EarthNet: Absolution
A Megaman: Battle Network Fanfiction by Pyrestrike
Warning: This is not the normal, light-hearted material that many of you are used to seeing from other fanfiction writers and from Megaman: Battle Network. This fanfiction contains mature themes, vulgar language, extreme violence and crude sexuality. This is not recommended for younger viewers.
The "----------"'s means that there is a scene change or a big change in perspective.
The ""'s means that there's a small scene change, a change within the current scene or a small change in perspective.
Disclaimer: Megaman, Megaman: Battle Network, and related characters are copyrighted under Capcom. For the sake of good writing, I altered some names of characters. I do not own nor wish to attempt to abuse these copyrights. And if you see any characters/items or relics I made up myself, consider them copyrighted under me ,.
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Pyrestrike: Minor update... I would like to ask new readers of their opinions and to leave ideas on what they would like to see as they story continues. It is more to brainstorm; and maybe it'll get some nice interaction between us as writers and readers. You can leave ideas in the review, but I prefer e-mail.TO--Kane: Thanks for the positive review. However... I'm not using "Maylu" because that isn't her original name gamewise. This is a Battle Network fic, not an NT Warrior one If "Mayl" is too awkward though I may consider using her Japanese name, Meiru. :shrug:
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Prologue
Sal moved toward the center of the clearing, extracting a long arrow from the enchanted quiver that held her ammunition. The grass spread away from the shadows that marked where her feet would stand, not wanting to be crushed under the weight. The night beheld a new moon, and the starless sky seemed all but surreal. The evening breeze became a powerful wind, sweeping across the small plain in short bursts. While most hair would be windswept and forlorn, Sal's curled lock entwined with the caressing movement in the air.
She sat on the stump in the center of the clearing, and wiped a smooth finger along the bladed tip of the arrow. It glowed for a couple seconds, then reverted as the dweomer was set.
It has been nearly a year since I have last recorded the happenings of this twisted incarnation of a dimension. One year since Lervingthis' drones were unleashed upon the unsuspecting Earth. Towns were burnt to the ground, houses were plundered, the men lined up to be executed, women used for wholesale rape, children sent to slave labor… The tortures of the innocents are too gruesome for anyone to bear. The new terrorists called themselves NetBattlers. While none of the citizens of the world knew it, Eugene Chaud revealed himself as the ringleader behind the massacre of everyday life, the current host of Lervingthis, to the Elementals and I, along with some of the more observant citizens of the country.
Once the devastation began, the "real" NetBattlers seemed to turn full circle. Eugene opened up gates to newly built cities, claiming that he would offer salvation from the "zombies" that terrified the masses. Of course, the desperate public more than obliged. And because Eugene commanded those zombies from behind their backs, none of the new towns were attacked.
But there was a catch. Eugene set his new nation of people to work on the project that the other Elementals and I had feared the most – the creation of a replica of the IceFire Sanctuary. The seal was beginning to be recreated, after the destruction by the last saviors in the year 2002. The project began just yesterday, and considering all those that had fled to Eugene, the seal would most likely be completed in mere months.
The Elementals and I are not sure where to turn to find out how to stop the coming resurrection of Dekargon and her Gorgons. Zergniethil was never found, by neither us nor Mayl's troupe during their search for Lan. We scoured all of the country of Electopia searching for him, but nothing ever turned up. The last that was ever heard of them was four months ago, when Lan, a lovely-looking seven-year-old he called "Tenshi", or "angel" in Japanese, and a large Hoah-gou virus Tenshi affectionately called "Kael" appeared in Marine Harbor. They ended up saving the town from the horde of drones, who happened to be soul-less NetBattlers, and disappeared shortly afterward. The girl suspiciously was able to use magic; I personally believed that was Zergniethil's hand in the matter and that Lan still had the relic.
My theory was shot down, however, when a body floated in Marine Harbor, clutching a faded blue headband. A procession was made for Lan, and Mayl and Co. disembarked from us. Mayl did not search for her daughter, despite the news that her daughter was alive. After the attacks on so many of the cities, Mayl reluctantly concluded that no child would stand a chance in the macabre attacks. She and her friends became another resistance group, this time for Kotobuki, which remains one of the few standing cities not under the control of Eugene. They stand as protectors of the town, not rebels aiming for a cause. This time, they accepted their fate and wished to make the most of their lives.
Freezeman, Madoi, Shadowman and I have not yet begun to rest however. Zergniethil is still out there, and whether if it is in Tenshi's grasp or in at the bottom of the harbor where we found Lan, we will find it. This is Sal Kuisendroah, with what may be my final recording, at least until some relevant news has been found.
Sal closed her eyes and pressed her lips against the arrow, sending all that she had just telepathically transmitted into it. Whoever found the arrow would immediately "hear" everything she had said. Sal had used countless other arrows as time capsules, reminders for the future. In a somewhat ritualistic manner, Sal snapped out her bow and shot it into the youngest tree in the surrounding woods.
She got up and looked at the empty sky once more. "Is the quest the Elementals and I set ourselves to as bleak as this?" she said, although she was certain no one had heard her; a sudden gust carried the words away from their initial direction. Pulling the hood of her cowl again, she walked back to the campgrounds where she found that Shadowman had stayed up, waiting for her.
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Chapter One: An Angel's Plea
Mayl tugged her coat closer to her, trying to shield out the frigid snow. The soft, semi-frozen droplets packed atop the roofs of the many stores in Kotobuki, the place she now called home. Her red hair adorned bands of white, and once she finally got into her house she shook out the snow that had clumped on her.
"Hot chocolate? Coffee? Tea? Warm water?" Roll asked as she took off Mayl's coat and placed it into the closet. Roll still had on her nightgown, having just awakened from her slumber. The Navi armor had come off long ago, since the more the EarthNet combined, the more melded the two worlds became. While the armor and weapons remained a part of the Navis' natural bodies, they now came on and off at will.
"Tea would be fine. You know how high-strung I can get when I have too much caffeine," Mayl admonished. She stepped into the living room and took a seat on the couch. "Megaman's still sitting up atop the ruined apartment complex, you know."
Roll sighed as she came back into the room with the tea. "I still don't see what the ritual of being up there is for."
Mayl shrugged in reply, unsure of Megaman's motives either. As Roll left to change out of her clothing, Mayl averted her gaze to the window. Children were actually frolicking in the white powder, a rare sight for the times. Peace was a term of oblivion now, but moments of temporary contentment were still existent, even if they were few and far between.
Mayl watched a girl across the street, who had on a cute ankle-length dress and a windbreaker. She figured the girl was around eight or nine years old. The girl wore a broad smile across her face as beautiful as the lovely blue beret on her head, and while that was lovely in itself, nothing seemed more amazing than her hair: a painter's auburn, a perfect mixture of red and brown. It pranced with her as she walked casually across the sidewalk, her golden, spiky furred puppy tagged along closely at her heels. A sudden gust blew the hat off the girl's head, but luckily her father was standing nearby and caught the beret as it blew past.
The father was strikingly handsome as well, with brown, windswept hair and amorous brown eyes. His glasses exemplified his look of professionalism, and as Mayl watched him hand the hat back to his daughter, she began to wonder whether if she would have been able to live just as peacefully with Lan, had he been alive. She looked away for a moment to dab out the tears that limned her eyes. When she turned back, the father said something to the girl. The daughter nodded, and skipped away from the window's view. The father walked after her, smiling contentedly.
"If only I could live like that," Mayl mused to herself.
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"This has got to be the worst assignment in the history of our campaign, wouldn't you agree, Miyu?" Dex complained.
"Your campaign, not mine," she corrected. The thought of having to spy with such a lumbering giant was disgusting. Even more despising the fact that Miyu had to stay inside the tent with the lummox, but there was no other choice. Every order from Eugene came with the reminder that Iriol and her parents would be killed. Her misery as a slave would continue until the inevitable was achieved: the IceFire Sanctuary revived, and the wrath of Dekargon would be wrought upon the dimensions. She sighed at her hopelessness.
"Shut up," Duo snapped. He was crouched on a branch of the tree in which Miyu and Dex were lying against. "You sound like a bitch giving labor to her pups, whining and annoying. Your thoughts are most trying!"
"Then get out of my head. Maybe then you won't have so much of a hard time coping with me," Miyu retorted.
Skullman and Gutsman appeared from the edge of the treeline. Skullman seemed as somber as Miyu was. He grimly reported, "They went back into the house."
"Yai's up'n the watchtower," Gutsman grunted. "Dunno why, though."
"If Eugene wants Mayl so bad, why doesn't he just up and snatch her out of there? It isn't like anyone'd stop him," Dex theorized.
Miyu slapped the back of his forehead. "Do you think she'll come willingly? Eugene wants us to make her helpless and lose everything close to her before he makes any kind of move whatsoever. Plus, if he takes this city, there's a prime example for him to set for the rest of the free cities out there. It's called a plan, ya big ox."
"Take that back!" Dex pouted. Miyu already had a scythe at his most coveted body part, so Dex didn't say any more.
"And I thought Miyu was the slave," Duo chuckled. "Alright. We have our information. We can strike."
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"What is it, Lervingthis?" Eugene asked the moon-shaped crystal.
The wash of faint colors flowed in and out of Eugene's mind, a message saying how pointless it was that he would continue to pursue Mayl and Kotobuki. A much fiercer set of colors slammed into him, telling him that immediate action and focus should be spent upon the recreation of the IceFire Sanctuary.
"But that is the brilliance of my plan. If I can make the most guarded free city fall, all the others will tremble under our feet, and that would in turn add more slaves to quicken the resurrection."
And you will also have a bitter queen by your side. A sly plan, if it were not tainted with such emotion Lervingthis reprimanded in another set of colors. In a more curious selection of blues and grays, it added But what of the Depletion Elemental? Miyu has just about had it with you. Inflict as much pain while you can
Eugene did not know what to do for a moment. The sudden thought of saying no came into his head, but before he even realized what he was saying, he replied, "Do not fear, Lervingthis. I am headed toward the infirmary now." He pressed the electronic pad to open the air lock to the room, and walked over to the beds of Miyu's parents.
Iriol, Miyu's fiancée and the reason why she remained a pawn, was typing feverishly across the room. His bronze-colored hair remained a matted mess, due to his consistent hours at work and study.
In feigned innocence, Eugene inquired, "How goes the research, Iriol?"
Iriol swiveled around in his chair, as though he had not heard Eugene come in. Ecstatically, he reported, "Well, I believe that in another couple of weeks I might be able to finally begin the testing phase of the Comatose Patient Revival. Kind of my own play on the acronym of CPR."
Fingering Lervingthis, Eugene smiled and said bluntly, "Good. I'm sure Miyu will be glad to hear it."
"Thanks again for funding this project. I'm sure Miyu appreciates it too. And for all that you've done for those running away from those damned terrorists claiming themselves as NetBattlers, I'm sure they appreciate your dedication as well. By the way, this past few months Miyu has been acting strangely towards me. Like my last days were almost here."
Grinning, Eugene replied, "Not almost. Already." A purple light shot from Lervingthis and captured Iriol's soul. It added itself into the relic and made Iriol nothing more than a hollow casket. "Go into the training division of the Headquarters. Pick a weapon and train yourself with that proficiency until you have mastered it."
Iriol nodded absently and trudged heavily out of the room. Eugene walked over to the electricity switch to Miyu's parents' cubicle. Lervingthis gleamed in delight as Eugene turned it off, effectively sending the Kuroi parents into the afterlife. He walked back into his office.
In another slew of shades, Lervingthis said in glee, I was hoping that you'd get rid of the Elemental. Now let us tend to the construction!
Although Eugene knew he was supposed to see to the attack on Kotobuki, he found himself nonetheless obeying the crystal's commands. Even as he passed his open hourly planner, he walked to the balcony. He surveyed the large seal that would be the IceFire Sanctuary. A large circular area with three points marked the places where the seal was bound. The hundreds of naïve workers whom Eugene had "saved" were diligently working on recreating the seal.
"They are still unconscious to the fact that the reason the NetBattlers were evil was because you sapped their souls. The workers believe that the seal they are creating would be able to stop the marauding NetBattlers," Eugene noted.
Yet it will only release my greatest desire and fulfill my destiny: resurrecting the Gorgon Goddesses and their Queen, my master Dekargon! Lervingthis gleamed in unholy elation.
Although Eugene's soul was long gone, he still found it disturbing to hear something so ambitious from a relic. He viewed its power as something that could be used for so much more, but he was nothing more than the embodiment of its actions.
Alright. We can leave, host
Eugene almost spat aloud, "More like slave," but he held his tongue. He stepped into the Kotobuki teleport system and left his office.
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A bright, glowing light pierced the infinite blackness of the dimension labeled The Abattoir. Klev'trath, the demon observer banished eons ago stared in wonderment as the light became an immense wolf, thousands of hands high. "Syrpiektre…" Klev'trath murmured. "What is it that you wish, Master of Dimensions?"
The beast's fur rippled from the non-existent wind that passed in and out of the dungeon. In a surreal, soft yet deep voice, it asked, "Klev'trath is the name, correct?"
Klev'trath, in a dazed wonderment nodded in confirmation.
"I have a task besigned upon you. You reward will be… absolution from this dungeon. Will your heart…or what's whatever is in there be willing to partake upon my favor?" The entity's long eyes narrowed even more, shifting from a blue to a bloody red.
Klev'trath clasped its hands in mock thought. "It is not so much of a choice, is it? But for freedom from this darkness, that is not enough." It reclined in a comfortable manner against an imaginary lounge chair. "I am getting rather used to it here. Everything holds a nice shade of black, do you not agree?"
Syrpiektre howled so ferociously that the entire dimension shook. A bolt of blue-purple energy shot down and incinerated one of Klev'trath's wings. As it howled in pain, Syrpiektre warned, "That will teach you to toy with a deity. If you wish, I will give you an entire universe to plunder. A name is all I need and it will be yours. Now, to the more pressing matter: as you know, Dekargon is trying to resurrect herself. I cannot and will not allow it. You are to become a partner to this human." Syrpiektre swiped one of its many tail as a dimensional rip displayed whom it was referring to.
"Lervingthis' current host? The one named Eugene Chaud?" Klev'trath began scheming on how to capture the crystal as its own immediately. It forgot the power of the deity before him.
"You are not going to have it, demon. You are to watch and report every move he makes. You will never touch Lervingthis."
"But the crystal can sense one's motives, can it not?"
"I shall shield you from it."
"Then why don't you do this yourself? Or call out an angel?"
"I have matters at hand in the Earthen year 2002; the past needs a bit of cleaning. And besides, you forget that angels only exist in the pitiful minds of humans; you have been watching them too much. In this time- MY TIME, the only things that exist are you demons and the inhabitants to the other dimensions, no angels or anything of the blasphemous lot. And after this final event, only DARKNESS shall remain. No longer will I have to deal with such selfish, greedy beings. Once I have completed the task of destroying the IceFire Sanctuary and eliminating all living beings, I will create a void to destroy every stressing dimension in existence."
"It does not sound like I will gain much from this," Klev'trath mused.
"You will keep the one dimension you want most, like I said before. I will let you live. Or, the alternative would suit me just fine. I could condemn you to be tortured by all the victims of your playful reign of power," Syrpiektre threatened.
Klev'trath threw his hands up and knelt before the entity, fearing the "alternative" more than anything else. "I shall take your offer. But my last question is why you must destroy everything that you worked so hard to create?"
Syrpiektre's eyes shifted again, to a deadly lavender flame. "These humans are destined to visit other dimensions; They've already combined the Earth and Internet dimensions together. If I could just kill their dimension, things would be easier, but they are resourceful, and will find some way to survive. I might as well start from scratch again. Now, off with you. You would serve much better use watching Lervingthis for me."
Klev'trath was about to say more, but the crash of lightning and thunder already sent him towards the office of Eugene Chaud.
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"We have arrived," Freezeman announced.
Madoi threw up her hands in joy. "Kotobuki, at last!"
"Shut up…" Sal hissed softly. She and Shadowman were perched on trees opposite each other on the path while Madoi and Freezeman were walking. Shadowman's eyes darted around, as though he sensed something.
"What is it?" Freezeman asked his fellow Navi. A quick and sudden pang of energy flowed though his soul. They all nodded.
"Miyu is here," Shadowman said grimly. "I'm sure she senses us too."
Madoi seemed to want to say something telepathically to Miyu, but Freezeman quickly touched her shoulder with one icy hand. Madoi jumped away, startled, and snapped, "What was that for?"
"You forget that Eugene and Lervingthis has a mental leash on her," Freezeman admonished. He did not know why or how such a pouting woman would be one to protect the world, but he knew that gods played in strange ways, Syrpiektre in particular. "Shall we go and pay—"
Another pang of spiritual energy waved through him. This one seemed more of an intense shock rather than the wavering presence that Miyu resonated.
Madoi looked to the others. "What was that?"
"That was Yai's Elemental energy. But she isn't an Elemental; Glyde passed over a year ago," Sal said, her eyes suddenly alert.
Freezeman knew better. "She and Protoman must officially be partners. Luminosity has been activated."
"Still… What could have made her so excited as to send out a wave of energy like that?"
"Either she just awakened as an Elemental, or she saw a ghost," Shadowman theorized. Shrugging, he added, "Then again, it could be both."
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Yai fell back against the wall of the watchtower. "No way…"
She peered out farther, trying to confirm her suspicions. The leaves on the trees were rustling toward her in a wave-like fashion. Her target was beneath the flora. As the golden streak blew past, she could feel the strange warmth that she had felt for a few days now. Her breath quickened as the captivating object continued to dart through the forest.
"It's down there again?" Protoman asked from below.
"You can tell?"
Protoman nodded, tousling some of the camouflaged snow from his long white hair. The visor that he normally wore was gone, just like all Navis' helmets and armor; they were replaced with a white beanie and a thick red windbreaker. It took a while to get used to, but the EarthNet was almost completely integrated now, and he was finally getting used to the temperature shifts of the seasons. He tossed one lock of hair away from his eyes as he replied, "I can feel everything you do, too. It's been happening for the last few days now. What is it that you're looking for?"
Yai leapt down from the tower, dusting herself off once she touched down. Too lazy to brush the blonde wisps from her blocking her vision, she casually strolled toward Protoman. "I've been tracking something outside. It feels vaguely familiar somehow, but something else about it is bugging me."
"The fact that it gives off some sort of weird feeling?" Protoman guessed.
"Yeah. I think it might be a Gold Hoah-gou. One of the leader-types."
Protoman raised an eyebrow. "But the last time any Hoah-gou was here was when—"
"Exactly. And if there's one here, now, it just might be one of the keys to finding Zergniethil."
"Are you sure that this is it? I mean, this one might be a stray, not the one that girl was riding that helped save Kotobuki."
Yai shrugged. "I hope so. Even if that was over six months ago, it might also lead to something about Lan. Like why he washed up in Marine Harbor dead, or why he was even out at sea in the first place." After a small silence, she walked up to Protoman and stared into his eyes deeply. Something was happening between them, but she was not sure what. Sighing, she said, "Come on. Let's go get breakfast."
Protoman stared at her strangely. "Navis don't eat though."
"Yeah, but you're the one with our PET, remember? Without that, how am I gonna pay for any food?"
"Oh. I almost forgot about that." As he reached into one of his jacket pockets, he suddenly gripped his stomach fiercely.
Yai grabbed a hold of him before he could topple into the snow banks. "What's wrong?"
Through clenched teeth, he responded, "A weird feeling in my torso is hurting me. Like I've been drained of energy."
Yai's eyes brightened. Using one hand to steady Protoman, she quickly slipped a dagger from her snow pants. She quickly ran it against the back of Protoman's hand. He quickly dropped his other hand to hold it. "Move your hand," she calmly ordered.
Wincing, he retorted, "What was that for?"
"Just move it!"
He complied. A cut formed where she had sliced with her dagger. Blood flowed slowly, dripping and staining the matted snow. "I'm…bleeding?"
"You aren't fully human anymore. Just like Shadowman did, when we found Mayl a year ago. You—We're Elementals."
Before either of them began to grasp the sudden news, a distress beacon flew up from the top of the ruined Koto Apartment Complex Tower. The pattern of flares spelled out their situation clearly.
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"Attacking in broad daylight?" Megaman stood at the top of Koto ACT, the tower where the last place a net criminal called headquarters. He activated his helmet and armor, covering up his clothing and black hair.
Trees just outside the gates began to fall, the usual sign of an invasion. The difference was the time; if anyone was willing to attack while the sun was out, they must have been prepared. And Mega was right. In place of the trees, huge energy cannon viruses appeared, each on standing nearly twice the height of any human or Navi. "We're surrounded," he murmured to himself.
He switched his buster into flare mode, shooting up the warning signal that they were in worst-possible conditions. Just as he was about to get down, he looked back outside once more. A swarm of Polar Cubes, bear-like viruses, began to trudge out of the forest, stopping at the cannons. An equal number of NetBattlers appeared behind them.
"Damn," he spat. He slid down one side of the ACT, jumping off before he crashed into the snow. Mayl ran up to meet him.
"Cannons were placed with tree cover with Polar Cubes and NetBattlers to back them up. We're in for it, Mayl."
Yai and Protoman ran to join them. They were enlisted as protectors to the city, but this was a hopeless case. The sheer size of the force put them in a complete disadvantage. Before anyone else spoke, the attack began.
The gates withstood the initial blasts from the cannons, buckling under the power. Grappling hooks appeared over the gates, and the cannons launched a second barrage, this time tearing dents into the barrier. By the time the third barrage began, ten seconds into the attack, the NetBattler invaders were already at the top of the gates, and the Polar Cubes were aligned with the holes they bore with their powerful glacier-blocks. Finally the ringleaders appeared. Eugene, Miyu, Skullman, Dex, Gutsman appeared, along with a large blue-black armored Navi behind them. They were floating on some invisible disk, and hovered towards them.
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"What do you want?" Mayl asked, taking out her energy rings.
Grinning, Eugene replied, "Nothing but you, dear."
Mayl narrowed her eyes. "The people of Kotobuki would rather die here and now than be some pawn of yours."
"Then have it your way. You can watch everyone around you crumble into pieces, and then we'll see what your decision is," Eugene threatened. He leapt off the invisible platform and took out his falchion, a curved sword with a slowly thickening 4-foot blade.
The others on the platform followed his lead, except for the blue-black Navi. Before getting off, he shouted, "Witness the fall of Koto, as did ACDC!"
"This will be my battle," he said once he touched down. "Let all of them feel the bitter blade of my sword!"
The people of Koto were already armed to battle. Some of the roofs to the houses stored cannons, and others got onto the streets with their own weapons, ready for close combat. Roll took out her Kukris, daggers that hit a 130-degee angle after the hilt. Megaman had his buster readied, and Protoman had his sword arm. Yai had her daggers.
Mayl took one step towards their opponents. The Navi did the same. Before they began to fight, a huge, golden Hoah-gou sprung out of an alley and skidded to a stop between them. The seven-year-old girl and father she saw earlier jumped down from it. "This is my fight, Mayl," the father said.
The Navi growled. "HIKARI!"
Lan quickly patted on Kael, telling the Hoah-gou to go. As Duo lunged toward him, Lan quickly dodged to the side. His brown eyes washed over into a gray fury, and he unhooked the dagger in his pant leg, tossed it up and threw it into the back of Duo's right leg. "Tenshi!"
Kael quickly swung around, and Tenshi, still riding it, held out her hand and muttered, "Illumia Pe'arsei." A cache of arrows of light encircled Tenshi, and stormed into Duo's back. She quickly cast another spell to trap Duo, already out cold from the vicious barrage, into a glowing box.
"Lan? I heard they found your body washed up on Marine Harbor, completely mangled and disfigured. I guess forensics isn't what it used to be, eh?" Eugene cackled.
Lan took off his glasses, glaring at Eugene with flaring gray eyes. "Get out of here. These people are under my protection now."
Eugene laughed again. "And what makes you think that you have the advantage? I have more guns around here than you can count to."
Mayl stepped up to Lan. "I don't even know how you're here, Lan, but he's right; there are cannons and Polar Cubes stationed all over the perimeter."
"I know," Lan grinned. "Tenshi! Blow them away."
"And that little girl is going to improve my situation?"
Tenshi leapt up. "Just watch me! Deakon Silektro!"
A cloud cover fell over the city quickly. As thunder began to roar, bolts of white and purple energy crashed into the cannons, disabling them instantly. A third of Eugene's force was sizzling in two seconds. Lan merely smiled.
"If you want, we can settle this ourselves, but away from here."
"The planet is my playground!"
With that, Eugene lunged with his falchion. Again Lan dodged to the side, taking out his double halberd. As the twin energy ax-blades and spears appeared, Lan quickly kicked Eugene farther away, to give himself some time to steady the heavy weapon. He sensed the battle beginning about him, as the roof-top cannons were already being fired and the people were shouting in fury. He remained focused on his target however, and swung down in an overhead arc.
Eugene rolled backward and threw a small sickle at Lan. Lan was unprepared for the quick counter and the curved, miniature scythe cut into his side. Lan fell down to one knee, but swept Eugene with his halberd to trip his opponent. He caught a glimpse of the horrible wound, which cut deep into his left side, right before his vision began to swim from the uncontrollable bleeding.
"Father!" the girl cried.
Dex considered the petite child for a moment. Her fiery, auburn hair seemed so silky and soft… much like that woman he toyed with a year back. After a second of thought, the woman's name came to him: Shin Arashi. This girl seemed so much more stronger than the bitch he slapped around, even if she was years younger. Dex grinned at the thought of adding her to his collection of toys at HQ.
As she ordered the golden Hoah-gou toward Lan, he and Gutsman quickly intercepted. "Knock it down!" he ordered.
Gutsman slammed into the spiky-furred virus' side and rammed it into the nearest house. As the wolf fell on its side, the girl jumped up to the roof and called out to her steed, "Kael, hang on!"
Dex jumped up to meet her, taking out his energy ax in the process. "You remind me of someone, girl. It will be lovely to see those innocent eyes and fiery hair tainted." He tossed his weapon from hand to hand, and grinned while the enticing images flashed through his mind. He began to drool from all the thinking, and he lurched toward the girl.
"Infiernos!" she quickly cried as she jumped up and over him. Because of her panic, the spell misfired and the rubble underneath the house caught fire instead. As the red flames tinted her fair skin, she remained frozen, as though locked in memory. She stood, shaking and crying. Just as Dex prepared another attack, a green-cloaked woman interceded and leapt off the roof, going hundreds of feet into the air to the top of Koto ACT.
"Damn you, Sal!" Dex spat.
Yai and Miyu traded parries, neither one besting the other. Every time one of them tried to act, the other anticipated it. Yai flipped back and spun forward, her daggers in an equally dancing motion. The blades twirled about, so quickly the only way they were seen was the glint of the refracting sunlight. Miyu still dodged or blocked each attack. Her scythes were moving at an equal rate to counter every move. They both flipped back and were at a deadlock. Both were breathing rapidly, their jackets torn in dozens of places yet neither had a mark of damaged skin.
"You have awakened, Yai. Your spirit shines as much as Lan's does," she remarked with a wry smile.
Yai glared. "And if you know that, then why are you fighting me? Your spirit is just as much tainted as Dex's if you wish to continue this."
"Do you believe this is my decision!" Miyu coughed haggardly, as memories and threats flooded into her mind. Tears limned her eyes as she lunged again.
Yai anticipated this easily and dodged to the side while hitting Miyu square in the back to knock her to the snow. "Then stop this! What does Eugene have that has you on a leash? We can help!"
Miyu's body suddenly burst with black energy radiating from her. Just as instantly it subsided. She rolled back to avoid Yai, but her clouded thoughts didn't let her think of an effective counter once here roll was complete; Yai stood over her with a dagger to her heart. "What could he possibly have? Look inside me, Luminosity! My parents are in the infirmary! And if I don't comply, my fiancée is as good as dead! Iriol would become an empty—"
Yai jerked up in surprise. "Iriol is your fiancée? He's my cousin! I thought he left for another country years ago…"
Before any response came from Miyu, a bright beacon flashed from Kotobuki Apartment Complex Tower. Intense energy thundered through the two Elementals, throwing them back. They knew what it was immediately.
"Zergniethil…"
Sal gave Shadowman Zergniethil and kept her arms wrapped over the girl. "We need all our powers. Let me drop off the girl. This battle will be over soon."
Sal went back down the Koto ACT, leaving the other Elementals at the top. After reaching the ground, she ran over to one of the houses in the area and laid the girl against it. She'd known that the girl was the keeper of Zergniethil, but she couldn't find a way to track her down, especially after Lan had "died". After making sure the unconscious girl was okay, she went back up the ACT.
Madoi grinned as she began to charge up a freak thunder storm. The blue clouds of snow were completely blanketed by the thunderheads that rolled in, blackening the sky with fury. As three bolts of lightning struck the ground below, the masses of fighters turned to the four Elementals position atop the ACT.
"Damn… you, Elementals," Eugene stuttered as he weakly rose. "Dekargon is the only true God, and Lervingthis her avatar!"
Shadowman smirked. "You have not yet begun the fight. Witness the power of Syrpiektre, and Zergniethil!"
Tenshi slowly awoke. She gasped and ran over to Lan, hoping that he was okay. "Daddy!" She held out her hand over her father's wounded side, and suddenly felt a fluttering within her. A searing light fell over Lan's cut, and once she opened her eyes again, it was fully healed.
"Thanks… for the healing spell… Tenshi," Lan said groggily.
"But—I didn't—Zergniethil's not even with me right now," she stuttered. "How could I have healed you?"
Lan got up. "It doesn't matter."
Just as he finished his sentence, a pulsing light shot from the Koto ACT and into a NetBattler nearby. The NetBattlers body dispersed into nothing instantly.
"And Zergniethil will destroy every one of you soulless caskets!" they heard someone shout from the ACT.
"Go find Kael, Tenshi," Lan ordered. He quickly ran back into the fray.
Just as she began to move, another man suddenly flew backwards into the house she had rested against. She ran over to him, and tried doing the same thing she had done to her father. Instead of her glowing, the man's body began to glow, and after a short while she saw a glowing orb coming to him from the distance.
"That's a soul…" she whispered as the orb began to descend into the body.
Just then, a woman and a female Navi jumped in between her and the man, carrying Tenshi away as a light shot into him and destroyed his body.
The blonde-haired Navi admonished Tenshi. "You shouldn't be around the NetBattlers."
The woman, putting away her energy rings, nodded. "They're soulless, and they'll all be destroyed by Zergniethil up there anyway."
"But I could have saved him! His soul was returning! Didn't you see the ball… the man's soul?"
The other two looked oddly at her. Tenshi looked out to the battle raging around her. The people of Kotobuki began cheering as the enemy began to dwindle in size. Others, the ones that the women called NetBattlers, were fleeing the scene. Zergniethil tracked them down easily, barraging ray after ray of energy to disintegrate them. Tenshi looked helplessly at her hands. "All of them… could have been saved. Doesn't Zergniethil know that? It helped out people before, but why is it killing them now?"
The woman looked down at the girl and said in alarm, "Hey! You called Lan, 'Daddy!' You're Tenshi, aren't you?"
Instead of answering, Tenshi leapt down from the roof and towards Lan. He said something to a blue-armored Navi and took off toward the gates. She couldn't absorb any of this. The people began to hail Zergniethil and Syrpiektre, cheering for their good fortune. To Tenshi, the residents of Kotobuki were just as much the drones of the coming war than Dekargon's agents and the NetBattlers.
"Daddy, wait up!"
----------
Eugene stepped out of the teleport, as did Skullman and the others. They gathered around the office silently. "Damn that Navi and all of Syrpiektre's cohorts!" Eugene cried madly, slamming his desk into two. Skullman stepped back a bit, noting how Lervingthis was darkening intensely; the light around it seemed to be sucked in, like a void.
Eugene looked towards him and Miyu. "I want you two to take Duo and yourselves to Marine Harbor. Go and look out for the Elementals, and crush them by surprise. They'll think I want the next free city, and if we can surprise them early enough I can move in and occupy the town."
Skullman raised an eyebrow curiously. "Don't you already have NetBattlers in place?"
Eugene nodded. "But they will not be able to hold against Syrpiektre's power and his damned avatar, Zergniethil. We need you and Miyu's abilities as Elementals and Duo's abilities as a fighter there. I must stay here and make sure those fools that entered my "free cities" are doing their part in rebuilding the IceFire Sanctuary."
"Then let me get some things before—"
"They've been taking care of for your arrival."
"But we have to talk to—"
"Iriol's fine. Now leave immediately."
Skullman sensed an air of wariness, but he knew there was nothing neither he nor Miyu could do. Together they stepped into the teleport, all the while knowing that something would go terribly wrong again.
----------
The attack only started in the morning, and because of the girl's efforts in destroying the cannons, most of the gate had been repaired before the cannons could do any real damage. The remainder of the day after the attack was spent repairing whatever homes needed it and patching up the holes in the city barrier. After nightfall, the people of Kotobuki were content that they could survive another day and left back to their daily routines, celebrating the fact that Syrpiektre and his Elementals had blessed them for a day.
Roll stepped up to the top of Kotobuki Apartment Complex Tower. She slowly sat down beside Megaman, gazing out to the moon. For the first time in her life, she sensed an omniscient laughter, a know-it-all cackle from the radiance of the lunar sky. Things were not how they had seemed at the start of the day.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" she whispered softly.
Megaman looked curiously at her.
She cast her gaze to the cold metal she was resting on.
"You know, this is the first time I've been up here."
"And do you see why I am always up here?"
Roll nodded, placing her hand on his. "You never really did think that was Lan we buried, huh? I mean, even if he disappeared after the battle, now we know that he's alive."
"I'm sure he'll show up tomorrow; he said to me that he 'still had business to take care of' before I could even say hi."
Megaman moved closer to her. They sat silently, staring at the stars. The sense of tranquility seemed surreal though, like it wouldn't last. As each twinkle elicited a tear, Roll felt that the hell they lived in was everything but a dream. "Still, escapes like this are what we live for, I guess," she whispered softly to herself.
Megaman looked at her oddly. "What do you mean?"
She wiped away her tears. "Nothing… just that times like these are too few and far between."
He nodded in agreement, recognizing the sorrow that the fight would continue, and let her lay her head against his shoulder. They ignored the darkness the new moon cast upon them, and embraced the light the stars gave from the heavens.
----------
"The Elementals have gone, and they're probably out to head overseas and attack Netopia and the NetBattler HQ," Lan said as he lazily entered his room in the roadside inn he found while he was "hunting." He spent the rest of the day after the battle cleaning out the remaining Polar Cubes, even though he wished he was at Kotobuki helping out his not-so-dead friends.
Tenshi looked crestfallen and distraught. She sat on her bed, absently staring at Kael as she stroked the now-puppy virus' fur. Lan decided that tomorrow would be a better time to reintroduce himself and Tenshi to everyone, especially now that they weren't dead. That small bit of light helped brighten the shaded day. Still, seeing Tenshi unhappy hurt more than the burning pain he had felt in his side before she healed him.
Lan sat next to the eight-year-old and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Everything we thought we knew, it isn't exactly it anymore. I thought that there should be one deity, and that Syrpiektre was the one we should that one deity we believe in. But now, Zergniethil is killing those that can be saved," Tenshi said gloomily.
"Syrpiektre has been the supposed ruler of all the dimensions forever now. We know other dimensions exist, since the Internet was one while Earth was another. We've believed everything that he's done is for the betterment of all, and all these are trials. How is this any different?" Lan said curiously. "I mean, at least it isn't Dekargon and Lervingthis ruling us…"
"Because it goes against everything that's been taught and said!" Tenshi said angrily. "How is it the NetBattlers fault that they have become soulless? It wasn't their choice… and yet they're being killed for that empty decision!"
Lan sat in thought for a moment, taking off his glasses. "But how is it that they can be saved? Their souls are trapped in Lervingthis, and chances are consumed by it."
"I almost saved one. His soul was returning, and then Zergniethil blasted him before he could be saved." Tears of guilt limned her eyes.
"You almost saved one? Without Zergniethil's help?"
Tenshi simply nodded, making Lan remember the wound inflicted by Eugene's sickle.
"You also healed my wound without Zergniethil…"
Tenshi hugged Lan fiercely, burying her face against his chest. "What am I, Daddy?"
"You're exactly what your name means: an angel, and nothing but that."
The mention of angels seemed to disturb Tenshi even further. She suddenly released her embrace and seemed to be at a loss for words. It was as if a sudden pang of memories flooded her and drained her. "I'm everything but that…"
Lan gave her an odd look. "What are you talking about?"
Tenshi turned to Lan once more, and said softly, "I guess now would be the time to tell you everything about me."
Lan sighed. "I was intending on letting you keep it secret, because pasts have a way of damaging things."
Tenshi ignored the comment and began. "For as long as I can remember, I was a homeless child, living off basic survival instincts any animal would have. From… I think I was one and until I was three, I lived in one of the alleys in ACDC. I stayed with a mute woman, who couldn't speak or hear, but she knew how the world worked and nurtured me. One day, when I had survived three years, the woman disappeared.
"I went out onto the street, stealing from food vendors to stay alive, until I was seven. Then, I walked down an alley I had never been to before. I found a purple stone there, calling itself Lervingthis, and it beckoned that I be its master. Overnight, I became an early twenty-year-old woman who lived in the outskirts of town, in a mansion fit for ten kings. It taught me how to talk and cultivated my body to the point where men drew glances at every corner and altered my mind to match over the limit in all the IQ tests in existence. I lived in the lap of Luxury. Remember when we went to Marine Harbor to look up your father's records on Zergniethil?"
Lan simply nodded.
"Well, it's like they said. Lervingthis wanted to use its host to manipulate people to create an army and resurrect the 'IceFire Sanctuary'. I…" Tenshi immediately stopped what she was saying, and an air of self-pity washed into the room.
"What? What did you do?" Lan said curiously, trying not to pry.
"I… slept with people to turn them into slaves of Dekargon…" she stuttered out the sentence so quietly Lan had to strain to hear. "Oh god… I'm not Tenshi, I'm Shin. Nothing but darkness…"
She slipped into some sort of a trance, but Lan quickly grabbed her and snapped her out of it. "Tenshi! Come on, Tenshi… You aren't evil! You said it yourself: Lervingthis was only using you! It wasn't your fault!"
"But I conceded! Final decision rested on me, not Lervingthis! The pull was just too strong."
"You didn't know what else to think. You lived on the streets, learning nothing but survival, not civilization. You only knew the crap that Lervingthis fed you. And if you still think it's your fault, I forgive you for it. I live and let live; nothing of what you've done has changed my opinion of you, Tenshi."
Tenshi sat a while, and she seemed a bit at ease from Lan's words. "Thanks, Daddy." She sat quietly for a moment longer, and began again. "Anyway, somehow, I knew that Lervingthis was wrong. So Lervingthis turned a man named Dex into a sadist, and I was first victim."
"That's why you froze up at the battle—" Lan abruptly burst from the bed, as though hit in sudden revelation. "He touched you? The next time—"
"Please, I want to get off that topic. The day after that, I fled. I became seven again, and although I felt nothing of the dark tendencies of Lervingthis, I still retained all the knowledge and memories of my time. I slept and was awoken when I smelled something strange. That was when I was attacked by the mushroom viruses and you saved me."
Lan smiled. "So that's why you talk so smart."
Tenshi blushed and shrugged. "That's probably the only thing Lervingthis gave me that was a good thing."
"So that's why you don't think of yourself as a tenshi? Because of a dark past that you couldn't control?"
Tenshi nodded.
"Well, if you aren't everyone's angel, at least you're mine." Lan pulled her close to him and hugged her warmly. "Well, what do you say we find out who this woman is and unlock your past? Maybe, she'll be able to help us locate your parents."
"Well, all I know is what she looks like and that I was found in a burning building. She did leave a note when she left. It bid farewell and said that my parents would find me, rather than the other way around. Maybe we could start in Marine Harbor?"
"I could check my dad's files again and see what the NetBattler database knows. They kept catalogs of every living being, so there should be something that might be of interest," Lan suggested. "We'll leave tomorrow night. First, I want you to meet some old friends of mine. I mean, the battle and all wasn't the best way to find out they were alive; after all I thought they'd been dead since the fire in ACDC over a year ago. So, tomorrow a formal greeting would be much better."
He smiled, finding Tenshi curled up happily against him, asleep. He tucked her in, as Kael leapt up onto the bed with her. Lan lied down on his own bed, sleeping soundly to the fact that his closest friends hadn't died in the ACDC fire after all.
-END-
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Well, what does this mean for EarthNet/Dual Realms? Okay, for those who remember, Dual Realms was the original title to this series; now I'm changing it to "EarthNet", as "Dual Realms" is a seperate, original story I'm actually currently working on now, available on my website under "The Fates". Now, EarthNet is not cancelled like it used to be. In fact, I want to return to write this story, mostly because of fan support from years past, and the fact that I love these characters and the mood of the storyline. However, I'm not guaranteeing when I will be able to get to it, because right now, Dual Realms is my focus, and my pride.
Do not fret, though, because there is hope. I'm adding a co-writer who will continue this series under my guidance: lugiamania, whose work can also be found here under the same name. I know for sure I won't likely have the time to write it myself, but you can be sure that EarthNet will be the Battle Network epic for a very long time. I've plenty of editting and revising to do, but in time, EarthNet will become a reality.
-----Pyrestrike