started, he started climbing over the top of the driver's bench. When the fireballs came, Zero activated Dusty Blade and deflected most of them. Rock brushed off what Zero missed. "Nice catch," he said, "but you'd better stay here."
"Okay." Zero stayed by Rock and watched for more fireballs.
X wasn't sure what he should do, so he watched Rock casting spells. Rock was now casting one X recognized as Bright Lance, which caused a pointed ray of magic to strike the target. It seemed to be doing well. But at close quarters, Blues and Ska weren't faring so well. King's weapon was doing increased damage against cyber elves. Since Blues and Ska had melded, both were taking heavy damage any time King managed to hit them. That couldn't be good.
But as X realized that, he also realized Rock was a black wizard. While he might know some healing spells, they would be weak and would take him too long to cast in battle. On the other hand, X knew that this child had learned a lot of healing spells trying to survive Ikari Tower, and they were all still recorded. He should cast one. But which one?
His mind immediately went to 3.5/E/S/b, also known as Fairy Cure. That should compensate for King's weapon. X concentrated on his uncle and began calculating the spell. It took him a full minute to finish the calculation, as opposed to Rock who was casting 9.4/H/S/150/R in twenty seconds. Then again, Rock must be a Master Wizard, whereas X wasn't even a Neophyte Mage. He was too young for a title anyhow.
Once he finished the mental calculation, Fairy Cure formed as a small green light that raced for Blues. It repaired damage to both Blues and Ska, as well as formed a shield that would counter King's anti-elf weapon. This was confirmed when King's blade hissed and sparked when it hit that shield, allowing Blues to make another explosive hit.
By now, King was heavily damaged. He separated from close combat again to cast Wall of Sunfire, which sent a ten foot wall of brilliant fire racing their way. Blues could slide right under it, but the sled was caught in the wall's path.
But Rock had shifted spells again, to one that was taking him longer than a minute to cast. Zero moved back on the driver's bench. "I can't block that," he said.
X put his hands on Zero's shoulder. "Put your sword up!"
Zero did so, holding it upright in front of him.
So far, his magic impulses had been correct, so X followed this one through. "Dusty Blade, your wielder is in danger. Please protect us."
Dusty Blade warbled in response, then flashed. A wall of dust as large as the Wall of Sunfire appeared in front of the sled. The two walls slammed into each other and were negated. King stopped for a moment, stunned to see his spell canceled like that.
Blues took the opportunity to strike King with an especially strong explosion. Just after, Rock finished calculating his spell. A large bolt of electricity struck King and not just once like a normal lightning bolt. Rock's spell caused an electrical superspark that ran for ten seconds. By the time it was over, everyone else was blinking and partly deaf. King vanished, leaving behind a small gray hologram caster. He'd never actually been there, which was why the danger scanner never went off.
But his voice remained for a moment more. "We will have those children, mark my words."
Blues came back over and sliced the energy net away. "Thanks for reminding me that you had that uber-lightning attack."
"It's Heaven Strike," Rock corrected.
"Whatever. So how'd you hit me with Fairy Cure? Ska hasn't studied any nurse abilities."
"Actually, that was X."
"Really?"
X nodded. "Here, I can fix up other wounds, if nothing is too deep."
"Nothing terrible," Blues said, as he got into the backseat with X. "You mind driving for a bit?"
Rock shook his head. "I don't mind. But you need to sit down." He said the last to the other boy.
Obediently, Zero slid down to sit. "Okay."
He started up the sled again. "So it was just another of his illusions."
"I know. As much as King talks himself up, he's just a coward at heart."
X looked his uncle over. There were four cuts that needed attending to, one that would probably take about a few days to heal. "Where do you keep your first aid kit?"
"In one of the side pockets up front. Zero, it should be the one at your right elbow."
Zero looked inside and pulled out a white box. He handed it back. "Here you go."
X opened the kit up and found several healing crystals. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do. Then the knowledge came to him like a flash. He started calculating a different cure spell, 4.0/H/S/A. The A at the end, he thought, meant that it doubled as an antibacterial shield. He wasn't sure why Clear Cure was necessary, until Blues deactivated his armor around the worst cut. It was leaking blood and oil. That couldn't be good on the same wound.
X looked at the kit again and picked out a medicated spray to work with his spell. By the label, it would neutralize any oil that got into the bloodstream. Good. X sprayed that over the wound and then cast his spell. Next, he wrapped gauze around the cut. Ska reappeared and helped X place one of the healing crystals in the gauze. Some tape to secure the bandage, and the cut was well protected.
Blues looked over the gauze as X started on another cut. "You're good with the healing arts."
"I had to be," X said. "The people taking care of us weren't really taking care of us."
The other three cuts didn't take so long to fix. Clear Cure managed to seal all of them on its own. Ska bowed to him in midair. "Thanks for helping and healing my partner. I can teach you a spell in exchange."
"No, that's okay."
"But I want to."
"You'd better accept his spell," Blues advised. "In accordance to elf culture, he'll only offer you a lesson once, but having it declined will lower his honor."
"All right then. So what can you teach me?"
Ska fluttered his wings, happy to be teaching. "I can teach you how to start a fire. That's good for this cold winter."
"I know ten different fire spells."
"Oh. Well, it is good to know a lot of those. I can teach you to walk on the snow and ice."
"He can already do that," Blues said.
"Um... how about night vision?"
"I have that."
"Double Jump?"
"Is that double jump or double the height of one jump? Because I have a spell for the latter."
"Double height. Elemental blocking spells?"
X tapped his fingers as he recited, "I know A-fire, A-ice, A-wind, A-lit, A-earth..."
Ska put his hands on his hips. "Ooo... I'll teach you something."
X tried to stay serious, but Blues laughed. Zero looked back at them. "What are you guys talking about?"
"X knows more spells than Ska does," Blues explained.
"How about A-poison?"
"I don't know that one. I could have used it several weeks ago."
He looked proud to have found a spell X didn't know. "Okay, I'll teach you that. It blocks most of the poison element, even of natural poisons."
"That's good." X was quiet as Ska landed on his shoulder and whispered the rune formula to him. He wrote it on a piece of paper, just to make sure he had it right. Then he tested it on himself.
Ska tapped his aura. "Good, you got it. You learn quick."
"Thanks."
Blues called Ska back over. "Now that your lesson is over, you should take a rest."
"Yeah, I should." He vanished into Blues' armor.
"So what did King want with you?" Blues asked.
"I don't know," X said. "I don't recognize him."
"The master of Ikari Tower wants us back, though," Zero added. "So who was that guy?"
"King," Rock said. "He was one of Wily's commanders. Although when he first showed up, everyone thought he was acting solo." He shrugged. "King nearly went solo in the end, but then we defeated him and Wily set out to punish him."
Blues nodded. "He also punished the informant who helped us, even though we didn't entirely trust that guy either. Anyhow, King is brilliant and powerful. We thought he was done for, but he still shows up every now and then to harass us. Not sure what he's after now, but he seems to be going along with whoever's in charge of Wily's army now."
"He could be in charge," Rock pointed out.
"I don't think so. King would have done something big by now if he was in charge."
Nodding once, Rock looked over at Zero. "So who did you two know in Ikari Tower?"
"Circe Whiplash," X said when his friend got a blank expression. "She was supposed to be taking care of us, but she didn't actually."
"I'm not familiar with that name," Rock responded.
"I know her," Blues said. "Only fought her once, but I remember because she transformed my armor into the girliest thing you've ever seen, with ribbons and glitter. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I wasn't able to get it off until I got back home to ask dad about it."
"Oh, now I remember that," Rock said.
Blues rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks."
Zero laughed. "She never did that to us."
Leaning back, X tried to search the memories of this body. "She was still mean. Um, there were also the Dark Hunters, Quint, Enker, Punk, and Ballade. They had offices or something by our area. When they were bored, they looked for us to tease. There was also Ikari Domino, but I'm not quite sure what he was doing there."
"That's all we really know," Zero said.
"Some high level members of Wily's forces," Blues said. "Did you, by any chance, hear or see anything of Wily himself?"
Zero looked back at X. There was something in the memory of the children, but it was difficult to keep hold of the image. "Maybe," X finally answered. "We didn't know if it was really him or not, but it was someone bad..."
Zero slid back into his seat. "I don't want to talk about that," he said in a grumpy tone.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Rock said.
It was quiet for several minutes. X tried to pin down the elusive memory, but it wasn't really his, so he didn't know how to access it directly. Whenever he did get close to it, he could feel that whatever it was, it was a bad thing. Or person.
Then Zero peered back at them again, with something else on his mind. "Hey Blues, why did your sword explode when it hit King?"
"Mlapan is supposed to do that," Blues said. "Our father made it for me. It's a trigger rune blade; I can strike without the explosions, but it wouldn't do as much damage. And it's more fun to have an explosive blade."
"That was an awesome fight you had," Zero said.
He shook his head. "Nah, that was nothing. The only challenge was that his sword was enchanted to be deadly to elves, thus it was deadly to me with Ska helping."
"Zero has Dusty Blade," Rock commented. "He was doing well batting fireballs with it."
Blues looked to Zero in interest. "Oh really? Is that why his wall disintegrated, because it hit Dusty's shield?"
"Yeah, but X made it do that, not me."
X looked to his uncle. "I read somewhere that rune blades could put up shields, so long as you ask nicely."
"Not every blade, but a good majority of them can. And you must be pretty talented yourself," Blues tapped Zero's head, "to have earned Dusty Blade so young."
Looking puzzled, he asked, "You think so? It's just a dust blade."
"No, not at all. Dusty Blade is the best rune blade that a child can handle, and it must be earned."
"I didn't know that."
"Child blades are rare, I admit. There are basically three of them," Blues counted out with his fingers, "Knifelet, Twinkler, and Dusty. Knifelet's okay, a decent training blade, easy to come by, but nothing special. Twinkler is probably the strongest of the three in terms of power, but it has no shield, no reflect, very expensive, and you can't use sword magic with either Twinkler or Knifelet. Dusty must be earned and there's a limited quantity of the blades available. However, it does have a shield, low level reflecting ability, a default long distance attack, and it can use sword magic. Therefore, even though it's weaker in terms of base damage, most warriors consider Dusty the best of the child training blades."
Sword magic? X wondered if that was like Zero's special techniques back home. Zero must have been wondering the same thing, and asked, "Can you show me how to use it?"
He shook his head. "Not really. When I was a child, I was a robot, and therefore never qualified to wield Dusty. But the Dust Bunny King should be training you."
"How? I turned him into dust with a broom."
"Didn't he give you his official challenge?"
Zero sat back down a moment, then looked back at them. "I don't remember. I fought him in Shadow Palace, and my memories of that place are confusing."
"Hmm... that doesn't sound right."
Rock pointed out, "We do know some younger reploids who've been trained with Dusty in their childhood. We could ask around and see about getting you in contact with the fairy for training."
"Dust Bunny King is a fairy?"
"Yes, like Ska is."
Blues leaned on the driver's bench in front of him. "If I recall right, Dust Bunny King is a will'o'wisp, not a cyber elf."
"So he's actually a swamp fairy," X said. "But I thought will'o'wisps got people lost in misty bogs and drowned them for fun."
"Some of them do," Blues said. "Others haunt old castles and ghost towns, which is probably how that line of wisps earned the title of Dust Bunny King. I'd have to look the stories back up, but it seems this King decided the world needed more heroes, so he created twelve blades for training twelve young children to be those heroes. He trained his original set of twelve to defeat the Master of Shadow Palace and they did. Now he roams the world in search of children with the potential to become heroes."
"But you must be careful with this blade and training," Rock said. "The Dust Bunny King wants heroes, not bullies. He requires his children adhere to the code of honor that most adult heroes follow. If you break the code or become too much of a bully, the blade will be taken from you and you may never get it back."
"I see. I'll be careful, then."
