The focus in this installment is simply the playing of the Chrono Cross. Its healing notes are the only hope the adventurers have of destroying FATE and freeing Serge. All is not as it appears to be, though, as the actual location of the Chrono Cross is not where it was originally thought to be. With the melody complete, all that is left is for Serge to overcome his own internal struggle.
Ending Part 5
Drones filled the air all around FATE and the eight adventurers. They began rotating around so fast that light was beginning to become a rare commodity. As their little gears whirred together, each robot began to interlock with those around it. Clicks and clangs sounded all around as the machines formed one huge metal sheet. Finally, the rotation seemed to slow down and stop. In its place was a giant metal dome that enclosed everything inside and kept all intruders out.
Feeling claustrophobia well up inside of him, Norris began to sweat profusely. He unleashed a barrage of shots against the drone dome but none seemed to have any effect. The metal simply absorbed and dispersed the energy, leaving the companions trapped.
"Now I can begin to exterminate you like the vermin you are," boomed FATE. "Do not try to escape, because you cannot. Do not worry. It will all be over soon."
FATE's eight arms then extended out. They seemed to be changing right in front of the group's eyes but in subtle ways. As the supercomputer extended its fingers it became apparent that razor-sharp blades had made their way onto the ends of FATE's appendages. Each hand then descended toward a different adventurer as the wild dance began.
Dodging was frantic in the enclosed space as FATE tried to slice up the group. There was only a trickle of light that bathed the area and the smell of the machine's emissions was horrid. Even if the supercomputer was not able to directly cut the eight companions the lack of air would eventually finish them off.
'That antenna's the problem, man,' thought Doc as he narrowly missed getting skewered. 'I need to take it out!' He called forth a number of knives and threw them at the raised antenna. FATE sensed this attack and reacted accordingly. Before Doc's blades could do any damage, the antenna retracted down into FATE's head.
"The wall will remain for as long as it needs to," said FATE in a grating voice. "My servants will stay like that until another order is given. The antenna means little to me now."
"Bloody hell!" fumed Schala. "This thing can't be the end of us!"
"I told you I am far superior to anything a mortal could muster," FATE gloated. "You have no chance to survive, so I would urge you to make the best use of the time you have left. Even though it will not do you any good, it shall prove an adequate test of my prowess. Come and embrace your pathway to destruction"
'This can't be right,' Leena thought as she shook her head. 'Despite all of this thing's boasting I know that no fortress is impenetrable. I just need to find its weak spot.'
The Champion of the Gods mentally went through all the magical energies she currently had available to her. In her prior form the village maiden would have only had access to a small sphere of spells but Trutin had recently removed that limitation. As though rapidly flipping through the pages of a giant book, Leena finally found the element she sought.
The girl from Arni village let a green glow wash over her body and finally settle atop her head. When she opened her eyes they were framed in an intense emerald light. The shocking part was what Leena saw through her enchanted pupils. Everywhere the champion looked she was able to view the weaknesses and strengths of everything that fell in her sight. She could sense life forces as well, almost like they were a tangible objects. Her gaze finally settled on FATE.
FATE was a behemoth and its life force was overpowering. Starting from the base of the supercomputer and working her way up, Leena hurriedly searched for some kink in its armor. Her search of the base proved fruitless. The torso proved to show nothing of any interest either. It was not until Leena's eyes wandered up to the mechanized giant's head that she found an area she could exploit.
Drawing more magical energies into her, the champion let loose a barrage of spells. All of them were targeted at a specific point on FATE's neck. Unfortunately the villager could not aim her attacks well enough due to the supercomputer's constant moving and thrashing. Her assault hit a few surrounding areas with little effect.
"It will not be that easy," said FATE. "You lack the skills necessary for that that tactic, impetuous worm."
"I can improve my aim," Leena countered as a red glow showered her hands and eyes. "Now I am assured of hitting my mark!"
"Not if the angle eludes you," FATE pointed out. To this the robot positioned its head between the village maiden and itself. Even with precise aim the magics would hit one of FATE's arms before they even got close to their mark. Leena then realized the only one person had a chance at pulling off her tactic.
"Norris!" Leena called out over the distance.
"Yes?" the soldier responded.
Now that she had his attention she used a new facet of her god-given power and talked to the military man telepathically.
'You need to hit FATE in a certain area in its neck,' Leena communicated. 'You have the best aim out of the group and my angle is all wrong.'
'Where's the area?' Norris wondered. 'It all looks the same to me.'
'There is a pulse,' Leena explained. 'Very subtle but there nonetheless. Underneath the metal lies a crucial circuit. It delivers the vast majority of FATE's power to various parts of its body. If you can knock that out then FATE will be weak enough for us to seal up its reserve energy and begin the Chrono Cross melody.'
'Wait...I don't...' Norris began. A glint suddenly caught the man's sharp eyes. 'Leena, I see it. And I'm taking it out. Be ready.' He then broke the telepathic link.
Looking around at the razor sharp arms that were dead-set on ending his life, Norris looked straight at Orlha, the woman who had become more than a friend to him over the past few weeks. "Cover me," he said. Norris then moved to a position where he would have a clear shot.
Despite FATE's gyrations the soldier's eyes were as sharp as any sniper's. Once he found the spot that would hamper the supercomputer he never let it escape his sight. Bringing his gun up to eye-level, Norris channeled all his power into the firearm, let it build to maximum capacity, and fired the energy right at the hidden circuit. The shot hit FATE dead-on but it was not strong enough, as the blast seemed to meet some invisible shield.
"Shit!" shouted Norris. Just then FATE began to slowly turn to deal with this new threat.
'I'm not strong enough, Leena,' Norris projected. 'There seems to be some kind of barrier up.'
'My magic can't help over the distance we're at,' Leena told him. 'But there may be another way...'
'What do you mean?' wondered Norris, but he was cut off as two muscular, yet slender, arms encircled him.
"I'm here to help you," Orlha whispered.
"How?" asked Norris. "You can't aim a gun as well as me."
"You're right," answered Orlha. "But I can help you attain the necessary energy you need. Leena pointed something out to me."
"Whatever she said to you, we need to act quick," the soldier pointed out. "This bitch won't go down easily."
"The shadows from earlier gave us an idea," Orlha quickly explained. "Our energy is not rooted to us as solidly in this dimension as it is in reality. We can take advantage of this. I will combine my own inner light with yours. Working together, it should be enough to penetrate that forcefield."
"How do we go about doing this?" Norris mused.
"You just aim and charge up a shot. I'll do the rest," the barmaid replied.
"Here goes nothing," the military man said, tension in his voice.
Norris began concentrating his energy into the gun that had served him for so long, just like he always did. He had a perfect aim on FATE's crucial circuit and followed its bobbing and weaving without a problem. Suddenly blue orbs began to float and dance around the barrel of his firearm, combining with his own charged power.
"The portal is almost ready," revealed FATE, in a harsh, grating sound. "I must now take my leave."
Norris's hands began to shake now as the gun's energy began to climb toward a critical level.
"All that power and you could do nothing correctly," FATE scolded them. "This only further validates my point. Humans are ill-fitted to determine their own destinies."
"C'mon, Norris," Schala whispered. "Hit it already..."
FATE raised up four of its arms and sent out a silent command to the top of the drones that formed the massive dome. Scuttling about, a ray of light began to slither its way through as the machines parted for their master. FATE was about to begin its ascension into godhood.
Streams of sweat ran down Norris' and Orlha's brows as they gave everything they had into this building power. Norris clenched his arms to keep them from wobbling and made sure the shot he released would be true. In one ear-piercing scream the solider and barmaid let loose the pistol's blast.
Sea-green energy arced out of the gun barrel and flew right at FATE. The supercomputer paid this new development no heed, confident that its defenses would hold. The sea-green glow slammed into the barrier and looked as if it would falter.
"It...can't...fail..." Norris spoke through clenched teeth.
"A last ditch effort, such a failure," FATE remarked. "Nothing can stop my plans."
With a final shout, Orlha let loose one last orb into the already steady beam of energy the gun was firing. The invisible shield began to pulse upon this renewed onslaught. Soon the rhythmic flashes became more and more frequent. FATE's expression changed to one of open-mouthed horror.
"Guess again...bitch," Orlha spat.
The barrier shattered into pieces then as the sea-green gunfire broke through. Like a vampire swooping in on its prey, the blast latched onto FATE's neck. With a mighty boom it tore into the supercomputer's metallic exterior and severed its circuit.
"No....bzzt..." cried FATE, as its arms began to fall.
"Quick, Harle, contain its power!" shouted Schala.
"Oui," the jester said. "It cannot defeat zis element." Bringing her hands together everything in the area was bathed in a black glow as energies were rendered temporarily inaccessible.
"Begin the melody!" Leena yelled.
Panting, Norris raised his arms over his head and covered FATE with a subtle yellow hue.
"I will...bzzt...stop..." FATE said. It slowly aimed its laser cannons at each member of the group.
"You're done for," Miki smiled, adding a red glow to the existing yellow one.
FATE locked onto each adventurer and tried to fire. But nothing came. Its power was not strong enough to break through the seal.
"Get away from our planet-hee!" Razzly squealed. The fairy mixed some green into the lights that were now dancing across FATE's form.
"I must...bzzt...call in...bzzt...reserves," FATE surmised.
With support from Norris, Orlha just had enough energy to cast her spell. Exhausted, her head slumped down as a blue light appeared on FATE's shell.
"Come forth...bzzt..." FATE ordered.
"Zis iz ze end of vous," Harle sneered. Darkness now joined the mix of colors.
"Lend me...bzzt...your strength..." the machine commanded. Suddenly millions of FATE's shadowy minions began pouring in through the hole in the dome. Each one went right to the damaged circuit and then vanished.
"It's growing stronger," Leena pointed out. FATE's fingers were now beginning to twitch once more.
"Leave us be, dude. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Doc said, sternly. The pure white light left his fingertips and swirled onto the increasingly active robot exterior.
Not wasting any time the supercomputer shook off the encasing spell. A gigantic light flared into the surrounding environs, temporarily blinding the companions. FATE's arms were moving around once again.
"Hurry, finish it," pleaded Leena.
Schala went into a trance and held the Chrono Cross out in front of her. The lights pulsed all around the artifact as it reacted to the harmony it was meant to capitalize upon. The Princess of Zeal let the melody sweep her up in its sound and then opened her eyes. She raised the Chrono Cross high into the air. And one of FATE's arms came down and crushed it.
"No!" shouted Razzly, as the thousands of tiny pieces of the artifact were scattered to the ends of the dome.
"My human source destroyed this thing once," FATE remarked. "And so I have destroyed it again. You cannot stop me, for my rightful throne awaits." The dome began to open even wider as the giant machine simply stared into the portal.
"L-Leena," said Schala, visibly shaken. "What do we do? Our only hope has been destroyed."
"I don't believe that," Leena responded. "It can't be..."
"Without the Chrono Cross to complete the melody what can we do? After all that work!"
"I know, Schala, just..." Leena began to say. Her ear then focused in on something and the maiden trailed off.
"What? What is it?" Schala inquired.
"Don't you hear that?" Leena wondered. "It almost sounds like..."
"I can't hear anything," Schala interrupted. "But FATE is making its way toward the portal..."
"SSSShhhh!" Leena cut her off. The Champion of the Gods closed her eyes and focused on the music she heard. "It's beautiful..."
Time seemed to move in extreme slow motion for the girl from Arni. She saw FATE inching ever closer toward the portal that would lead to reality but that wasn't her main concern. The melody was still playing, begging her to complete it. On instinct, she raised up her arms and let the tune engulf her whole being.
Yellow, with its tones of lightning and strength. Red, the sound of fire and passion. Green, whispering like the wind in nature. Blue, embracing the calming sounds of the sea and the endless flow of magic. Black, its dirges bringing gravity to all. White, with its promises of rebirth and infinity. The last note begged to be released and Leena opened her mouth.
The sound she made was both happy and sad, strong and weak, sharp and soft. It was the perfect balance of all and none. Leena did not need the Chrono Cross at that point. Instead, she had become the Chrono Cross. With that final note, the melody was complete.
"What is that awful noise?" FATE asked. The lights that had danced across its body were now moving about very rapidly. Faster and faster they swirled, leaving behind a hard residue.
"This cannot be..." FATE said. This outcome had not even been processed by its logic circuits. The dangerous artifact had been destroyed. None of this should be happening.
"I will destroy you, mortal," the supercomputer threatened, as it made to move its arm and squash the girl that was the cause of all this. Its threat was hollow, however, as its arms had become encased in the same hard and crystalline substance that now held its legs. By the time FATE looked down at Leena once more the prison had reached its neck.
"Nooooo!" shouted FATE as the cocoon closed up and over its head. The machine was effectively trapped, but the melody was not done with its objective. A final pulse from Leena resonated as she reached out to the soul that was trapped within this shell. She had done all she could on her end. The rest was up to him.
By: Daredevil3181