Chapter 3: Showdown

As his vision began to clear, Carrot could easily detect a stench in the air that was almost sickening. The walls that now surrounded him were as black as night, and the candles that decorated them burned with a sinister purple glow.

"I must say that I am surprised that you came," A voice called out from the far end of the room. There, sitting upon a throne that was just as evil and twisted as him, was Zaha. Beside him, was Chocolate, crucified by the dark energy that entrapped her before.

"I'd rather die than abandon her," Carrot retorted. "Besides, it's high time you met your end."

As Zaha got up and approached Carrot, he could not help but chuckle. "You truly are a fool. Have you not forgotten what happened eight years ago when we last fought?" In an instant, he summoned a crystal of magical energy. "You should be reminded of your destiny!" Zaha then fired the crystal at Carrot. As it reached him, a large explosion surrounded him. Zaha eagerly awaited the awakening of his prize. To his surprise, as the smoke cleared, Carrot was still standing. "Impossible!!"

"Knock on the door with all the magic you want; the God of Destruction doesn't live here anymore," Carrot jokingly said. "I've discovered a new destiny that has long been forgotten. Now it's time for you to be acquainted with it." With that, he drew the metal sword hilt from his belt, holding it out to the side in his right hand. Channeling his newfound power, he spoke an incantation that resonated from his soul:

"Light and Darkness, Creation and Destruction; Opposites of the same coin; May they be united, and a savior born; Grant me the power to return this world to proper balance."

Then he raised the hilt over his head, pointing it upwards. "Come forth as I call your name: CHAOS BREAKER!" In a blinding flash, a blade extended from the hilt. It shined with a blue aura that illuminated the room. Weapon in hand, Carrot took his battle stance

"An amusing trick," Zaha commented, drawing his sword. "But I shall not be denied." With a bellowing roar, he charged at Carrot, who began his own charge. The moment the two swords clashed, Zaha was dumbfounded as Carrot's sword cut cleanly through his own. In a panic, he teleported himself back to his throne, and approached his hostage. "I see that have to deal with you in another fashion" He then lightly ran his hand along Chocolate's cheek. Her restraints were released, dropping here to the floor.

"Arise, my puppet, and kill him," Zaha commanded. Chocolate obediently stood up and faced Carrot.

Carrot obviously could not believe what was happening, "Chocolate?"

Chocolate responded with a seductive laugh. "Darling..." she said, her eyes bearing an eerie red glow. Then she transformed, wielding her wire garrote. "I love you to death, so now you must die!" With those words, she charged forward, fully intent on killing the man she loved.

"Snap out of it, Chocolate!" Carrot cried out as he dodged each of her attacks.

"Are you finding this amusing as I do?" Zaha mockingly called out as she continued to attack. "How will you save her, if you can't even save yourself?"

This infuriated Carrot, but he knew what his response would be. He held his sword at the ready, prepared to guard. As Chocolate charged once more, he shouted, "Powers of evil, BEGONE!" In an instant the sword's blade shined even brighter, stopping Chocolate in her tracks. The glow in her eyes disappeared as she regained her conscious mind.

"Darling?" she said in confusion as she saw him in front of her. Just then, Zaha struck her with a blast of magical energy from behind. She cried out in pain as she stumbled toward Carrot.

"Chocolate!" Carrot cried out as he retracted his sword blade and caught her as she fell. She was visibly hurt from the blast, possibly on the verge of death. Carrot could only glare at her attacker. "ZAHA!" Zaha merely laughed sadistically. Struggling to keep his composure, Carrot focused his power into his right hand. It shined with holy white aura as he held it over Chocolate's injuries, healing them. As Chocolate regained consciousness, Carrot looked deeply into her eyes. "This time, it's me who will be protecting you. I been wanting to say this for so long, but I couldn't bring myself to say it until now; Chocolate Misu, I love you."

"Oh, Darling," she sighed happily. With this declaration, they kissed.

Zaha's laughter stopped as he began to feel his armor begin to rattle. "What is this?" he inquired. To his horror, he began to see the souls of the dead that he once absorbed leave his body and vanish into nothingness. "NO! You are mine! All of you belong to me!" As the last soul vanished, his armor shattered, pieces of useless metal clattering to the floor.

As Carrot and Chocolate broke the kiss, Carrot stared down Zaha. "The power of our love has released the souls you have enslaved, stripping you of your so-called immortality," he declared. "Now it's time to end you insane plans for good." He then turned to Chocolate. "You'd better get back to the church, I catch up as soon as I'm done here."

"I'm not leaving you behind," she argued as Carrot stepped toward Zaha. "Let's beat him together, Darling"

Carrot stopped, looking back at her. "I'm the only one who can destroy him once and for all," He replied. Then he held out his hand, looking directly at Chocolate. "Chocolate Misu, EGRESS!" In an instant, she vanished. Then Carrot turned his attention back to Zaha. "Now that she's safe, I can finish you off." He took his sword in hand, and brought forth its blade. Focusing all of his energy into it, Carrot charged toward Zaha, stabbing him clear in the chest. "Chaos, be broken," he said as the sword shined its brightest, consuming both of them in a ball of holy light.

Big Momma was obviously surprised when Chocolate suddenly appeared before her. "Chocolate, what happened? How did you get back to the church?"

Chocolate was almost in tears. "Carrot sent me back so that he could finish off Zaha," she said, sobbing. "And he did it all for me." With this, she dropped to her knees, crying for her beloved. "Darling!" Just then, another blinding flash filled the room. As it faded, Chocolate felt a presence behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and her tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy as she saw her beloved Carrot standing before her.

"It's finally over. Zaha is no more." He said as he helped Chocolate to her feet. "And I couldn't have done it without you, Chocolate."

"Oh my darling, I love you!" She cried out as she embraced him.

Carrot simply returned the embrace and whispered in her ear: "I'm always your Darling."

Note: The Chaos Breaker and Egress are respectively a sword and spell from the RPG Shining Force, copyright Sega Enterprises 1993