'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry
The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-
Chapter 04-Tower Summit
I stepped away from the book towards the center, and I saw her. The candidates all appeared right after me, and saw her too. I held up my hand, to stop their exclamations. Pure rage was within me, and it was all I could do to hold it-hold her from appearing. Blanc was half covered in tentacles, her eyes dazed to the extreme. Her dress was gone, like it was melted by the mass that enveloped her. Lightning crackled all around me. The eye of Mora was looking at me, while it's tentacles still were pumping in and out of her head: her ears and mouth, sucking all the knowledge out. I know why Aurora would not come up here, she would destroy everything. Which is what I wanted to do right now. Blanc...
I screamed so loud the tentacles evaporated-or appeared to anyway. I heard yells from behind me, and I spared only a glance. They weren't dead. I took a step towards Mora, boom. And another, boom. I was past the point I've ever been, only noticing I'm still a guy peripherally and uncaring.
Blanc was naked on the ground, her eyes just seeing me for the first time. I took a dress, really a night gown out of my inventory (Rei's clothes) and wrapped her with it as I picked her up. Her hand came up weakly and touched my cheek. Slime was all over her, her hair was wet and stuck to her, a part of it was covering an eye. I brushed it away, as I walked back to Nepgear.
"Your...cool...H...D...D" was all she could manage. But she smiled at me, as I handed her to Nepgear. Mora's eye was on me. I spared one second a look, they were all afraid of me, like this was a side they haven't seen before.
"Hermaeus Mora" I said softly, but everyone could hear it "Prince of Memory. Perhaps you will remember this day. Prince of Knowledge. Know that you WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE. AS THEY ARE MY WITNESS, I CHALLENGE YOU. AS THEY ARE MINE I WILL FIGHT FOR THEM"
I summoned my staff, and spared a glance at it. It really looked cool in HDD. Rei Ryghts was fully synced with me now, there was no divergence. I stayed a man, because we know who challenged the prince of knowledge. And he will know until we were done.
"That...was...a...good...speech. I...will...have...it...in...memory...forever. But...you...challenge...foolishly. And...none...with...you...will...escape...because...of...it." as he spoke, the air grew dark, like all of him was drawn to this spot. This was Hermaeus Mora in all his glory, in all his entirety "I...am...Hermaeus...Mora. Prince...of...Knowledge...and...Memory. And...I...Joshua...Andrew, accept...your...challenge. Prepare...to...dieeeee!" (An epic Music I didn't recognize started playing)
The sky was so dark, and all I could see was eyes and tentacles, as they glowed with Magic. The Fight had begun.
I 'shouted' dragon fire and it was the biggest I've ever seen . Seemingly without moving, Mora deflected it.
"FINAL EXE ATTACK: ULTIMATE BOMB" I shrieked, Rei's voice synced with mine, as a large bomb erupted out of my hand.
"AHHHHGHH" Mora cried, and flicked me down hard with a thought. I erupted out of the hold and Screamed and screamed. Power coursed through me and hundreds of Purple Hearts and Black Hearts were summoned. Rei's clones, her power.
"EXE ATTACKS" I screamed, and the clones readied themselves. They performed their energy attacks, as I did Final Eclipse.
I surprised Mora, that much I know. He recoiled, and it was as if he split in two.
"GO NOW NEPGEAR!"And I turned to watch her. In an instant they disappeared, and Hermaeus Mora cried in anger at being tricked. He gathered himself and eliminated the clones instantly.
"YOU FOOL. YOU DARE DEFY A PRINCE" he said, no slow speech this time.
"YOU WON'T INTERFERE IN GAMEINDUSTRI NOW, NOT WHEN I GAVE THE OGHMA FINIUM TO TAMRIEL" I responded.
He screamed in anger, and narrowly missed me as I ran for the book. He swatted me away, and covered the book in black darkness. There was no escape.
"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY REALM" he boasted.
"MIRAAK MAY STILL LISTEN TO REASON, AND BRING ME BACK THE OTHERS. YOU HAVE FAILED CHALLENGER!" No I didn't. I don't know how Mora forgot this, but my real body was in Gameindustri. The water below should render me unable to stay in Apocrypha, thus enabling me to return. I 'shouted' Ice at him, and this time it hit. I summoned more clones to distract him, and leaped off the tower. This was one battle I could not win. I deactivated HDD, and as I hit the water I screamed. It did hurt a lot. Finally I entered blackness.
The End
"-And upon their deaths, and White Heart's acceptance. Miraak will rule Lowee!" A deep voice rumbled.
I opened my eyes, and saw my reflection. The silvery blue hair, that was Rei's non HDD color, was prominent, which a while back now, replaced my light brown color that my daughter will have. My eyes, a deep blue, were once hazel colored. Greenish hazel to be exact. My hands, more feminine like than that which I had for my adult life previously, were displayed. I put the closed black book in my inventory and looked up. There was a collective gasp, as I stood up, and regarded my surroundings. First I looked for Hermaeus Mora, and when I didn't see him, Cultists came up with bindings. I 'shouted'
"HERMAEUS MORA. I WON, I BEAT YOUR PLAN" The Cultists stumbled back and looked at their leader, which was a Dragon. He was the source of the rumbled speaker.
I laughed, and laughed.
"I beat him, I beat him" I said over and over "He can't come here now!"
The Dragon talked to me, and I looked. Next to me, bound with magic chains, was Nepgear, and Uni, and Rom, and Ram...and Blanc. They all looked worse for wear, and Blanc was naked again, like she was just dragged out here. Mina and Financier were bound as well: they all looked at me, elated, scared, puzzled, happy I made it. I shook myself, and regarded the dragon.
"I said surrender, challenger, in the name of Miraak" he said to me. I thought of a plan, quick, that just might work. I opened my CPU window, and saw Pong Cannon. Tauri was in Lastation, yes, but it was like Rei Ryghts was urging me to use it.
"I'll make you a wager Dragon" I said, as the Cultists were backing away "I'll Surrender if this doesn't kill you in one shot"
"You don't have that power, to kill us in one hit, Miraak is the only one with that power, and he is Dovahkiin. I accept this wager. One shot only" he replied.
"If you die, your forces must surrender" I said.
"They will do, what they will do. Now, give me your best shot" the dragon commanded.
"Very well then" I activated Pong cannon. A lock on screen and power output meter was displayed. I locked onto the Dragon and pushed the power to 100%. A 'fire' button was displayed. I pushed it.
A pop up button said 'Command Confirmed'.
Everyone heard a boom. And in a few seconds the Dragon was vaporized. I quickly summoned my staff, as his soul entered the weapon.
For the next minute, everyone was silent, all the city was in shock.
Then the Cultists started a formation, with the intent of capturing or killing me no doubt. The others were in no shape to fight so I would have to. I went HDD, and summoned some clones.
"You cannot have this city" I said, and Rei's voice was within me. Ten Purple Hearts and ten black hearts were surrounding myself and my friends. Then we all heard it, the marching, the chanting.
"Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he...And when the world shall listen, And when the world shall see. And when the world remembers, That world shall cease to be. Far from ourselves, He grows ever near to us. Our eyes once were blinded, Now through him do we see. Our hands once were idle, Now through them does he..." Miraak's mind controlled force had arrived. I didn't think this would be easy, but the time we were all in Apocrypha, was all Miraak needed to take the city.
The shrine! Maybe destroying it would free the people from this slavery. I cannot kill them, their minds are not their own. Well, I did learn some cool tricks in Apocrypha, and as long as I command that the people won't get hurt, it just might work.
"Listen up" I said, without looking at them "The clones will free you. Get to the castle, and make sure Blanc is okay. Rom and Ram will protect the castle, and Mina and Financier will help Blanc. Stay or help me, either way, I will destroy that shrine"
"No don't! That shrine contains Lowee's sharecite" Mina said.
"What the hell is a Sharicite?" I asked.
"It's what manages the shares for the nation, so the CPU doesn't experience overload. If you destroy it, in Lady Blanc's state, it might kill her, before another one is created"
"Then I'll disable it, and bring the Sharicite back" I said
"You can't, you're another CPU! What'll stop you from stealing it-"
(One they fear starts playing)
"On my life, and that of the future, that'll never happen" I summon an Ash Guardian.
"I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK THE CULTISTS, ONLY" My iron will will have to be a substitute for a heart stone.
I summoned three more, and made my way to the shrine, which was conveniently on the other side of this City square. The battle for Lowee had just begun.