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Wild Arms: To the End of the Wilderness
Chapter Twenty Four: Wh-What?
Written by Estrelita Farr

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The laboratory was devoid of demons, as though they had suddenly evacuated. The remaining robots remained still, as though there was no one around to control them. There was no trace of Alhazad or Lady Harken anywhere, even as the wanderers burst through the front entrance into the open wilderness.

The hot afternoon sun blazed onto them. A barren wasteland spread as far as eyes could see, parts of the horizon blocked by rocky mountains, but there was no one around but them.

"Damn!" Jack cursed. "Are we too la–"

FLASH.

Suddenly everything became white and sent the wanderers flying and crashing into the ground. Gasping with pain, they looked up at what hit them.

A huge crack in the sky. Revealing an opening filled with swirling crimson light, the colour of blood. Dark clouds filled the sky, spiralling towards it as gleaming pieces of the sky fell towards the ground.

Hanpan's eyes widened. "The sky… it's just like Adlehyde all over again!"

A familiar dark blue portal appeared above the crack in the sky as Ziekfried emerged, the blue cape spreading like wings as he hovered.

"This is the Demon Gate," he declared, "Allowing us to travel through space using dimensional shifts. It also allows us to do… this."

A swing of his hand. The crack shone a bright white, then another sword of white light struck the earth. The group went flying once more.

Zeikfried chuckled. "The Darkness Tear is the weapon we developed to fight against the Guardians, and it has now given our Gate Generator a stronger power. Do not move. You will only make this harder on yourselves… I would like to ensure your certain and swift deaths."

Another swing of his hand. The wanderers scrambled to their feet.

"Wait–" Cecilia began, then Jack pulled her into a running start.

"Stop talking and start running!" he shouted.

"L-look out!" Rudy cried.

A burst of light, burst of force. And another. And another. It struck the ground around the wanderers, raining sand upon them as they ran. They kept their eyes focused forward, hoping they would soon reach Asgard…

Then the sword of light exploded right behind Cecilia. She screamed as she fell. The other two turned, shouting her name.

Zeikfied glared. "Damnation! Can we not accurately hit small targets?!"

The crack shone once more, yet Cecilia remained fallen.

Rudy sped towards her.

Jack gave a cry.

Another sword of light. Larger, stronger. Rushing towards Cecilia.

Rudy dived towards her, arms outstretched.

Jack's eyes widened.

And everything turned white.

But this time there was no burst of force, no pain. Rudy's arms wrapped protectively around Cecilia's shoulders. Jack shielded his eyes against the light, with Hanpan inside his pocket. The ground beneath them were now mere rocks slowly floating towards the crack… just like how the demons had previously stolen the excavated Golems from Adlehyde's exhibition hall.

"The Gate Generator has yet another convenient ability," Zeikfried said. "If we cannot incinerate the humans, then we will bring them to their doom." A chuckle. "Yes, through the gate and to your deaths! It is perfect… I shall let you finish yourselves off."

As the rocks the wanderers were on entered the crack in the sky… everything became black.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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When the Guardians' group opened their eyes again, they found themselves on invisible ground, surrounded by stars in a dark night sky. There was a loud ringing hum in the air, like a large machine.

"So, you have finally awakened," Zeikfried's voice came from above. "Welcome. You are in the subspace created by the Gate Generator."

"Subspace?!" Hanpan exclaimed. "You mean we're inside the gate!"

A chuckle. "I prefer to think of it as: your tomb!"'

A strange humanoid creature materialised before the wanderers, and they sprang into a battle stance with weapons drawn. At first it did nothing but stand there, as the black lines swirled over its white body… then it turned towards Rudy and gave a loud shriek that forced them to cover their ears.

And, when they looked up again a moment later, they found themselves staring at Rudy. With black hair and clothes, with a black ARM in one hand.

The others glanced to the side, and an azure-haired Rudy glanced back at them with wide crimson eyes.

"A doppelganger!" Hanpan cried. "Careful, it's almost a perfect copy of whoever it mimics!"

Cecilia's eyes widened. "You mean, it's going to use that ARM–"

ROAR.

Clang!

As if on cue the doppelganger fired, but the bullet fell to the ground in two as Jack's katana returned to its sheath.

He grinned. "I've always wanted to measure myself against that ARM! Come on, fake Rudy, show me what you've got!"

A blur of gold and brown. A shining slash, and another as he reappeared some distance away.

But the doppelganger remained standing, with mere scratches on its arms. It whirled around to fire at him, but he sidestepped as the bullet rushed past him.

"Tch. Sturdy like the original, huh? Then take THIS!"

A shining katana met a black blade.

Jack's arms trembled as the black blade pushed him back, then he retreated. "H-hey, not fair! It's freaking strong like the original too!"

Another ROAR as Rudy fired, exploding at the doppelganger's head. But when the smoke dispersed, the latter emerged with merely a half-burnt face, the crimson eyes bright against the blackened skin. The black blade lowered, it raised the black ARM once more, its barrel gleaming in the light of the stars.

"Lightning!" Cecilia cried.

Electric blue bolts shot down. The doppelganger flinched, mouth open as though letting out a silent scream.

Jack grinned. "Hey, magic seems to work! Then have my Speed Fang!"

He sent an arc of blue light at the fake Rudy and this time it cut, splattering metallic blood.

After that, all it took to bring the doppelganger down were a few more spells from Cecilia and Speed Fang arcs from Jack. Rudy couldn't help but flinch at the sight of his copy being ruthlessly beaten up… and soon it collapsed onto the floor and reverted to its original form, unmoving.

Jack gave the boy a thumbs up. "Looks like we need to boost your magic resistance, kid! We should give you an intensive magic training session after we get out of here!"

Cecilia smiled. "I'll ask Master Anje to help."

Hanpan grinned. "And I know just where to find the book for this!"

Rudy paled as he inched away.

Thunder roared in the distance. And another, and another. The ringing hum grew louder, as though a machine struggled… as though they broke something.

"Reckless, ignorant fools!" Zeikfried shouted. "Battling in this subspace could create a shock effect that would destabilise and destroy it! Why would you not quietly be terminated?"

Jack looked up. "You set a trap for us. Are you just going to watch and wait from where you're safely perched? If I were you, I wouldn't be so confident that your comfy little nest is so secure! You may think we're trapped, but I see this 'trap' as an opportunity to hunt down a fearful coward." He stabbed a finger forward. "So until we come, wait there shivering in your boots!"

"Skinny, dwarfish, vulgar… fine, I shall fight you! Come to me and let me show you the price you pay for insolence!"

A sphere of swirling purple light appeared before the wanderers, large enough to fit all of them. On the other side was a large hall, the partially charred brown stone floor littered with debris, the bronze pipes running along brown brick walls, the bronze pillars emitting yellow light leading to the top of the high ceiling. The ringing hum in the air was much louder here than it was in the subspace, as though the entire place was a working machine.

As the group explored the hallways, they encountered more of those doppelganger creatures that sent an ear-splitting shriek before mimicking one of them. But rather than cumbersome, they thought of these battles as interesting training sessions where they could learn and work on their weaknesses, even learn new skills! Jack entered mentor mode and gave pointers as they fought, occasionally barking commands as he often did during spars.

As with before, Doppelganger Rudy was pretty much impervious to Rudy's ARM and most of Jack's Fast Draw skills, with or without Accelerator, yet weak to magic and Jack was fast enough to slice its bullets into two. Some versions of it even used both ARM and sword at the same time – something Rudy thought was interesting, so he started wielding his sword with his left hand.

At first Doppelganger Jack was difficult for Rudy and Cecilia to handle as it was faster than both of them, but they soon realised it had the same weakness as any melee fighter – it had to be in melee range to strike. Rudy drew its attention, shielding Cecilia from the flurry of slashes that drew small cuts on his arms, and bought enough time until she spread an ice spell on the floor that froze the copy in its tracks. After which it became an easy punching bag.

Doppelganger Cecilia was a nightmare at a distance, especially for Rudy – not only its barrier blocked his shots, its Crest sorcery kept them at bay and even brought the boy to his knees, teeth clenched against the pain. But there was a gap between spells when it needed to prepare its magic, and it was over once Jack slipped into melee range.

They thought Doppelganger Hanpan would be an easy one, especially Jack… but it was even more of a nightmare. The black mouse streaked across the floor at a speed matched only by Jack's Accelerator, too small to properly aim, yet it threw an endless stream of magic gems at them. Explosion after explosion after explosion blocked their sight as it scurried between bronze pipes, evading bullets and spells with ease.

Rudy was the first to go down, clutching his burnt limbs. Cecilia rushed to his side to prepare a healing spell, then gasped and conjured a barrier against yet another explosion. Jack sped after the doppelganger but could only hit bronze pipes or stone walls as it scurried away, as he yelled all kinds of colourful words.

Finally, when Hanpan raced after them and threw his own magic gem, the explosion sent his doppelganger flying against the wall and Jack took the chance to shower it with shining slashes. Seconds later, the black mouse curled up on the floor, unmoving.

Hanpan shuddered. "It's a little disconcerting to see a corpse on the floor that looks like me, even if it's the wrong colour…"

Jack grinned as he picked the Wind Mouse back up. "Well, look on the bright side, at least you aren't an enemy so I won't have to do that to you, yeah?"

"…for some reason it doesn't feel reassuring coming from you."

Rudy stifled a laugh, and Cecilia giggled.

They soon emerged atop a metal platform in a large hall, with a wide bottomless pit between them and another platform on the other side, where an open doorway mocked them. A lonely platform stood in the middle of the pit, too far to jump.

And there, standing right in front of them was Zed, that strange demon with short dark green hair and orange scarf that spread down his back like two wings. His back was towards them as he fiddled with the remote in his hand, muttering to himself, "Irresponsible comrades… buck-passers and daydreamers…"

They gazed at him, but he didn't realise they were there. Jack crossed his arms and cleared his throat loudly.

Zed spun around, then sprang into a dramatic pose. "Long time no see! A genius always arrives unexpectedly! Here I am, dripping with talent, ready to do battle! You're not going to get off easy this time – watch my phenomenal attack, the Drop Floor!"

"What the heck are you–" the swordsman began.

A metal grating fell from the ceiling, connecting all the platforms together. Zed jumped to the middle platform and, pressing the remote, dropped the grating once more, leaving behind the bottomless pit between him and the wanderers.

"It is sad to say for one such as I"–he shook his head–"but today's task is held up! I must scheme! I must come up with a super-duper idea to release you from this mortal coil… one that highlights my magnificence!"

Jack sighed. "I can never understand what this joker's talking about… are you guys ready?"

The others nodded and, as Zed's eyes widened, launched attacks at him. Rudy's bullet rushed past him as he flipped to the back, Cecilia's spell burnt and chilled as he rolled to the side, Jack's Speed Fang arc swooped over him as he flattened himself to the ground… it was amazing how he could jump around so much on that small platform, reminding them of a flea atop a jar.

"Stop, stop!" he cried. "What are you, the firing squad? That's only supposed to come at the end!"

Jack crossed his arms. "Now are you going to let us pass?"

He posed once more. "My courage admits nothing like fear! Big mouth is nothing next to Macho Man! Shake, like a puppy in the rain!"

A sigh. "As expected… hey, Rudy, give me a boost."

The boy blinked and held his hands together. Then, as Jack hopped on with one foot, he threw with all of his strength and sent the swordsman flying into the air.

Jack landed cleanly next to Zed, and the latter's eyes bulged.

"I bet you didn't expect that, did you?" Jack said with a grin.

"D-do you think me a fool?!" the demon spluttered. "I heard that punchline yesterday! It'll take more than that to satisfy me!" He pressed the remote once more and dropped another grating that joined all platforms together.

But this time the wanderers were ready. The moment Zed started running, they were right behind him as they all reached the other side.

He groaned. "Don't be such a jerk! I'm putting my heart into it, working so hard!"

As he disappeared through the doorway, they followed after him. Eventually they arrived at another hall, with a wall several feet high blocking their way. In front of it was a platform that rose when the wheel on it was turned. As the wall was too high to jump and too straight to climb – even for Jack – they gathered atop the platform as Rudy turned the wheel.

Just as they were halfway up, Zed's face appeared over the wall with a wide grin. "Sorry to disturb you in full swing, but I must interfere! I feel so mean!" And he disappeared behind the wall.

Suddenly the machine below the wanderers whirred. The wheel turned on its own, surprising Rudy that he let go, and dropped the platform onto the floor. Knocked off their feet, they shook their heads to clear the stars in their sight.

Zed reappeared above, flexing his arm muscles. "For a man, it's good to be manly! Look at my biceps! Big! And in good condition!" He pointed at the boy. "With your small muscles, you can write a success story, but you can't battle with me!" With that he disappeared.

Cecilia giggled. "He doesn't have any idea, does he?"

Jack laughed. "Definitely. Show him what you've made of, Rudy!"

Rudy grinned and took the wheel once more. As the platform rose, the machine below whirred as though to drop them once more, but with pure strength that defied his slender frame, he forced the wheel to turn until their platform was level with the top of the wall.

And there on the other side, as he held onto a wheel on another platform, Zed's eyes widened. He spluttered some incoherent words before crying, "Only uncouth barbarians scheme to show force! You're so behind the times! Anyway, the party train ends here. Everybody off!"

And he sped through the doorway at the other end of the hall.

Hanpan shrugged from Jack's shoulder. "I feel like I understand him less the more we talk to him…"

A couple more hallways later was a hall with a huge bottomless pit in between. This time, however, there were only two platforms – the wide one they were on, and the smaller one on the other side that Zed was on – and a long metal grating joining the two.

"Humans are barely more than monkeys!" Zed declared. "They can't possibly take control of a security system as great as ours! Machines are too complex for them. Confusing zigzag movements!"

With a flick of a switch, the metal grating slid into the wall, leaving the big gaping hole between him and the wanderers. They glanced at each other. The pit was much wider than before, so they couldn't attack him or send Jack flying over like before… now what?

"Hey, a console!" Hanpan hopped onto a metal console near them. "Let's see if this works…"

He hopped on a few keys, but the black metal screen on the wall remained stubbornly unlit.

He scratched his head. "This is just like those terminals on the ghost ship, it won't turn on unless you control it like an ARM. Looks like this is your department, Rudy."

The boy nodded and obliged. Closing his eyes, he placed a hand on the console, reaching out with his heart, and the black screen lit up. A picture of the grating appeared with the text, "Adjoining initiated."

And the grating joined the two platforms once more.

Zed jumped. "W-what the?! No one told me they have someone who can handle an ARM this complex! Releasing the security is nothing to him!" He stabbed an accusing finger at them. "Cheaters! Cheaters! The power to handle ARM was originally ours! Give it back, you thieves!"

Without staying to hear their response, he sped off.

Wondering what else the demon had in store for them, they followed after him to a long hall. The air was silent, nothing waited for them… not even Zed. Shrugging, they strode towards the middle of the hall.

Suddenly Zed burst through the other door, a wide grin on his face. "Oh, you think you accomplished something? Well, prepare to be knocked off your feet… most super-especially this time." He flipped a nearby switch and sprang into a dramatic pose, spreading his arms wide as he stood on one foot. "Operation Hell Thunder!"

A flash. Two walls of sparking horizontal lightning bolts locked the wanderers in. Each bolt alternated between zapping and disappearing, but there were always a few bolts blocking them at any given time.

Cecilia shook her head. "What can we do?"

Rudy gazed at the lightning bolts, leaning forward in preparation of a dash, but Jack raised a hand.

"Well, this is my turn to shine!" He grinned as he leant forward. "Ready, pardner?"

Hanpan hopped onto the stone floor on all four feet, grinning as well. "Ready when you are!"

"Ready… set… GO!"

A blur of gold and brown, another of blue. Cutting across the hall through the wall of lightning bolts, jumping and ducking, taking advantage of the lag time between zaps. Rudy and Cecilia watched in awe.

Zed's expression fell as both swordsman and Wind Mouse appeared before him and threw the switch to disable the wall of lightning bolts.

"I-is that all your tiny brains can manage?!" he cried, then shook his head as he crossed his arms in a bid to appear nonchalant. "I would expect more myself, but such brilliance is not for everyone. I have nothing to be ashamed of." Suddenly he spun around and dashed through the door. "I'll be preparing for my next chapter! Now follow me, and hurry!"

Jack slapped his head with a groan. "How many more times are we going to do this? Let's just catch him and get this over with!"

Hanpan sighed. "I agree… I'm getting rather tired of him."

The other two nodded, and together they all sped after the demon. But, as they burst into a wide hall with the grey-and-brown stone floor stretching as far as eyes could see, the door slammed shut behind them.

Eyes wide, they skidded to a stop, their gaze slowly moving upwards.

A huge Golem. A mixture of red and silver, much taller than Asgard, even taller than Lolithia. The arch-shaped silver shoulder pieces towered over the head, embedded with several glowing orange crystals as though filled with power. The eyes shone a murderous red as it smashed its large fists together.

And, below it, Zed gave a dramatic laugh. "We've already collected seven Golems! More than half are under our control, just like this one, Diablo the Crimson Hellstorm!" He waggled a finger at the wanderers. "Stop? Never! Nothing will stop us! Feel Diablo's heat! Feel it burn!" And then he ran away to safety.

Diablo gave a loud rumble in response, a rumble that shook the entire hall.

"Diablo, please remember!" Cecilia shouted. "Please remember who your allies–"

She gasped as a huge fist rushed towards her. Rudy stopped in front of her and caught it with his ARM, skidding backwards. Another fist came down towards him, only to strike Cecilia's barrier.

Hanpan shook his head. "It's no use! They've rebooted him like they did Lolithia!"

She closed her eyes, then opened again with determination. "Then we have no choice."

A blur as Jack rushed past the Golem, a flurry of shining slashes at its leg. But none of it left a single scratch.

Cecilia sped to the side, bringing her staff up as her Crest shone. Lightning flashed as it snaked across Diablo's chest, but the Golem continued on as if they weren't there, raining punches upon the wanderers.

Rudy leapt back and fired a shot that exploded at its body, but it didn't even leave a blackened mark.

They attacked, again and again, but Diablo's armour remained unscathed, impervious to everything they had.

Jack cursed under his breath as he retreated, glancing over a shoulder. "Hanpan! Any bright ideas?!"

Hanpan, who had been standing at the side with one paw on his chin, nodded. "I do, so listen carefully!"

The Golem gave another rumble as it moved with long, heavy steps towards them, one fist raised.

Slam.

It struck the floor, sending cracks across the tiles. The wanderers scattered as Hanpan finished telling his plan, and they started working on their parts.

The swordsman grinned. "Hey, big guy! Did anyone tell you you're big and ugly? No? Well, I'm telling you now! You're big and ugly! I don't know how you stand looking in the mirror every day–"

Another rumble as a fist went for him.

A blur and he reappeared on its other side, yelling more nonsense and occasionally poking at its leg with his sheathed katana.

The Teardrop flashed once. The hall became cold, turned blue. Ice Guardian Aru Sulato emerged from amidst blue mist, a blue masculine humanoid with curved horns and a lion-like tail, the white hair spreading like a cape.

"Get back!" Cecilia cried, as the Guardian spread his glowing clawed hands.

White. A blanket of white. A snowstorm raged as ice spikes tore across the floor, only to shatter in Diablo's fist. But more ice spikes burst from the floor, surrounding it, locking its feet in place.

White frost. Creeping along the crimson armour like intertwined vines. Diablo slammed another fist down towards the ice as white frost covered its armour. Its movement became slower, slower… until finally, as the frost covered the last of the crimson armour, it stopped moving.

Jack gave a thumbs up. "All yours now, Rudy!"

Rudy nodded, loading the explosive cartridge into his ARM, and fired. In a small gap between Diablo's left shoulder and arm, something exploded.

As black smog filled the air and shrouded the Golem, the wanderers straightened. That should have done it–

An ice crystal cracked. Another cracked, and another.

Rudy's eyes widened. Did he use the wrong cartridge? No, he did put in the explosive cartridge–

More ice cracked. Cecilia quickly summoned Aru Sulato once more, but even with the blanketing white snow, the ice spikes kept cracking.

"It didn't work?!" Hanpan exclaimed. "That should have wrecked the circuit system!"

Diablo's eyes shone a murderous red.

"Watch out–" Jack yelled.

Rumble.

A burst of force shattered all the ice. The blue hue faded, turning red. The cold air grew warm, then hot.

Flames. Surrounding the Golem as it approached, as it clenched its fists. The searing heat forced the wanderers back, as the flames licked at their boots.

Then Diablo stopped. The flames faded, as though they were never there.

He took a heavy step. And another.

Then, it lowered its head… and the light faded from its eyes.

Silence.

"Looks like we did it after all…" Hanpan muttered.

The wanderers breathed a sigh of relief.

Jack held out an arm. "How did you know about that gap, pardner?"

The Wind Mouse climbed back onto his shoulder. "Don't you remember? Diablo was one of the Golems on display at the Adlehyde Ancient Civilisation Exhibition. I had a good look when we were there."

"Was it?" He gave a sheepish grin. "It was all so boring for me, so…"

A shrug. "How typical of you."

On the other side of the room, Zed – whom they had forgotten about – gasped, eyes bulging for perhaps the twentieth time. "I wasn't playing, but even Diablo got shocked that easily?! Handling ARM and defeating Golems…" He grinned. "You might almost be cool enough to hang out with me!"

They glanced at each other, then shook their heads at him.

He held out a fist. "Okay, here comes the next big game plan! Enjoy the big finish… right after this!" And away he went.

Sighing to themselves and wondering if this would ever end, the wanderers pursued and soon entered a smaller hall. And there, standing right at the doorway on the opposite end, was Zed.

He shifted between poses with a shout. "Ta – da! Wa – la! Oh – ya!" A final pose with the arms spread. "It's time to play the game of Password!" He ignored the audible groans. "Let me explain the rules: to open the shutter, you need to input Password. You can only try twice!" He laughed. "I've heard that mothers are puzzled by babies' teething fever. Do your best, and don't waste time!"

The door before him – made purely of lightning bolts – zapped shut.

Jack clenched his teeth. "This guy is beginning to get on my nerves… well, there's only one possible answer!" He strode over to the console by the door and poked the labelled keys. "D-U-M-B-A-S-S!"

The Wind Mouse jumped. "Wait! Stop–"

"Password incorrect," the black screen above the console wrote. "Attempts remaining before lockdown: one."

Hanpan slapped the side of Jack's head. "Why on Filgaia did you do that?! Now we've got only one attempt left!"

The swordsman gave a sheepish grin. "Well, I thought it was right…"

"So here you are"–all eyes looked up to see a smirking Zed behind the lightning bolt door–"couldn't figure out Password? I envy you guys! No attention span! Brainless! Life must be so easy!"

He held up a fist. "Why, you…"

Hanpan shrugged. "Well, you did ask for it when you entered that password." He hopped onto the console. "Now be quiet and let me think!"

Silence.

Cecilia placed a finger on her cheek. "Password… wouldn't it be, well, 'Password'? This might sound silly, but he keeps saying 'password' instead of 'the password'…"

Rudy nodded.

Hanpan clapped his paws together. "Of course! Password! You're almost as smart as I am. Let's see… P-A-S-S-W-O-R-D." He hopped onto the corresponding keys, drawing loud clicking sounds from the console.

The lightning bolts disappeared, leaving a vulnerable doorway with a wide-eyed Zed.

"S-shoot, did they realise?" He shook his head. "But it's just a bit more to set everything up… let it be!"

And once again, he sped away.

"This had better be the last time…" Jack muttered. "Or I'm really going to kill somebody."

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End of Chapter Twenty Four: Wh-What?

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late update! I've been feeling under the weather for quite some time and haven't been able to write properly… I was using up my stockpile of written chapters in hopes of buying time while I write, but sadly that hadn't worked. So after this chapter, my updates will be slower and more sporadic, but don't worry, I won't give up on this story and will keep updating to the end, even if it takes longer than expected! We're already more than halfway through the story anyway, so it's a waste to stop now, isn't it? xD